[BOOK REVIEW] FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN BY TADE THOMPSON

1/9/2021

The cracking pace, richly realised setting and sharp characters result in a smart, original and above all electrifying deep space adventure.
Strap in for the ride.

FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN BY TADE THOMPSON
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08M5BZN13
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit (26 Oct. 2021)

A review by James Bennett

Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Tade Thompson returns to the genre with FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN, a standalone sci fi thriller. The starship Ragtime has travelled light years to the distant colony of Bloodroot bearing a thousand sleeping passengers. When a massacre aboard rouses Captain Michelle Campion, her distress call is answered by disgraced investigator Rasheed Finn and a desperate struggle for survival ensues…

With deft prose and vivid imagery, FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN is a fast-paced and exciting read. Thompson assembles an interesting cast of characters in an immersive futuristic scenario. The friction between Shell and Finn, two similarly jaded professionals, contrasts well with the alien and beguiling Joké, while the mandroid Salvo provides a logical foil to proceedings. This unlikely team find themselves trapped aboard the crippled Ragtime with their life support running out, the tension ratcheted up by a malfunctioning AI, berserk killer robots, leaked experimental plants – and a rampaging wolf. As in the author’s ground-breaking ROSEWATER trilogy, the spiritual elements add colour and mystique to the hard-tech backdrop.

A host of influences are on display here from 2001 to Iain Banks (‘Excession’ came to mind) to Alien, yet Thompson weaves his own story, and with remarkable poignancy for such a speedy escapade. There’s insightful commentary about the price of colonialism and those who exploit humanity for their own ends, woven around the central murder of a character who’s hard to care about, but ultimately makes for a compelling point.

In fact, FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN plays out more as a thriller than a mystery. While the setup suggests a puzzle at the heart of the novel, the plot resolves without much complexity and the political elements surrounding the action provide the real intrigue. The moral subtext is both thought-provoking and timely.

The cracking pace, richly realised setting and sharp characters result in a smart, original and above all electrifying deep space adventure.
Strap in for the ride.

Far from the Light of Heaven
by Tade ThompsoN

'Gripping and skilfully told, with an economy and freshness of approach that is all Tade Thompson's own. The setting is interstellar, but it feels as real, immediate and lethal as today's headlines' ALASTAIR REYNOLDS

Arthur C. Clarke Award winner Tade Thompson makes a triumphant return to science fiction with this unforgettable vision of humanity's future in the chilling emptiness of space.

The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having travelled light years from home to bring one thousand sleeping souls to safety among the stars.

Some of the sleepers, however, will never wake - and a profound and sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel. Its skeleton crew are forced to make decisions that will have repercussions for all of humanity's settlements - from the scheming politicians of Lagos station, to the colony planet of Bloodroot, to other far flung systems and indeed Earth itself.

'Readers looking for a smart sci-fi mystery should snap this up' Publishers Weekly

'First-rate space opera from one of the genre's most exciting voices' Gareth L. Powell

'Tade Thompson is a writer of enormous heart and talent. Just brilliant' Dave Hutchinson

James Bennett

James Bennett is a British writer raised in Sussex and South Africa. His travels have furnished him with an abiding love of different cultures, history and mythology. His short fiction has appeared internationally and his debut novel CHASING EMBERS was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the British Fantasy Awards 2017.

James lives in Spain where he's currently at work on a new Fantasy novel.

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