{first in NeoG trilogy ; science fiction, space, future}(2020)

This series was recommended to me after I read the Indranan War series by the same author. When I finished this book three months ago I just put a place holder for it and then rushed on with my reading; I'm back to try and review it in hindsight (using the notes I jotted down on Litsy as I read).

Maxine Carmichael has, against family tradition, joined the NeoG (Near-Earth Orbital Guard) - who patrol our solar system - instead of the Navy or the family company. Commander Rosa Martín Rivas and the crew of Zuma's Ghost of the NeoG are still smarting from a close loss in last year's Boarding Games and are hoping to win this year - but Max is replacing their best swordsman and she has different strengths. The main focus of the story is the inter-forces Games, as the chapter headings suggest, but there are other things happening out in the solar system. In between patrolling - when they discover that there is a deadly mystery linked back to the Carmichael's company - the crew train and compete in the Games .

I found this book easy to read and more-ish but not too intense. For some reason, though I enjoyed it, I didn't feel deeply invested in the characters; maybe it was because some events that we see the build-up to then finish off-screen? It gave the book a feeling of incompleteness and the time jumps it entailed didn't help either.

Initially I found all the names confusing at the beginning especially when they were given their proper name the first time we saw them but a nickname (without an explanation as to who it belonged to) on their second mention. Plus, a lot of names are similar: Ma/ Max, Nika/Zika all on the same crew but not related and Nika has an adopted sister with a completely different name.

This was a fun, light read. There seemed to be a suggestion of ESP in some of the characters though that didn't crystallise into anything in this book. I think I have a thing for Doge, the metal AI dog who reminds me a lot of our own real-life canine.

The NeoG oath, recited by the crew just before they go out to compete in one of the rounds of the Game, which also explains the title of this story:

They all circled around her and Rosa felt her heart shake for a moment when she met Ma’s eyes. He reached out and put his hand on hers. “We go out into the black,” he said
“To protect the lost,” Sapphi continued.
“And weary travelers far from home,” Locke and Garcia said together and shared a grin.
“We go out into the black.” D’Arcy’s rumbling bass was in Rosa’s ear as he reached past her, putting his other hand on her back.
“Without thought of return.” Akane’s clear soprano rang through the tunnel and Rosa knew the other teams were watching them.
“Because it is our duty to stand between.” Tamago filled in the gap on Rosa’s other side.
“Those who need us,” Huang said.
“And all the things on silent wings.” Murphy’s eyes were shining with unshed tears.
“That come to steal their lives away.” Jenks met Rosa’s gaze and then Max put her hand on the top of the pile.
“We are the sentinels, always ready to defend the pale light that shines in the black.”
“We are the NeoG,” Rosa looked around, nodded once, and dropped her hand.

Worth giving it a go.

(March 2024)
3.5-4 stars ( )

I really liked this book because the characters were interesting and well-drawn. The world-building was not too far off a possible future for Terrans. It posits an answer to the question: what would need to be invented for humans to be able to travel out of our solar system?

At its heart this is a political murder mystery. There are a lot of sports-related (mostly kick-boxing) combats that act as the framework around which the story plays out. There is a spare use of “techno-babble”.

It took a bit to get oriented at the beginning – first names and pronouns – but was a good, fast thrill ride after that. One that I would recommend be read in one sitting. ( )

I rather liked this. A thriller set in space and on Earth, the NeoG are a cross between the Coastguard and a police force. The daughter of a wealthy but dysfunctional family joins the force rather than her family’s traditional service in the Navy; the family are famous for developing a life-extension treatment. The crew of a NeoG Interceptor stumble on a smuggling ring apparently smuggling countfeit life extension…

A bit rough round the edges; I was reading an eARC but the bones of the story were there and all hung together. Some of the scene transitions were a bit abrupt, and I found the plethora of nicknames a bit confusing.

Recommended.

My first DNF of the year: statistically, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but still the disappointment stings… The blurb for this book promised a space opera focused on an organization, the NeoG, labeled as the space equivalent of the Coast Guard, and on the crew of one particular ship, Zuma’s Ghost, also adding that “A routine mission to retrieve a missing ship has suddenly turned dangerous, and now their lives are on the line. Someone is targeting members of Zuma’s Ghost, a mysterious opponent willing to kill to safeguard a secret that could shake society to its core . . . a secret that could lead to their deaths and kill thousands more […]”.

Quite intriguing, indeed, and the start of the novel - despite some slight info-dump concerning the characters - introduced some captivating themes, like the promotion and subsequent transfer of a beloved second in command coinciding with the arrival of a new officer, whose past history and present uncertainties would add some spice to the interpersonal mechanics aboard the ship. Given these premises I expected a lively, adventurous story peppered with some interesting character evolution, but unfortunately things did not work that way at all.

From the very start the story seems focused solely on the annual Boarding Games that pit the various branches of Earth’s military against each other, with much space given to Zuma’s Ghost’s commander and crew lamenting their defeat in the previous edition of the Games, and their preparations for the upcoming session: up to the point where I stopped reading there were only a couple of instances in which the crew faced emergencies related to their actual job, and they were solved quickly, almost off-handedly, immediately going back to talk of the impending Games. From a quick online search I discovered that the more adventurous section of the story does come into play once the “Space Olympics” are over, but I could not find the strength to go through chapter after chapter of fights and simulated battles to reach what might have been the “meat” of the story.

To be entirely truthful, I have to admit I don’t care for team sports of any kind, so that might very well have colored my reaction to this story, but still I don’t understand the importance of the competition in the economy of the novel (at least as it’s presented in the blurb): a passing reference seems to indicate that the winning faction would get the greater portion of the government’s funds destined to military operations, and since NeoG did not gather any wins they are forced to go into space with sub-standard and/or old equipment. If that’s how things are in this future vision of humanity, it’s a ludicrous way indeed to manage a space-faring civilization…

Which brings me to the background, or rather scarcity of it: there are references to a Collapse that threatened to end civilization, but since it’s now four centuries in the past no more details are given about what it entailed, or how Earth overcame it; technology seems advanced enough - ships achieving light speed, instant communications spanning great distances with no time-lag, rejuvenating treatments keeping people young well beyond human standards, and so on - but it looks like an afterthought rather than an organic part of the whole. Then you are met with weird details like swords as onboard armament because “no one yet had the lock on a reliable handheld laser weapon”. Granted, once my inner Nasty Nitpicker is awakened, it tends to sink its teeth onto these trivial details and to never let go, but to me this speaks of poor planning, or editing, or both.

When all is said and done, A Pale Light in the Black looks like the kind of book I might have read - and probably enjoyed - a few decades ago, when I began reading SF: now that I have a good number of books under my proverbial belt, and that I have hopefully honed my tastes, books like this one feel totally unsatisfying. This is not the droid… pardon me … the novel I was looking for.

Moving on…. ( )

It took me a little while to warm up to A Pale Light in the Black, but much like Petty Officer Jenks once it had me by the throat it wasn't going to let up until it was good and ready.

If Becky Chambers leaves you hankering for more action in your casually inclusive, fundamentally good-hearted SF, KB Wagers and the NeoG have your back. I went from mildly interested to unable to put it down, and spent the second half sniffling as Wagers landed one emotional blow after another (in a good way) based on the architecture they'd put in place.

Undemanding fun, where the corporate conspiracy and military competition subplots ultimately play second fiddle to the best crew in the Near-Earth Orbital Guard confronting some of their issues as newbie officer Maxine Carmichael fights to find her place.

Full review ( )