Blindspace by Jeremy Szal

I would like to thank Gollancz for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Gollancz

Published – Out Now in ebook

Price – £18.99 Hardback £8.99 Kindle eBook

Vakov Fukasawa is a Reaper. An elite soldier injected with a dangerous drug called stormtech: the DNA of a genocidal alien race, the Shenoi. It makes him stronger, faster, more aggressive. At a price.

A price that, if the House of Suns cult isn't stopped, all of humanity will have to pay.

Vakov saved his estranged brother from the cult and killed their leader. Now they want his head on a spike, and they're hunting him and his friends down to get it, while continuing their mission to awaken the Shenoi and plunge the galaxy into mindless violence and chaos. There's a dangerous journey ahead, but Vakov and his misfit crew of eccentric aliens, troubled bounty hunters and rogue hackers will take any risk to stop the alien awakening. Only there's one risk Vakov hasn't shared: the one he himself poses. He got a terrifying glimpse of the Shenoi in the depths of interstellar space, and the violent nightmares he's suffered since suggest their DNA isn't just inside his body - he might already be fighting them for his mind . . .

NB some spoilers for the first great book in the series Stormblood will be mentioned in this review

Space can be philosophical, quiet, awe-inspiring and yet I have to admit large explosions and adventure in space is also immensely satisfying. That frontier always holds danger and just a little thrill or two. In Jeremy Szal’s excellent exhilarating Blindspace we return to the universe of The Common and for this instalment we have an action-packed gritty adventure pushing our characters to their limit.

Vakov Fukasawa has moved on a lot from when we saw him living the life of a criminal in the huge asteroid world of Compass. His brother has been indoctrinated into an evil cult and he finally foud him freed albeit under arrest). Vakov also found out more about the secret alien DNA (nicknamed Stormblood) injected in him and many other soldiers during a hard war that turned them into an elite force known as Reapers. That was the calling card of an ancient evil known as the Shinoi who want to return, and many other ancient races are prepared to stop them and join humanity in the fight. Vak finds himself now working for a group dedicated to eliminating the House of Suns before they can turn any more people into cultists using the power of Stormblood.

If the first book in the series was the space opera focusing on Vak solving a mystery, then this is all action sequel. I love it when a series plays with tone and approach; and this did not disappoint. Vak was last seen as the reluctant warrior brought back into the fight this time, we find him front and centre leading a fireteam of hardened warriors also including his hacker friend Grim investigating where the Suns are hiding and trying to fight them out. Szal pulls out plenty of action set pieces each time very different – hand to hand battles on an asteroid, strange eerie monster encounters in a planet’s caves and finally an epic space battle. Each time the writing brilliantly brings these to life. You’ll feel every punch, shot, and move the team pull to stay alive. Two constant highlights are the variety of special armoured suits the team wear for each encounter, and each has its own special abilities and uses which get very inventive – especially as we start to see alien varieties of the technology. Also prepare for some truly punchy weapons and fistfights – this is the front-end of battle and Szal makes us see things from the front-line perspective in all its ugly glory.

The story happily does not sacrifice plot for action, and we move again the ongoing plot of Stormblood, the Suns and the mysterious Shinoi. On the one hand this is a standard powergrab between forces of democracy and criminals but we also start to see the Suns are acting as heralds to the Shinoi and that only through torturing others can they somehow call their gods back to this side of the galaxy. For Vak this is dangerous as stormblood calls him to the Shinoi too via a strange mental landscape known as Blindspace and Vak starts to find that his augmented body is behaving and changing in a very new aggressive way which becomes a daily battle for control just when a final epic confrontation is needed.

What really gels the book though despite these other two factors is the emotional journey Vak the loner goes on. He is not very used to leading a team and this creates conflict as the risky lone wolf forgets to explain things to his team. On top of that his younger brother is now in prison and the pressure is on Vak to show his brother has value to Compass and deserves freedom. Throw in his body unexpectedly changing on him and the pressure eof an all-out imminent war there is a lot for this character to process. Szal cleverly makes the internal journey for Vak about him learning to trust others and pull his mental walls down (not always successfully) and that for the reader especially as we are hearing this story in Vaks voice mean we hear his internal battle to do better for himself and others. The best words to describe Vaks is the big brother who wants to do his family right whatever it takes and now having a fireteam we see the emergence of a new found family for him to argue with but also bond and trust. For all the explosions and battles to enjoy this emotional heart keeps the story on an even keel and makes me genuinely interested in where the series goes next.

If you’ve ever played Mass Effect with the smart blend of space opera, politics and action then you will really enjoy Blindspace and its makes another instalment in some rather brilliant SF action adventure that confirms Szal is a name to watch in science fiction. It’s an enthralling read and a bit like Stormblood itself you may want another dose very soon! Highly recommended!