Publisher – Angry Robot

Published – out Now

Price – £8.99 paperback £2.47 kindle eBook

A misfit crew race across the galaxy to prevent the genocide of magical creatures, in this unique science fiction debut.

Having magical powers makes you less than human, a resource to be exploited. Half-unicorn Gary Cobalt is sick of slavery, captivity, and his horn being ground down to power faster-than-light travel. When he's finally free, all he wants is to run away in his ancestors' stone ship. Instead, Captain Jenny Perata steals the ship out from under him, so she can make an urgent delivery. But Jenny held him captive for a decade, and then Gary murdered her best friend... who was also the wife of her co-pilot, Cowboy Jim. What could possibly go right?

The mixing of fantasy and science fiction has been going on a long time even before Star Wars novels such as Dune allowed for magic (ish) in space. It is always fun to see the clashing of the two genres and magic and technology as we know are pretty much the same thing. In TJ Berry’s unusual frenetic novel Space Unicorn Blues we get an unusual collection of characters on a strange mission but ultimately the ambitious story’s execution didn’t quite work for me.

Humans have discovered aliens who resemble magical creatures and whose bones and blood power ships and heal the sick. This did not end well for the creatures. Half human half unicorn Gary has finally escaped and plans to get their spaceship back for freedom but soon finds themselves under two old acquaintances Jenny and Cowboy Jim. More danger awaits all as Jenny needs to help people on an urgent rescue mission.

This is a tricky one because I think this story has slots of good ideas but I never really settled into enjoying it. The way certain familiar aliens match human myths but in different ways is a fresh take. Berry has an interesting mix of light and dark. Gary is both funny and sympathetic and we also get shocked to know he killed Jim’s wife for reasons we don’t find out for a bit. It’s a mix of cosy and a story with a harder edge but my main issue was the pacing. Gary’s capturing of his ship back is pretty much the first quarter of the book and we just get an overlong three set of weird challenges – some setting up the future story but ultimately feels like a story too unsure of itself. The diversity of the characters is well delivered with queer and disabled characters both good and bad to meet but all the other elements together just didn’t quite come together for me the way I wished it to. It felt a little more chance for a tale to breathe would have really helped. It has the hallmarks of a first novel and for me is overcooked.

Space Unicorn Blues didn’t quite work for me but I think its an unusual story other readers who prefer the characters over plot may get more out of it.