A thick, chonky SF heist novel set on a very deadly setting: a derelict spaceship orbiting a star that is about to go supernova
Sean Wren has a problem. He’s a small-time thief and smuggler, but he’s finally been caught. As one of the few people who understand a now dead language, he’s been put on a mission he can’t refuse: to go and board a spaceship. However, this spaceship has been derelict for hundreds of years, and is orbiting a star ready to go boom. And Sean soon learns that his is far from the only mission headed to the ship. What could be so important on such a ship to attract such interest in a dangerous place? Oh, only the secret to immortality...
This is The Immortality Thief by Taran Hunt, the first in a series of books about Sean and his world.
The Immortality Thief is a book that grabbed me from the premise and setup from the world go. Future setting, science fiction (as opposed to actual space opera) on a spaceship, a countdown and relentless upward pressure on its protagonist—the book did a lot of the work in preparing me to accept its world. There is some tension in that, while this has some of the features of a SF heist novel, it also alternates pulse-pounding action sequences with a lot of time spent in buttressing its world. The action sequences make me think of games such as Dead Space, and given the monsters and traps the characters face, my mind cast back to that game (about exploring an abandoned spacecraft) time and again.
A lot of the novel’s chonkiness occurs with the worldbuilding that Hunt puts us into. Hunt has a fond use of flashbacks, helping develop both the world and also (as we shall see) the character of Sean. This is a far-future world set in a galaxy (although we start in a solar system, we spend time on one spaceship and that’s about it) that is on the edge of wary conflict between humans and the alien Ministers. We get a lot of character development of Sean as we find out the details of his history with the Republic, the alien Ministers, and just why he can speak and read the dead language that makes him invaluable for the mission. With aliens included, the world Hunt paints and portrays here feels something like the Cold War series of Dan Moren: two powers not quite ready to start shooting, but the forces pushing them in that direction are stronger than those keeping them in this wary peace.
For all that we stick to Sean’s point of view throughout, there is a lot of development of the other characters from Sean’s perspective, more than just their backstory tied to the worldbuilding. Once things have gone to pot and we shake out to our main characters of Sean, Indigo, and Tamara, the novel really picks up. These are as uneasy and untrusting a trio of protagonists as one might ever find in a heist novel, but the twin goals of trying to find the Philosopher Stone data and trying to survive a very deadly spaceship force them to, if not trust each other, work together. While we get to know Sean the most (via the flashbacks), we do also get revelations on Tamara and Indigo that flesh them out and complete our trio.
Sean is a very unlikely hero and not the kind of person you expect to be front and center, especially without backup on his side. He is absolutely bad at using force, and every time he tries, it goes sidewise. He is intelligent, knows a lot, is a good thief and smuggler, but force is not his strong suit. He’s also witty, snarky, and sometimes his mouth gets him into more trouble than he can actually deal with. If this is the sort of protagonist that appeals to you, then you are going to like The Immortality Thief a lot. Tamara (and especially the alien Indigo) are much harder to read; they are much more inclined and capable when it comes to force, as one might expect, but both of them show well drawn aspects that refract and reflect our protagonist.
And I could see how the relationship between the three could have taken well worn paths, but Hunt avoids taking the easy course at every juncture. Their relationship as they grow is prickly, difficult, complicated, and (even given a Minister) all too human.
The derelict spaceship itself, with its own alien and horrible creatures, traps, confusing layout, and other dangers is an immersively dangerous setting for Sean, Indigo, Tamara and everyone (and everything else) that they meet. If you want the literary equivalent of jump scares on a dark night in the fall or winter reading, Hunt has some scenes for you! The scenes when our protagonists face yet another dangerous and horrifying problem that threatens to overwhelm them (leavened with the lighter moments of worldbuilding and travel) is an excellent, if long, pacing for traversing the ship. And the characters themselves can’t forget: that star is due to go supernova any time soon.
The novel does go into a strange and unusual shift toward the end, as the Philosopher Stone and its secrets are finally in grasp. It’s a little more surreal, certainly less of an action novel and much more speculative in its nature. It was a bit of a gear shift that took some getting used to, and I was wondering where Hunt was going with this. However, the “runway” of the previous chonkiness in the book was good preparation for Hunt to go much more speculative and a bit of weird in the climax of the action.
One last thing I want to mention in discussing this book (I have obscured a lot of details on purpose; there is a great joy and discovery in figuring and seeing how Hunt puts her world together) is how she ends the book. This IS the first in a series, but Hunt manages to pull off an ending that can satisfy people who want a one-and-done bottle episode on the derelict spaceship. But it also has an irresistible sequel hook in its last paragraphs. The Immortality Thief is whole and complete and you will enjoy what you read, this chonky experience. But there is a lot more story to tell in this universe, especially from that hook. I feel Hunt really has hit that sweet spot between single book and opening a series really well.
I look forward to the continuation of the Kystrom Chronicles (named for Sean’s hometown) and seeing where Sean and his companions go in a rich and interesting universe with a deep backstory and an intriguing future.
Highlights:
- Strong primary character with an excellent pair of protagonists he is unwillingly teamed up with
- Really interesting and deep worldbuilding, an immersive and deep experience
- Excellent and sometimes rather frightening action beats
Reference: Hunt, Taran. The Immortality Thief [Rebellion Publishing, 2022].
POSTED BY: Paul Weimer. Ubiquitous in Shadow, but I’m just this guy, you know? @princejvstin.