Book Review - DEEP BLACK by Miles Cameron

Title: Deep Black

Author: Miles Cameron

Publisher: Gollancz

Publication Date: August 1, 2024 (Preorder on Amazon US & Amazon UK)

Total Pages: 510

Back Cover Blurb

Marca Nbaro had always dreamed of serving aboard the Greatships, with their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city.

They are the lifeblood of human-occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume - and value - of goods from City, the greatest human orbital, all the way to Tradepoint at the other, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species. 

And now, out in the darkness of space, something is targeting them.

Nbaro and her friends are close to locating the enemy, in this gripping sequel to the award-nominated Artifact Space, but they are running out of time - and their allies are running out of patience...

Written by one of the most exciting new voices in SF, this space thriller will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Review

If you've never read a Miles Cameron book, well that's truly a shame because he has been writing some of the best fantasy in the genre. Both The Traitor Son Cycle and Masters and Mages are must-read series in my opinion and two of my all-time favorites. When he turned to writing sci-fi a few years ago, I had no doubt that he would be just as amazing in that arena as well. And I wasn't wrong as I found his debut space opera Artifact Space to be a jaw-dropping sensation of a novel. You can check out my review of book one in the Arcana Imperii series if you'd like to find out more. So it was with much excitement that I was able to obtain an advance copy of the sequel DEEP BLACK, graciously provided by author Miles Cameron himself. Would it have the same impact on me as its predecessor? I simply couldn't wait to find out.

DEEP BLACK begins not too long after the thrilling events that concluded the first book. Without getting into too many details, as this is the second book in a series, Marca Nbaro is on the Greatship Athens with her fellow crewmates recovering from her previous ordeal and preparing for the greater battle that could very well be coming. To say that there are a number of threats in the particular star system where Marca is now stationed is a severe understatement. And that's part of the many reasons why this series is just firing on all cylinders and keeping the action to a fever pitch. There's no shortage of spacefaring enemies lurking and ready to strike with the least possible warning.

I found DEEP BLACK to be a very worthy sequel which expanded on the first book and delved even more deeply into Marca and her interpersonal relationships. One romantic relationship in particular with her senior officer is a somewhat complicated one. Most of the time she is all-in but there are also moments where she goes through feelings of insecurity and doubt, not really knowing whether or not this is actual love she is feeling. We've all had relationships like this I think. Having that romantic relationship set against the backdrop of potential interstellar war was kind of refreshing and elevates this series from just a "pew pew" sf thriller (not that there's anything wrong with that) to something with much more weight and personal stakes for the main character. Cameron is so great at doing this by the way, he makes you care incredibly for his characters because he writes them so vividly.

Coming on the heels of the brilliant Artifact Space, I wasn't sure how DEEP BLACK would measure up, but I have to say that I blew through this weighty tome in just short of a week, rarely putting it down. So I believe that speaks volumes with regard to its quality. This book pretty much had it all: suspense, romance, intrigue, military strategy, an enigmatic alien species, and of course the hallmark space battles that one would expect from an entertaining space opera adventure. In the end I was more than captivated by this book and that is really no surprise given what a fan I am already of Miles Cameron's work. I knew it was going to be great but I didn't expect the wonderful surprises that Cameron threw in there to intensify my enjoyment that much more. If you are into authors like James S.A. Corey, Peter F. Hamilton, and Adrian Tchaikovsky, you should definitely pick up this series. It's a must-read that should appeal to the vast majority of science-fiction lovers.

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