Vigilance by Allen Stroud

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

Publisher – Flame Tree Press

Published – Out now

Price – £13.94 paperback £4.95 Kindle eBook

In the aftermath of Phobos Station’s destruction, sinister forces fight to control humanity’s fragile first steps in colonizing other worlds. There are competing agendas at work. Some seek to overthrow the Corporations and Governments, others just want to see everything burn.

In the midst of it all, Captain Ellisa Shann and her crew are fighting to survive and to unlock the secrets of a mysterious and ancient alien ship.

Vigilance is the conclusion to the epic science fiction story that began with Fearless and continued with Resilient. What new revelations await in the ongoing Fractal Series?

Warning this is the latest in the Fractal series that starts with Fearless by Allen Stroud  and then Resilient with also a linked novella series you can read starting with  Europa

One of the biggest issues for the twenty-first century is going to be who owns space? What was once just an extension of the Cold War and Great Game is now being regularly entered by private enterprises – the corporations and the private billionaires claiming altruistic motives. Science Fiction has long warned us of that risk but what could a future where the national and commercial continue to expand outwards look like.”? In Allen Stroud’s Fractal series as well as delivering excellent science fiction thrillers with a widening space opera backdrop we are only a few centuries in the future where the battle gets even bigger and more desperate in the latest exciting novel Vigilance concluding the arc (but perhaps not the series) that has carried across the last two books.

A reminder of where we have got to. Captain Ellisa Shan and her crew were on a simple solar system mission when what was supposed to be a rescue mission turned into a fight for their lives with a ship of clones. After a high cost battle of wits and ships Shann and her small remaining crew took over the enemy vessel Gallowglass to work out where to go next. At the same time a group of people (also clones) were then terrorising and taking over Phobos Station leading to its destruction over Mars. On this the enigmatic Holder who works for equally mysterious employers and jumps bodies using sophisticated mind technology has decided enough is enough and is aiding the survivors of the attack. While ships and crews start to question who is on whose side a strange vessel of unknown origin also enters the solar system. Many long games have been waiting for this moment, but the final prize may change the future forever.

Huge credit to Stroud for creating anextremely well plotted novel that seamlessly combines the two novel’s casts and interlocks the various plotlines. We see the bigger arc of the story coming to the fore. Various groups interested in the direction of space travel – for the wider Earth authorities or for purely financial power and on top of that a fascinating first contact scenario with for added measure thoughts on the nature of life itself. Add in face to face action and spaceships up against each other this is a hugely enjoyable ride.

Stroud again moves with each chapter to various character’s point of views taking us from spaceships over Mars to the mysterious alien craft arriving and even a form of AI cyberspace. The cast are all extremely competent professionals handling difficult situations under stress but each has their own voice and style. Highlights for me are the return of Shann – a Captain who has gone through the fire in this series and now out the other side, determined, compassionate but not going to let her enemies win. Above Mars we have Holder – the personality jumping operative in her latest body aware time is running out for it and now trying to get her own back on her once employers and in cyber-space Duggan Shann’s friend and engineer – practical and sensible dealing with becoming an AI personality and finding himself not alone. This becomes the more surreal of the plots and one of the most fascinating. We also have the enigmatic Savvantine a spy in Earth’s network who was up against Shann and now learning to trust her. All these characters are talking in present tense working through their decisions and dealing with the consequences of them. Stroud knows when to jump on a cliffhanger and we even now start having characters interact with each other having different impressions to how we as the reader see them. It works really beautifully. In opposition we have the Clone Rocher equally competent, often in various forms smug and an equal match for any of the characters which makes their interactions always quite plausible that things will go either way.

Stroud also handles action extremely well be it space ships battling, eva experiences outside in space or battles against enemies inside a spaceship. There are a host of set pieces to test characters and all very inventive and move the plot along. For me the new dimension is the long simmering question of who is behind everything. Stroud adds in regular slices of future history to explain their world and we see the competition between nations and industry reaching a key point of ruthlessness where one side is making a power grab for the solar system. It’s an impressive strategy and ambitious plan (which for novella fans of the series will also explain quite a few subplots but for novel only readers will not confuse people). In addition the mysterious alien intelligence the series has hinted at arrives and Stroud has a great vista of how this ship made an epic journey and also sees these strange sparring humans. Here while storylines are wrapped up there is enough new angles to the world being created I’d hate to not see what happened next- it feels more stories in this world await.

It’s also worth again highlighting how Stroud handles characters with disability. Shann was born with no legs but has created a career for her in a gravity free space environment she excels at. It’s who she is and her disability is but one side of her. We also have Johansson an ambition ensign with excellent hacking skills who has a prosthetic arm and Savvantine has a visual disability augmented but in this story has to manage around her blindness when required. Stroud’s future doesn’t remove disability but is one where people are accepted and live with it without any stigmas. It’s something I still don’t see enough of in science fiction.

While certainly not a jumping on point for new readers those currently enjoying the ride will be very happy to be back in the Fractal series. Stroud has done a great job of creating a whole new solar system and future history and it feels more stories await. I am very eager to see what Stroud does next and an author to watch. Highly recommended!