Future's Edge

By: Gareth L. Powell

Narrated by: Sarah Cullum

A gripping and heartfelt horror-tinged space adventure from the BSFA award-winning author of Stars and Bones and Embers and Becky Chambers. Listeners of James S.A. Core will love this fast-paced story of space piracy, deadly alien artifacts and a race to save what is left of humanity.

When archaeologist Ursula Morrow accidentally infects herself with an alien parasite, she fears she may have jeopardised her career. However, her concerns become irrelevant when Earth is destroyed, billions die, and suddenly no one needs archaeologists anymore…

Two years later, she’s plucked from a refugee camp on a backwater world and tasked with retrieving the artifact that infected her, as it just might hold the key to humanity’s survival. With time running short, and the planet housing the weapon now situated in hostile territory, she realises she’s going to have to commit an act of desperate piracy if she’s going to achieve her objective before the enemy’s final onslaught.

A thrilling journey into deep space where the fights are brutal, the relationships are complicated and the world ended years ago.

©2024 Gareth L. Powell (P)2024 W. F. Howes Ltd.

Superbly Done (again by this author)

As good as Stars & Bones series - imaginative new worlds and conditions that test the indomitable human spirit & their Skien counterparts!

Fun, quick, and clever

Future's Edge is a fun story with likeable characters and a satisfying ending. There were a few times throughout the story where I expected common sci-fi tropes to appear and they were thankfully avoided, ultimately leading to a very satisfying conclusion to the story. My only minor criticism is that there were times where the narrator seemed to read a bit slower than I like and there were pauses in between lines, early in the book, that could have been edited out of the recording; but like I said, they are minor and the storytelling more than makes up for it. Great book.

Sci-Fi done right

The story was tight, the characters well developed in a short time, and the universe of the story opened just enough to see what we needed to see, with room for future growth or to let the reader's imagination take over.

The narration was well done, character voices distinct, and the pacing appropriate. Glad I listened.

The benefits of alien infection

Gareth’s L Powell’s Future Edge is an engaging sci-fi tale. A human archeologist is infected by an alien parasite, but shortly thereafter, Earth is devastated by an alien invasion. The archeologist escapes to a drab life on a backwater world with other refugees until her husband shows up after several years looking for her because the alien parasite she’s infected with may hold the key for eliminating the al-ien invasion.

Powell plows familiar ground with humanity forced into a diaspora due to a superior alien force. Prob-ably the most interesting aspect of the tale is Powell’s style to introduce advanced AI, sentient spaceships. In this case, he sets up a love triangle between the husband, wife, and the spaceship.

The narration is adequate with decent character distinction. Pacing is smooth.

Fun adventures in space

Reminds me of To sleep in Sea of stars. Very enjoyable romp- follows a woman getting over her ex and herself in order to save humanity… all for a happy ending ending…