Publisher - Titan

Published - Out Now

Price - £8.99 paperback £4.68 Kindle ebook

NB this book follows Embers of War by Gareth L Powell — Runalong The Shelves and Fleet of Knives by Gareth L. Powell — Runalong The Shelves

Low on fuel and hunted by the Fleet of Knives, the sentient warship Trouble Dog follows a series of clues that lead her to the Intrusion--an area of space where reality itself becomes unstable. But with human civilisation crumbling, what difference can one battered old ship have against an invincible armada?

Meanwhile, Cordelia Pa and her step-brother Michael eke out their existence salvaging artefacts from an alien city. But when Cordelia is snatched from her home, she begins a journey that will help her understand the strange songs she hears in her head and the strange things that happen around her. What extraordinary affinity does she have for this abandoned alien technology, and how can it possibly help the Trouble Dog?

The conclusion to a trilogy is often wrapping up multiple plotlines for the world (sometimes universe) and a large cast of characters (heroes and villains). The road has been long but where does it finally take us? In Gareth L Powell’s Light of Impossible Stars a lot needs to be concluded and while overall I’m satisfied with the destination I did find some elements for me meant I felt that a further or longer book would have been better to end things on.

A brief recap the former warship now rescue ship Trouble Dog and her Captain Sal Konstanz are running on fumes (literally). The galaxy is being attacked by amazing mass of armed and deadly spacecraft known as the Fleet of Knives; while space itself is being invaded by entities from another dimension. The Trouble Dog has lost key crew members and gained others but now they’re hanging out far from regular space pondering if striking back is even possible. Meanwhile a young would-be ship captain named Cordelia Pa is still trying to know her estranged father when she is sent on a mission that goes wrong fast. The two crews are destined to meet and try to save the universe.

Up to now I’ve really enjoyed this series and in traditional fashion I held back on the final books as I hate to let go. But that TBR must be faced. What works as has throughout is the core characters of Trouble Dog and Sal who represent a theme of never giving up and making up for past mistakes. Powell brings a trademark mix of pathos, humour and decency to these characters as to deciding to be doing better is the point not if you’re always successful but at least you tried. its s refreshing message in SF and the duo’s scenes still sizzle with very good character work and by virtue of Trouble Dog being a warship rather brilliant space battles. I did like how while things are desperate the two take a moment to help a minor character using the ship’s vast technology just because it was the decent thing to do.

What i found slightly less worked was the introduction of Cordelia and one other key character I’m not naming. It is not unusual in a trilogy to bring in new characters even by the last book but Cordelia has such a huge role to play that she changes the entire book and in quite a fundamental way. She almost takes over from the characters previously introduced in the last book who now fade into the background. A lot of coincidences and revelations also re-shape the story and ultimately I found went at such a pace to slightly weaken the overall trilogy’s impact. The wider plot does finally get resolved but I left the book feeling it wasn’t quite as well earned an ending as I’d hoped for.

The Embers of War trilogy is though still worth a read and I’m glad to have finished it and I will very much be there for Powell’s new books. Their later series have been a lot of fun still and their positive approach to SF always has done surprises in store.