May 5
forests so deep and still as to seem holy. — The Fell Sword
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forests so deep and still as to seem holy. — The Fell Sword
“I must remind you that Ser Hartmut does not speak with members of the third estate.” - The Fell Sword
Title: Against All Gods | Author: Miles Cameron | Publisher: Gollancz (2022)
Whalesong, par Miles Cameron (Gollancz, octobre 2025)
Troisième et dernier volume de la trilogie Arcana Imperii, après Artifact Space et Deep black , où les héros continuent de lutter contre les menaces extrahumaines et les complots humains…
Toujours dans la veine Elizabeth Moon et toujours aussi agréable et divertissant.
October Book Reviews: Artifact Space by Miles Cameron
I received a free copy from Saga Press via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Publish date January 27th, 2026.
I thought I'd give this trade-focused SF by a new to me author a chance. In Artifact Space, Marca Nbara has just managed to escape her horrific childhood in the state-run Orphanage by faking her credentials to qualify as a middie on the prestigious Athens, one of the titanic trading ships vital to her world. But once on the ship, Marca's dangerous past still trails her--and someone is destroying the greatships one by one…
Artifact Space is pretty standard old-fashioned milSF, down to the 11 out of 11 male authors blurbing the title in the marketing copy, with the exception of the young black woman who is its protagonist. Marca does suffer a bit from World's Specialest Protagonist syndrome--she's seventeen, does everything flawlessly, is petted and praised by senior officers, and saves the entire several thousand person ship multiple times. Part of this comes from the narrative necessity of making a lowly character in a highly formal and strictly ranked military structure part of the action. Marca has to be special enough to be included on vast conspiracies and alien trade and military planning, otherwise it would be happening entirely offpage. The effect is also mitigated by the fact that Marca's friends are also allowed to be competent--both her patrician bunkmate Thea and mysterious science extra Dorcas are pretty sharp.
The worldbuilding, alas, leans more towards Space Engagements and away from the more interesting (to me) trade and complex negotiations with aliens. Cameron's military background is pulling its weight here--all of the battles are written in a radio chatter which adds verisimilitude, although the alpha bravo roger stuff does tend to make critical action scenes feel distant. However, by far the strongest part of the novel is Marca's traumatic past. Wisely, it's left entirely as a shadowy influence offpage, with the action starting as Marca is halfway through her escape. But it shapes her every action, from the way she eats like she expects someone to steal it to her habitual distrust. Cameron does run heavily to the A Woman's Lot is Constant Sexual Assault, which is a bit wearisome, especially in a world that's allegedly gender neutral. It seems clear everything, from the rigidly gender-sorted cabins to what Marca expects a sexual advance to look like, is shaped by a heavily patriarchal world.
Honestly, this novel ran much more to my book club's taste (ie, conventional) than my own. Still, it was an enjoyable enough read, and Cameron has a good touch with the details--you can see he's written like twenty novels previous to this one. I see the series is gearing up for a space battles against the aliens sequel, and I may or may not end up reading it.
First World Problems for an Editor trying to find Posts About Her Authors on Tumblr
Christopher Priest, award-winning author of literary science fiction including THE PRESTIGE =/= Christopher Priest, a long running writer on various DC comics.
Ian McDonald, award-winning author of science fiction, folk horror, and one time took an entire con panel off on a tangent about the logistics of sex in zero gravity =/= Ian McDonald, founding member of prog rock band King Crimson, OR Ian MacDonald, DC comics artist.
Miles Cameron, multi-talented author of historical epic fantasy and space opera =/= that blue guy from Avatar, directed by James Cameron.
Marc-Antonio in Venice
From Sword of Justice (Christian Cameron)
Sir William Gold after Alexandria
From The Long Sword (Christian Cameron)