Book Review - BLINDSPACE by Jeremy Szal

(Title: Blindspace / Author: Jeremy Szal / Publisher: Gollancz / Publication Date: November 25, 2021 / Total Pages: 544)

Book Blurb

Vakov Fukasawa is a Reaper. An elite soldier injected with a dangerous drug called stormtech: the DNA of a genocidal alien race, the Shenoi. It makes him stronger, faster, more aggressive. At a price.

A price that, if the House of Suns cult isn't stopped, all of humanity will have to pay.

Vakov saved his estranged brother from  the cult and killed their leader. Now they want his head on a spike, and they're hunting him and his friends down to get it, while continuing their mission to awaken the Shenoi and plunge the galaxy into mindless violence and chaos. There's a dangerous journey ahead, but Vakov and his misfit crew of eccentric aliens, troubled bounty hunters, and rogue hackers will take any risk to stop the alien awakening. Only there's one risk Vakov hasn't shared: the one he himself poses. He got a terrifying glimpse of the Shenoi in the depths of interstellar space, and the violent nightmares he's suffered since suggest their DNA isn't just inside his body - he might already be fighting them for his mind.

Review

I'm primarily a fantasy reader these days, but every once in a while a really great SF book/series totally hits that sweet spot for me. The Common series by Jeremy Szal is absolutely one of those. After reading Szal's brilliant debut novel Stormblood last year, the follow-up BLINDSPACE became one of my most anticipated books in a long time. I literally could not deal with the intervening time between because I needed to have the sequel in my hands, such was the amazing quality of the first book. Well, turns out it was well worth the wait and upon finishing this one, I'm stumped as to how to articulate just how much I enjoyed it. But I will try my best.

BLINDSPACE picks up pretty much immediately following the events of book one. Main character Vakov has been put through some of the worst stuff imaginable and although much battered and scarred, is undeterred in his main focus to free his brother from enemy clutches and get back to some semblance of a normal existence. But there's a ton of harrowing things in his way, and they set the stage for the incredible story that plays out in this book. 

The sequel to Stormblood is a slight departure when it comes to pace and fight sequences, but that's understandable given that book one was unrelenting it seemed when it came to breakneck action. BLINDSPACE settles down a bit and gives much more insight into the interpersonal connections between Vak and his fellow Reapers, as well as with his estranged brother Artyom. There seems to be some thawing of the cold war between them after what happened in Stormblood, and one of the things that I loved about this book is the scenes where they interact with each other and we get to see them attempting to repair their fractured relationship. Some of these scenes were incredibly moving and emotional. It becomes obvious that there still is a strong bond of brotherhood between the two, but it has been so damaged by words and deeds of the past that getting back to where they once were is challenging to say the least.

Vak's relationship with his team of Reapers and alien friends is also rocky at times. The alien stormtech that has been injected into his body often causes moments of intense anger and loss of impulse control, which leads to some friction with those on his team who feel he sometimes goes it alone in loose cannon fashion and maybe doesn't consult them as much as they would like. It's an interesting dichotomy because at his core Vak is someone who is selfless and would give anything, even sacrifice himself for the benefit of his team and his brother, and yet he struggles with allowing those close to him to break down his walls and carry some of the load occasionally. Vak is definitely more fleshed out in BLINDSPACE and humanizing him in that way truly made me more emotionally attached to his character than I was previously.

Make no mistake, there is still a tremendous amount of action and cool space confrontations in this one. So it doesn't completely take a backseat to the more character-driven nature of this book. There are some crazy battle scenes and the mind-blowing tech concepts that permeated through book one are still here and better than ever. We get treated to even more information regarding the origins and effects of stormtech, which I found a delightful revelation as someone who has been captivated by this mystery from the time it was introduced into the story. However, don't think the Jeremy Szal has given the entire game away, as he has definitely kept some cards hidden up his sleeves for upcoming books I'm sure. 

The biggest compliment that I can give BLINDSPACE is that it not only builds on and considerably expands the initial story, but also improves upon it in truly significant ways. I was touched by the deeply personal moments, thrilled by the intense action, and mesmerized by what continues to be some of the coolest and most innovative technology and science I've come across. 

If you are a fan of Iain M. Banks, Peter F. Hamilton, and Neal Asher, you absolutely need to be reading the books of Jeremy Szal. To not do so would be to rob yourself of one of the best new brilliant voices in the genre right now. It's staggering to think that he has only scratched the surface of his craft and we will hopefully get to read decades of future works by him. Meanwhile, I can't wait to see how his first series progresses and ultimately concludes. Right now I'm just enjoying and savoring going along on this wonderfully hypnotic trip. 

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