Reviews with content warning for Violence - Artifact Space

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Artifact Space by Miles Cameron

5 reviews

nightstitch96's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I feel like the story is being told to you instead of being able to experience it. It was like being kept at arms length from the emotion the whole time. I enjoyed the plot and most of the characters (though I kept confusing/forgetting some of the more minor side characters). However, because of the writing style, I just couldn't fully get into it.

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brekaboujie's review

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was SO excellent and so satisfying!!! I absolutely stormed through it and found it super fast paced. The pacing is probably my only negative as everything was very speedy which meant you were thrown in and out of tense situations very quickly. It made it a huge page turner but also made it a bit startling at times.
It was also super technical in that there were loads of instances of flying space crafts and communicating with different people on landing/take off etc. I know nothing about planes and it sounds super dry when you describe it but I actually love how it was done. It made the whoke thing so vivid and realistic, I really felt like I was right there with them.

The setting was really interesting and so were all the characters. The author really succeeded at bringing in loads of different characters and therefore making it seem like the ship was massive, rather than telling us the ship was big and only ever focusing on 3 or 4 people. The main character was really interesting and also, extremely off brand for me, but i actually

rooted for the romance plot

. Unexpected but I really loved how it was done and it didnt take away from the rest of the plot at all in my eyes.

Can't wait to read the next book and see how all the plot lines unfold!!!! So much to still learn and explore!!

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owarcher's review

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jaedia's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Originally posted to dragonsandwhimsy.co.uk

Marca Nbaro grew up on City, “the greatest orbital in Human Space.” Her life up until this point has been traumatic, to say the least, growing up in City’s Orphanage as a ward of the state, a place for kids orphaned by their parents who died in service and we fast learn that it’s being run by a crook who gives them the bare minimum. Nbaro is able to escape by the skin of her teeth, though she has angered somebody very powerful and it’s her hope that out in space, they can’t get to her. And so she gets onto the greatship Athens, one of 9 magnificent and very old spacefaring vessels that exist to ensure the mercantile nature of the DHC can continue, particularly with its most important cargo: xenoglas, a mysterious and highly valuable material traded with the only other aliens that humans have come into contact with, the Starfish, a non-bipedal squid-like species that live in ammonia rich atmospheres who nobody has ever communicated with.

At first glance, I assumed Artifact Space would be about a stowaway trying to flee her past life while trying to remain undetected among the lower tiers of the spacecraft, but ultimately becoming a part of the ship’s ecosystem as pirates or a mysterious alien race threatened their existence, and while I was wrong with my assumptions, as I often am, I wasn’t disappointed with what the story did provide.

Nbaro is a black woman dealing with her past trauma as she pretty much tries to “fake it ’til she makes it” on the Athens, and very quickly is taken back by how welcoming and kind the crew really are. She’s used to being surrounded by dirtbags. In fact, her skipper, Trueknor, tells her that she is part of the Athens now, so long as she gets to work and does as she’s told. The crew itself is militaristic, and Nbaro understands that. We get the joy of watching her grow from this frightened, downtrodden girl who escaped the Orphanage and always felt the need to watch her back, to a smart and confident woman able to lead. In doing so, she finds her family among the crew of the greatship and her friendships with them all were for sure my favourite thing in this book.

I did have a few issues with Artifact Space, however, I will admit that I’m unsure if some of this is my relevant newness to the science fiction genre, especially as a reader. Case in point, the first few pages were like torture for me and I couldn’t tell you if I was struggling because I’m just generally not used to “sci-fi jargon” or if some of the terms could have been explained a little better. My husband informed me it was worldbuilding to get you into the mindset of the world and that’s something I can certainly get behind. Regardless, it was only the first few pages before I was hooked, even if some of the quantum physics (and other such things) descriptions went way over my head. I still barely understand how ‘insertion’ (this book’s term for ‘hyperspace jumps’) works, but it’s okay.

However, there are a lot of pages wherein Nbaro is learning things and going through the motions that felt a little lethargic. I felt these could have been condensed somewhat, though they were not a deal breaker for me because when chracters interacted and the action happens, Artifact Space really shines.

I loved how much “life on the ship” there was throughout the book. You get a lot of time to know the characters, and see the bonds forming between them, and understand why the greatships are so important. So when things begin heating up, and believe me they sure do, you understand the stakes and heck, there were moments in the story that brought me to tears. That is really rare for me. All I want is to spend more time with these characters!

The book also handles LGBTQ+ people pretty well, in my opinion. People are gay or asexual and it gets just as much attention as the straight people get. There are also “androgynes”, who are androgynous people, as you may be able to guess. I was a little bit confused over whether they were born as a result of living upon the orbitals within Human Space or if it’s part of the gender spectrum as we know it, but either way, it was neat to see a lot of gender-neutral language for a few of the characters.

If you pick up Miles Cameron’s Artifact Space, expect a lot of subterfuge and unknown forces working from all angles, as well as an interesting look at capitalism and class divisions from the perspective of people around 700-800 years in our future. Or, just a really neat space opera story about merchants working hard and working together to make sure they don’t get destroyed.

Reading this book, I’ve learned that Miles Cameron is a great storyteller with some fantastic worldbuilding chops, and I can’t wait to read the follow-up and get into his fantasy books.

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queenmackenzie's review

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Artifact Space blew my mind. I am relatively new to science fiction, having always preferred fantasy, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to appreciate this book, especially when seeing other reviews that compare it to some of the older, classic sci-fi. But while I am sure some elements and references went straight over my head, I needn’t have been concerned. Miles Cameron’s fist science fiction novel has shot up through the ranks to become one of my favourite reads of the year. I simply couldn’t put it down; whenever I was reading, the rest of the world fell away and it would take quite a bit to pull me back out. And even when I wasn’t reading, the story had me in its grip.

Marca Nbaro, the main character, is someone who is endearing, though it took me a few pages to figure that out. We’re introduced to her in what is a high tension moment – she’s hiding from someone, and she is trying to sneak her way onto the Greatship Athens, for reasons initially unclear. Very quickly, though, I was invested in her struggle, and incredibly fascinated by the world she inhabits. Nbaro is from City, the greatest orbital in Human Space, and grew up in the Orphanage, run for the children of those who die on duty. City seems to be modelled on Venice, and has the original piazza San Marco relocated on it, which is incredibly cool, and only one of the many details that made me fall in love with the book.

And there are so many details, which I could go on and on about – the androgynous people, the sword shaped Greatships, the complex societal structure, the references within society to things from our earth, that nobody really understands anymore (such as James Bond and rock, paper, scissors), the sword fighting in space, the holographic tattoos… what a world! Anyway, back to Nbaro – she succeeds in getting onto the Athens, and we discover she was prevented from graduating and joining the force because of something that happened at the Orphanage, but that she has great talent and is even descended from one of the early captains of the Greatship Athens.

From the premise, I expected Nbaro’s story to be one of clandestine movements and fear of discovery, and it is for a while, but I think I was just as surprised as Nbaro to find that the cast of characters she encounters aboard her new home are loveable, supportive, and impressed by Nbaro’s quick thinking. Our protagonist quickly rises in people’s esteem, and I loved watching her grow and come into her own. All of Cameron’s characters have a vivacity to them, and though there were quite a few to keep track of, I loved them all, with their complexities, quirks, and energy.

In fact, this entire book has a very particular energy – it’s like an undercurrent throughout, making even the quiet moments thrum, and making the action scenes arrive suddenly and with great power. Part of this, I think, comes from the mystery of who in the vastness of space is targeting the human Greatships, with Athens seeming to be the next target – Nbaro (and the reader) never knows when a quiet, boring watch might turn into an emergency situation. There were so many threads to unravel during the course of the story, and while some questions were answered, I now wait impatiently for the second book to find out more, and you can be sure Artifact Space will be occupying my thoughts for some time to come.

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