The Cruel Stars by John Birmingham

I would like to thank Paige from Head of Zeus for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Head of Zeus

Published – Out Now

Price – £8.99 paperback £3.59 Kindle eBook

They thought the Sturm were dead. They were wrong. 

Centuries after their defeat, the enemy has returned with an overwhelming attack on the fringes of human space. On the brink of annihilation, humankind's only hope is a few brave souls who survived the initial onslaught: Commander Lucinda Hardy, commander of the Royal Armadalen Navy's only surviving warship; Booker3, a soldier of Earth, sentenced to die for treason; Alessia, a young royal forced to flee when her home planet is overrun and her entire family executed; Sephina L'trel, the leader of an outlaw band. 

And, finally, retired Admiral Frazer McLennan, the infamous hero of the first war with the Sturm, who hopes to rout his old foes once and for all – or die trying. 

These five flawed, reluctant heroes must band together to prevail against a relentless enemy and near-impossible odds. For if they fail, the future itself is doomed.

I had a discussion this week about genre and when someone is just really good at using it and someone is just going through the motions. For me the latter knows the notes but is basically playing without any soul. A great author though takes the building blocks of the genre, throws them together and if you’re lucky surprises the reader with their choices. I am so pleased to say The Cruel Stars by John Birmingham is a hugely creative and entertaining space opera I greedily wolfed down as it was delicious to read.

In the far future humanity has many factions. The most prosperous have adapted technology so skills can be downloaded into your brain; your body can be enhanced in any way and even death is temporary provided your personality has been downloaded. One human group though wanted to keep their genomes pure and after a vicious war the Human Republic known as the Sturm were banished never to return but now they have a plan for revenge. Into this attack are thrown a young Commander Lucinda Hardy who usually in her fleet got her position so early on merit rather than wealth which is causing tensions on her new ship; an elderly archaeologist who is also returned Admiral Frazer McLennan and his ancient AI Intellect Hero currently dreading some new arrivals at their site; Booker 3 a prisoner awaiting execution and erasing of their stored personality due to their beliefs while skilled mercenary/thief Sephina and 12 year old Princess Alessia of a super-rich Corporation Royal family are all going to have bad days; find themselves under threat of permanent death and see their worlds end.

Initially I though of this all feels a little too familiar. Personality downloads: AI Minds with spaceships with funny names;nanotech, space mercenaries and Corporations are all very familiar building blocks of SF these days. Birmingham though does two things. Firstly, each character we meet is really interesting be it the very young but smart and capable Hardy; the violent and funny Sephina who is clearly happily in love with her girlfriend and partner in crime while Booker feels tragic but likeable and Alessia actually for a 12 year old fairly decent. The initially most interesting is Frazer who seems initially a loud-mouthed sarcastic Scotsman who loves jam butties too much, but we soon see is smarter and carries more sorrowful memories of the last war than he likes others to think but Hardy I loved for her bravery and tactical ability on top (reminds me of a young Honour Harrington). Each of these charcetrs we get very swiftly in alternating characters to know and also understand the world they live in. Then Birmingham presses the accelerator and ends normality via the Sturm reappearing.

Usually, it’s the augmented societies who are the villains but in this case it’s the purist humans who hate deviation from the pure human and their plan to bring down a far more capable and bigger society is smart, vicious, and devastating. Be prepared for some body horror and death – won’t say anymore but I liked watching les than halfway into a book this civilisation see how vulnerable it can be and the Sturm are very much space Nazis and their love of physical violence matches their cunning. Then each of the main character has to literally fight their way out of a dangerous situation and what really impressed me is that Birmingham isn’t afraid to land some devastating punches. It is not easy so when the characters start to cross paths, they’ve earned the chance for a team up where their skills then complement each other.

Birmingham moves from bar room shoot-outs; space battles; palace attacks to mercenary versus mercenary battles in spaceships and on land with ease. No info-dumping exposition to slow the pace (so nice to see an author trust the reader can out the pieces togther themselves) and this first volume skilfully ends a great story but plants so many seeds for the future trilogy. Its not often I am just devouring pages in a few hours just to see what happens next.

This is fun, smart, exhilarating and engrossing science fiction with the end of the world at the stakes matched with great characters; smart dialogue and beautiful action scenes. You will have a brilliant ride with this from the first page and am so desperate e to the sequel that after writing this review that is what I am doing next. Its that good. Strongly recommended!