By Elizabeth Bear

Gollancz Books, out now

You can find the weirdest things when you’re a salvager – particularly on a derelict ship on the edge of the Milky Way…

While I’ve enjoyed Elizabeth Bear’s forays into fantasy, I was delighted to hear that she’s returned to science fiction for her latest volume – a story that will grab you early on and keep you embroiled in its various dramas throughout.

Bear doesn’t waste time coming up with new terms for all the minutiae involved with space travel – early on, we learn that our narrator, Haimey, uses the simplest possible way to describe items and actions, even if they are apparently anachronistic or overly simplified – which means you don’t have that nagging feeling you need a dictionary by your side throughout. (That doesn’t mean there aren’t unfamiliar concepts – just that you’re not alienated along the way.) There may be times where inevitably you feel that you’ve encountered some of the ideas involved before, but it’s the spin that Bear puts on them that makes Ancestral Night work – although occasionally when some of the concepts are explained yet again, it can be a bit of a speedbump.

It’s the start of a series that’s set in the same universe as her Jacob’s Ladder trilogy, but quite a bit later on than the events therein, and makes a great introduction to Bear’s work. If you want science fiction with big ideas that examines identity on micro and macro levels, and also has some very intriguing ideas on politics, then this is for you.

Verdict: Engaging characters and a plot that should resonate long after you’ve finished the book are the ingredients for a thought-provoking novel. 8/10

Paul Simpson