Artifact Space

By: Miles Cameron

Narrated by: Nneka Okoye

Out in the darkness of space, something is targeting the Greatships.

With their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city, the Greatships are the lifeblood of human-occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume - and value - of goods from City, the greatest human orbital, all the way to Tradepoint at the other, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species.

It has always been Marca Nbaro's dream to achieve the near-impossible: escape her upbringing and venture into space.

All it took, to make her way onto the crew of the Greatship Athens, was thousands of hours in simulators, dedication and pawning or selling every scrap of her old life in order to forge a new one. But though she's made her way onboard with faked papers, leaving her old life - and scandals - behind isn't so easy.

She may have just combined all the dangers of her former life, with all the perils of the new....

©2021 Miles Cameron (P)2021 Orion Publishing Group Limited

Incredible!

Best sf written in years. Can not wait for the next volume! Cameron has established himself as a powerhouse in the genre.

Sweeping space opera with empathetic characters

Narration was superb and perfectly matched the central character. Felt really invested in the characters and it stung whenever bad things happened to them. Really looking forward to next book, hopefully with same reader.

Surprisingly good

Really interesting story with some nice twists an turns. I really appreciated the main character and the plot. Good narration as well. Can’t wait for the next in the series.

the technical knowledge and connection to naval terminology.

gripping fast moving story. Great listen! This is my second time through to make sure I'm ready for "Deep Black"

Exactly What You are Looking For

It’s a little difficult for me to review Miles Cameron’s books because I know the author and consider him a friend. So, spoiler free: Artifact Space is excellent far-future space science fiction. He has absolute command over the workings of a starship in a way that you will not read elsewhere. And it is empowering, like the way Patrick O’Brien writes about fighting ships in the age of sail. He doesn’t hold your hand, but you know you are in the hands of an author who has complete knowledge of how these things work.

A few notes:
1. Detail flows and is relevant. You learn how something works so you don’t have to deal with it later. Plus, Cameron has a navy background yet doesn’t feel he needs to inject jargon to prove his space navy chops. The chops are there. Plus, the tech he takes on in his universe have rules and these rules persist. That’s key.
2. Cameron has an interesting and original take on how interstellar economies work. When you have an author who actually appreciates mercantilism, capitalism, socialism, fair trade and applies them to a detailed and well-crafted universe you jump up and down that somebody has even addressed economics in science fiction. (Although he is wrong about capitalism.)
3. As a read, it is beautiful. It hits my spots for reasonableness and elegance of description and language. Cameron is a pro.
4. (for the Audible version) Nneka Okoye is my new favorite reader. I adore her accent and she just subtly alters her voice to define different characters. She nails the sci-fi elements. Perfection.
5. My one issue is with the main character point of view in this complicated story. In the course of a year our heroine becomes: an orphan, an escaped urchin, a streetwise operator, a murderer, the most junior officer on a starship with 5,000 people, a fighter pilot, an intelligence officer, an aide to the ship’s master, a commander of that ship in an emergency, a space marine, an expert swordsman (swordsperson), and the key component of every action that happens in the story. Oh, and she’s also a hidden princess. Which is what happens when you have one POV character. She has to be everywhere.

Fortunately, we like her. You will be rewarded by your read (or listen to, don’t miss the joy of Okoye’s voice) of Artifact Space. Cameron knows what he is doing.