Stars and Bones

By: Gareth L. Powell

Narrated by: Rebecca Norfolk

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

From the multi BSFA award-winner comes a stunningly inventive action-packed science-fiction epic adventure. A brand-new series for fans of Becky Chambers and Ann Leckie.

Seventy-five years from today, the human race has been cast from a dying Earth to wander the stars in a vast fleet of arks - each shaped by its inhabitants into a diverse and fascinating new environment, with its own rules and eccentricities.

When her sister disappears while responding to a mysterious alien distress call, Eryn insists on being part of the crew sent to look for her. What she discovers on Candidate-623 is both terrifying and deadly. When the threat follows her back to the fleet and people start dying, she is tasked with seeking out a legendary recluse who may just hold the key to humanity’s survival.

Gareth L. Powell’s Embers of War won 2018 BSFA Award for Best Novel and was shortlisted for the 2019 Locus Awards and the 2021 Seiun Awards in Japan. Its sequels, Fleet of Knives and Light of Impossible Stars, were both shortlisted for the BSFA Award for Best Novel, and Fleet of Knives was also shortlisted for the 2020 Locus Awards.

©2022 Gareth L. Powell (P)2022 W F Howes

Critic reviews

"Gareth Powell drops you into the action from the first page and then Just. Keeps. Going. This is a pro at the top of his game." (John Scalzi)

"A headlong, visceral plunge into a future equal parts fascinating and terrifying." (Adrian Tchaikovsky)

well...

incredibly ambitious concepts but a very shallow execution. no real "heart" to it, despite many harrowing events. flat, I guess? the narrator was quite competent, but perhaps a reading that better expressed the stakes involved would have helped? not sure. have to say that she was a good reader, and perhaps the writing just didn't bring it out in her.

Great!

I enjoyed the story and though the narrator was fantastic. I particularly liked the sentient spaceships, especially the Ocelot character. At times there was a bit too much blood and guts for my taste, but the story was good enough for me to get through those parts. I hope this is the start of a series!

Beautiful new sci-fi novel

Stars and Bones is the newest science fiction novel by multi-BSFA award-winning author Gareth L. Powell. In this brand new series, Powell introduces us to a future where humanity travels the stars far from Earth aboard a fleet of sentient ships. It’s a beautiful vision, and the details of life among the stars are impressive. Stars and Bones is a great introduction to a future reality filled with possibilities.

When her sister’s long-range scouting vessel fails to return to the fleet, Eryn lobbies for her own ship, the Furious Ocelot, to investigate. The trail leads them to a planet known only as Candidate-623 and an alien beacon. First contact with a new species turned deadly, and Eryn must find a way to communicate with a hostile alien intelligence before it wipes out humanity.

By pure happenstance, I managed to get my hands on the audiobook version of Stars and Bones prior to the book’s release and listened to it three times before writing this review, enjoying the story more each time. I still pre-ordered a copy via Audible, it was that good. Narrated by Rebecca Norfolk, I highly recommend the audiobook version.

I look forward to reading future Continuance novels.

An Amazing Book!

I absolutely loved everything about the book and the characters. I fell in love with the plot of the story after 3 sentences. Every personality for each character was well written. I honestly hope this book can become a movie series or something. While reading this book with the audio made everything 10 times better. This book is definitely one you would love to get into!

Good story

Battlestar Galactica meets the Zombie Apocalypse in space with hints of influence from Dug the Dog of Up. Took a little while to warm up, but it was a good story.

Painfully mediocre

I feel like many contemporary sci-fi books fall into the trap of the trying to invent and subsequently solve some lofty moral conundrum and spending so long on clunky exposition that they forget there are supposed to be characters and a plot too. The book began exciting enough, but it quickly turned into such a slog of backstories and explanations that the plot felt completely pointless by the end.

Much like Adrian Chaykovskyi, the author deals with the issues of bio modification and trans humanism

Very interesting promise, enjoyed the world building, and would love to see more of it

Another great one

Another gripping story from the wielder of words. Just great scifi story that captures you and won't let go.

WOW great story!

This was a great story, it would have been Even better with a different narrator. She was good but not great. I will be reading anything this author writes.

Wonderful yet ruined

What a great idea for a SiFi journey. Picked it up with great expectations and it started right down that road. Until the author begins to slip in subtle context of a alternate agenda revolving around the evils of capitalism and the need to embrace the current liberal dogma. Disappointing, nothing wrong with multiple viewpoints but this is an extreme push of idealism disguised in a sifi package. Some will love it I did not.