Deep Black

By: Miles Cameron

Narrated by: Nneka Okoye

Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Marca Nbaro had always dreamed of serving aboard the Greatships, with their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city.

They 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.

And now, out in the darkness of space, something is targeting them.

Nbaro and her friends are close to locating their enemy, in this gripping sequel to the award-nominated Artifact Space, but they are running out of time - and their allies are running out of patience . . .

Written by one of the most exciting new voices in SF, this space thriller will keep listeners on the edge of their seats.

©2024 Miles Cameron (P)2024 Orion Publishing Group Limited

My favorite space war book in a very long time!

I am a big fan of Cameron, but this might be my favorite of his books so far. The story is compelling, the characters are so well drawn that even on a huge spaceship, it becomes easy to keep track of who is who.
The worldbuilding is deeply satisfying, the aliens are ... well, alien!

Great work.

fantastic

Cameron does it again. I was hanging on every word, and did not want to stop. This book only makes me want more of his writing. I want more of the Arcana Imperii.

Overall good

Really like the narrator. Story is decent.

Main issue is with audio quality. The volume of the narrator constantly gets too soft or too loud. Its almost like the narrator kept getting close and away from the microphone throughout the entire thing.

If Ms. Okoye ever happens to read this, you're doing a great job but this is kind of an important thing you should address in your next book.

Take Me Out to the Black

I wrote a review for Miles Cameron’s 2021 space epic, Artifact Space, the precursor to Deep Black. Everything I wrote there still holds. Cameron is a master at delivering a hard(ish) science fiction world with incredible fidelity and believability. The reading of Nneka Okoye is perfection in her delivery for the POV character, Marca Nbaro, and character variations.

If you like Artifact Space, chances are you will like Deep Black. This is largely because the new novel essentially begins where the original leaves off. A conspiracy has been unmasked and aliens have been encountered. Damage from the finale of the first novel is being repaired. Actions must be undertaken. Nbaro is ready to undertake them. All of them.

Where Artifact Space was world building and character development, Deep Black is unleashing the characters upon the world. War is front and center in the reality of the new novel, with trading and commercial interests taking a back seat. Cameron is enough of a historian to not get tripped up in the seeming dichotomy of a great ship (the premier human starships) being a purveyor of cargo and a man- (woman-, gene-) of-war at the same time.

Yes, Cameron’s modern audience sensibilities continue to shine through. He even reworked Henry V to include “sisters and genes” into the king’s happy few, “band of brothers.” You will either clap or wince. I’ll leave it to you.

There are two alien races. The enigmatic Starfish we know about that the Directorate of Human Corporations trades with for prized xenoglass, a wonder material that human technology cannot duplicate and that has become vital to the economy and spacefaring technology. The new aliens are the so-called Bubbles, who call themselves the Hin. The less said about them the better: Cameron has gone to Niven-like lengths to create a unique alien culture and it would spoil the fun not just to read it for yourself. Again, Okoye brings a Hin captive to marvelous life. “Yes, and also yes!”

Deep Black is military sci-fi with romance and atmosphere. There is a surprising amount of romance, and all that that entails. Fortunately, Cameron is a “fade out” kind of guy. The battles are meticulously described and make excellent sense and, in my opinion, never drag. I have a high tolerance for Tom Clancy detail, and you are in good hands with Cameron, who is a navy veteran and, as I’ve noted, historian. Even if you are not so inclined, the action is always related from a personal perspective and will not leave you cold.

There are a few differences in tone that prevent the original book and its sequel from being a proper single entity. I’m not sure whether this is a case of Cameron retconning details or revealing previously hidden plot points as part of a plan. I’m sure Luke and Leia were always brother and sister.

It turns out, the POV character has a neural implant that reveals itself and gives her incredible mental powers and support from the ship’s artificial intelligence, which manifests as a sentient being. The AI is no longer just a decision support system but the actual eminence grise. A cabal of AIs are apparently running human affairs for our own benefit. While cold and calculating, AIs apparently are not afflicted by human vices.

Certainly, giving the main character, who had been criticized in some reviews as something of a Mary Sue, a brain implant and invitation by all-powerful AIs to the Singularity at least partially explains her amazing (and constantly remarked upon by everybody) excellence in all fields.

Plan or excuse, you decide.

Deep Black in an amazing accomplishment in military science fiction with intelligence and heart. Cameron has maybe teased us with what might come next for the Arcana Imperii universe with his Beyond the Fringe short story collection. I reviewed that, too. The collection establishes some plot points for Deep Black and opens the floor to a variety of characters and points of view. If Deep Black wraps up a little too neatly, there is certainly a lot of room and life left in artifact space.

Well worth the credit

Fully pays off the promise of the first book, minis one irritating having plot thread.