by Elizabeth May & Laura Lam

Gollancz, out 6 August

A disparate group of seven freedom fighters vow to rid the galaxy of a ruthless Empire…

Sci-Fi Bulletin readers may feel a slight sense of déjà vu in reading that description and may be wondering if there would have been roles for Gareth Thomas and Paul Darrow had a film been made a few years ago. But this isn’t Blake’s 7 redux, nor is it a feminist spin on the tropes that Terry Nation and Chris Boucher used in that show.

I’ve followed Laura Lam’s writing for many years, having had the pleasure of working on her early Micah Grey books, but Elizabeth May’s work is new to me, and on the basis of this first in a duology, I’ll be searching it out. There’s plenty of character development – the dynamic between central characters Clo and Eris is sparky without ever pushing over the border into “smart for the sake of smart”. The POVs gradually increase as the books go on, but May & Lam give each such distinctive voices that rather than it becoming jumbled, as can sometimes happen, you look forward to being back with that particular person.

The pacing occasionally suffers from the need to flashback, particularly early on in the book, but the authors press the pedal firmly to the metal in the second half, leaving you very definitely wanting more once you reach the end. Although both authors have penned Young Adult stories, this is aimed at a more mature audience (although I suspect many of their younger followers will get it).

Verdict: An engrossing and fun space opera. 8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from Amazon,co.uk

 

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