Ancestral Night

By: Elizabeth Bear

Narrated by: Nneka Okoye

“Outstanding…Amid a space opera resurgence, Bear’s novel sets the bar high.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A space salvager and her partner make the discovery of a lifetime that just might change the universe in this wild, big-ideas space opera from Hugo Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear.

Halmey Dz and her partner Connla Kurucz are salvage operators, living just on the inside of the law...usually. Theirs is the perilous and marginal existence—with barely enough chance of striking it fantastically big—just once—to keep them coming back for more. They pilot their tiny ship into the scars left by unsuccessful White Transitions, searching for the relics of lost human and alien vessels. But when they make a shocking discovery about an alien species that has been long thought dead, it may be the thing that could tip the perilous peace mankind has found into full-out war.

Energetic and electrifying, Ancestral Night is a dazzling space opera, sure to delight fans of Alastair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks, and Peter F. Hamilton—“Bear's ability to create breathtaking variations on ancient themes and make them new and brilliant is, perhaps, unparalleled in the genre” (Library Journal, starred review).

Self aware SciFi

It was really refreshing to get into a story that was as much about the self awareness of the main character as it was the rest of the SF spectacle. It delivered on both fronts, but it was the former that really made this stand out. It certainly didn’t hurt to have a narrator that was so good at nailing the tone of the internal monologue. Highly recommended!

Snarky Sci-Fi

I knew I would love the book when there were two cats. Any time something bad happened my first worry was for the cats.

The narrator is snarky and I enjoyed their commentary. The bits of science in the story were enjoyable and something I enjoy in space opera, especially physics in space travel. The different alien species were interesting as well and how they work together.

There is a lot of commentary on politics and society. The ideas of resource allocation and the fine line of mind control. A lot of different ways of looking at systems and critiques of systems. The discomfort of the characters with the current system but not seeing any other option.

It’s a great book full stop

But, after proceeding with caution, it’s like the entire book is told through the rambling internal narrative of the main character which ISNT BAD! It’s good! I really, really loved this book. The sci fi ideas are 10/10, definitely up there in elite as far as brain candy goes. However listening to the rambling mind of the author is way WAY to much like listening to my own rambling mind and it is hard to process this book as something im reading. It feels like my own thoughts which is unnerving.

When the past comes back to haunt you

Elizabeth Bear’s Ancestral Night is a tale full of strange aliens, strange physics, strange biology, and bor-ing political diatribes. The main character works with a pilot and their ship’s AI to salvage space wrecks. They get word of a derelict and end up with a parasitic infection that allows for control of gravity as well as a mystery of what appears to be a former abattoir and there are pirates. The ship is chased by them, resulting in long, dry sessions discussing political theory; all of which appears to involve the re-crudescence of a long-suppressed memory.

Bear crafts a quite respectable structured plot with intriguing sci-fi elements, but with unremarkable and somewhat boring characters who drone on endlessly about political theory. The governmental structure is referenced, but never fleshed out, other than highlight hypocrisy.

The narration is decent, but unremarkable with a less than ideal alien renditions. Pacing is align with the pace of the plot.

Exceptionally intelligent Science Fiction

I really enjoyed so much about Ancestral Night but I was particularly impressed with the character development, neologisms, and unique takes on future technological and societal developments.