Stars and Bones
- Downloads：7200
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-05 08:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Gareth L. Powell
- ISBN：1789094283
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
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。
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。
Reviews
S。 Naomi Scott
，
What an absolutely awesome book！ Definitely Powell's best so far， and worth every one of those five stars。 I'll be back soon with a more detailed review。 What an absolutely awesome book！ Definitely Powell's best so far， and worth every one of those five stars。 I'll be back soon with a more detailed review。 。。。more
Sahitya
，
It’s definitely more of a 3。5。I don’t usually go for hard sci-fi books but I’m slowly getting intrigued by the space opera style books and I was immediately interested when I first got to know about this book。 I’ve just been waiting since then to find the right time to begin。 And it turned out to be something quite unexpected。 I’m usually in it for the characters - I can tolerate anything in a book as long as I can love the characters （atleast a few of them）。 But it was just the opposite in this It’s definitely more of a 3。5。I don’t usually go for hard sci-fi books but I’m slowly getting intrigued by the space opera style books and I was immediately interested when I first got to know about this book。 I’ve just been waiting since then to find the right time to begin。 And it turned out to be something quite unexpected。 I’m usually in it for the characters - I can tolerate anything in a book as long as I can love the characters （atleast a few of them）。 But it was just the opposite in this one。 I completely fell in love with the setting and the ideas that form the core of this story。 The author has written a world where humanity now lives on huge spaceships called arks created by super intelligent aliens called Angels of Benevolence。 Each of these arks is like a world of its own - artificially created landscapes as preferred by the residents， a culture and way of living which is unique to the ark， the shape of the ark itself is molded based on its resident’s vision and purpose， and the ark’s consciousness creates blue colored envoys who are most representative of the ark。 I reveled in getting to know each of the ark’s quirks better as the characters kept visiting them and I just wanted to know more。 And considering that the life on the arks essentially is a post-capitalist utopia， it was both surprising and not to see that some people have still banded together to fight this collective society and want to keep up with the classist and capitalist systems of old。 I guess it is a critique of humankind as a whole that even if humans move away from earth and have to live a very different kind of life， it’s not easy to forget the prejudices and bigotry that they have been carrying for ever。 The plot itself though was engaging enough。 There’s quite a bit of action and many chapters end in cliffhangers， so I always wanted to know what was gonna happen next。 I’ve read some complaints that there were issues regarding the science and sci-fi elements of the story but I’m not someone who knows much about all this stuff， so I didn’t find any such problems。 However， I did feel that there were many things which were unrealistic， even for an action packed futuristic story。 The dialogue was fun and interesting and even philosophical at times which I enjoyed， but the internal monologue of the main character felt a bit too much at times。 The main character Eryn is someone I sympathized with because she has suffered many losses and I could understand she was traumatized。 But there was just something off about her which I can’t articulate。 Her character seemed so inconsistent， even in her own thoughts， and I didn’t know what to make of it。 She was also written like an old school stereotypical YA heroine who is an ordinary person thrust into chaos and suddenly has to save humanity from annihilation。 Her nostalgic and misplaced grieving thoughts about her one night stand 15 years ago who was a cheater， her thinking one moment that she doesn’t know how to be a parent to her teenage niece and then a few days later thinking that she can apply the lessons that she learnt from parenting a teenager to solve an existential threat to humanity - getting a deep dive in her POV just didn’t endear me to her。 There are many side characters and we even get a few POVs but there were very few who left a lasting impression。 I mostly adored Ocelot， who is the envoy of Eryn’s scout ship’s consciousness。 He was witty and kind and compassionate and so loyal to those he has to protect。 There were quite a few other ark envoys who made small appearances but were intriguing。 It was the humans who were not so impressive。 Firstly， the author kills a lot of people throughout the book， so many characters couldn’t even get any development。 Among the living， Frank is a typical genius scientist who loves his research but doesn’t care for much else， Maddie is a typical teenager who is grieving and hurt and hates her remaining family and Li pretty much exists as a love interest and no other development of her own。 Even the romantic arc between Eryn and Li felt a bit forced。 But among the unknown， I have to say that the angels who saved humanity but seemed too indifferent with what humans did with this second chance were fascinating to read about; and the unknown alien entity hellbent on destroying everything was also very well written and I loved getting to know it’s story。 On the whole， I’m having very mixed thoughts about this book。 If you are someone who can appreciate the setting and the ideas and concepts the author is going for and like some fast paced action， maybe you’ll like this。 But I would say maybe don’t go for this if you like character focused stories。 But I think I’m impressed enough with this world that I might give the sequel a try， though it probably won’t be at the top of my awaiting list。 。。。more
Debrac2014
，
I enjoyed it！ Space opera with a murder mystery！ For some reason I didn't expect to see police detectives on the arks！ I didn't care for Eryn but she grew on me。 I enjoyed it！ Space opera with a murder mystery！ For some reason I didn't expect to see police detectives on the arks！ I didn't care for Eryn but she grew on me。 。。。more
Aaron Warren
，
Enjoyable story， and different。 Will likely give book two a chance as well。
Bertie （LuminosityLibrary）
，
RTC
Andrew
，
About as bad a book as I've ever read。。。 holes so big in the plot that you could drive a hopelessly unlikely set of ridiculous spaceships through。。。 insultingly bad About as bad a book as I've ever read。。。 holes so big in the plot that you could drive a hopelessly unlikely set of ridiculous spaceships through。。。 insultingly bad 。。。more
Steve Hunt
，
OkayThe story is fine， but I feel like sci fi authors should understand the basics of movement in space， glaring errors break my involvement in the story。I feel like there's some moral depth to the story missing as well， but I can't quite put my finger on it。 OkayThe story is fine， but I feel like sci fi authors should understand the basics of movement in space， glaring errors break my involvement in the story。I feel like there's some moral depth to the story missing as well， but I can't quite put my finger on it。 。。。more
Trickyplayer
，
BrilliantAbsolutely loved this book。 A well constructed universe with really interesting storyline - a shame the ‘angels’ do not exist to sort out our messed up planet and species。 Definitely recommended。
Mark Parnell
，
I was introduced to Gareth Powell via his Embers of War series which I loved。 So much so that he was added to my automatic buy list。 Set in a different universe from the Embers of War， Stars and Bones introduces us to the human race which has been expelled from Earth and currently travels interstellar is massive Arks。 Told from the perspective of Eryn， we learn about a mission gone wrong on a planet called Candidate 623。 An entity has been awoken， one that kills ruthlessly and has set its sights I was introduced to Gareth Powell via his Embers of War series which I loved。 So much so that he was added to my automatic buy list。 Set in a different universe from the Embers of War， Stars and Bones introduces us to the human race which has been expelled from Earth and currently travels interstellar is massive Arks。 Told from the perspective of Eryn， we learn about a mission gone wrong on a planet called Candidate 623。 An entity has been awoken， one that kills ruthlessly and has set its sights on the armada of arks containing all of humanity。 As the death toll rises into the millions， Eryn and a small crew set out to find what the connection is between this entity and the entity that 75 years prior， saved humanity from nuclear annihilation， and then proceeded to expel humanity into the arks。 One man may know the answer but he has been dead for many years although rumours of his demise may have been exaggerated。 Space opera at its finest， we have Dyson spheres， alien entities the size of a solar system， weapons of mass destruction oh and a talking cat that might just save the day。。。 Overall a fun romp and introduction to this new series。 。。。more
Michael
，
Stars and Bones is the first book in the "Stars and Bones" series by Gareth L。 Powell。 This book has a unique approach to the first contact story popular in science fiction。 Mankind has finally done it。 The militaries of the world have launched a world-ending nuclear attack against each other。 At the last possible second a benevolent entity stops the missiles but its goal is not to save mankind but to save the earth。 It decides however that it will save mankind also by building a vast fleet of s Stars and Bones is the first book in the "Stars and Bones" series by Gareth L。 Powell。 This book has a unique approach to the first contact story popular in science fiction。 Mankind has finally done it。 The militaries of the world have launched a world-ending nuclear attack against each other。 At the last possible second a benevolent entity stops the missiles but its goal is not to save mankind but to save the earth。 It decides however that it will save mankind also by building a vast fleet of ships and forcing mankind to leave earth forever。 Fast forward 75 years。 The fleet of ships is now far from the earth and one of its scout ships piloted by Captain Eryn King encounters a deadly entity on a planet known only as Candidate-623。 After escaping the planet and fleeing back to the fleet it soon becomes apparent that the entity has followed the scout ship back and is soon invading the ships and quickly killing everyone aboard。 It will be up to Eryn to find a legendary recluse who may hold the key to humanity's survival。 This book is a great read and a good start to this new series。 。。。more
G Baars
，
It starts out really well。 The we have the first crises and the main character’s maudlin self-pity ruins the impression of Powell’s best written book so far。 But - this is his best book thus far， no doubt about it。 His earlier books have a lot of action。 But the plots tend to go a bit off-message in the end。This one holds the line admirably。 It offers an intriguing， self-consistent world-building and a plot with enough twists to keep you interested。Unfortunately， there is the badly written bicke It starts out really well。 The we have the first crises and the main character’s maudlin self-pity ruins the impression of Powell’s best written book so far。 But - this is his best book thus far， no doubt about it。 His earlier books have a lot of action。 But the plots tend to go a bit off-message in the end。This one holds the line admirably。 It offers an intriguing， self-consistent world-building and a plot with enough twists to keep you interested。Unfortunately， there is the badly written bickering of adult professional space men and women relying on the rhetoric and debating skills of 14-year olds。 And the self-evident and over-explained sentimentality of the main character also comes across as pop-psychology for U。S。 pre-teens。 In this Powell follows the current mini-trend that seems to have infected parts of the SF world （e。g Star Trek’s latest outings， as well as the last few books by A。 Reynolds and P。 Hamilton， and many more…not to mention a lot of SF coming out of North America）。 Perhaps it’s aiming a &A market， perhaps it’s the times we live in。In spite of this， this is by far Powell’s best novel to date！ Recommended！ 。。。more
Jess
，
Stars and Bones is an enjoyable， fast romp of a space opera。 The writing could occasionally be a bit heavy-handed， but I was so intrigued by the world itself， and found many of the characters to be hugely endearing。 Obviously， I adored Sam the cat。 Sadly， this did lose me a bit with only a few chapters left， in a manner that’s tricky to explain without spoilers – something about what happens felt off-kilter and unsatisfactory to me， as well as a character being introduced who I found immensely Stars and Bones is an enjoyable， fast romp of a space opera。 The writing could occasionally be a bit heavy-handed， but I was so intrigued by the world itself， and found many of the characters to be hugely endearing。 Obviously， I adored Sam the cat。 Sadly， this did lose me a bit with only a few chapters left， in a manner that’s tricky to explain without spoilers – something about what happens felt off-kilter and unsatisfactory to me， as well as a character being introduced who I found immensely irritating。 I will probably pick up the next in the series， however， even if said character plays a large part – I can’t wait to see where this series goes next， and I always appreciate a series instalment that can stand on its own two feet as well。 Thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Thomas
，
Powell， Gareth L。 Stars and bones。 Stars and Bones No。 1。 Titan， 2022。In his Embers of War series， Gareth Powell provided an interesting twist to a military science fiction premise by featuring a sentient warship that has retired and is now doing search and rescue。 At first， it seems as if his new Stars and Bones series will also involve deep space war， but in the end， I was more reminded of scary alien encounter stories like Dan Simmons’ Hyperion series or Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis than anyt Powell， Gareth L。 Stars and bones。 Stars and Bones No。 1。 Titan， 2022。In his Embers of War series， Gareth Powell provided an interesting twist to a military science fiction premise by featuring a sentient warship that has retired and is now doing search and rescue。 At first， it seems as if his new Stars and Bones series will also involve deep space war， but in the end， I was more reminded of scary alien encounter stories like Dan Simmons’ Hyperion series or Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis than anything involving a lot of mundane laser fire。 Here is the high-concept premise: When humans discover wormhole technology， they naturally decide to go to war with it， threatening to destroy the Earth。 Some ancient aliens called angels have been watching over us; they decide to save it and us by moving our entire species to spacefaring arks they have scavenged the solar system to build。 They send us out roaming the stars。 As they say in the infomercials， but wait， there’s more。 Another race of powerful aliens is also roaming the stars wiping out sentient life， leaving only stacks of bones behind。 Then they start hitting the arks。 Erin is the pilot of a scoutcraft run by an alien AI called Ocelot。 When her sister is killed， the Angels let Erin know she and the Ocelot must confront the new menace。 Characters are nicely drawn， and the dialogue is entertaining。 Epic-scale space in the British manner。 4 stars。 。。。more
Will
，
6。0 / 10 ✪https://arefugefromlife。wordpress。com。。。When worst came to worst， the Angel stepped in to save us。 Not an actual Angel mind， but super advanced aliens that stepped in in humanity’s last hour and saved it from destruction。 So， kinda an actual Angel。 Something that saved humanity。 Or， rather， saved the Earth from humanity。Now， cast out upon the stars， humanity exists on a multitude of great Arkships， where everything is provided and no one is left behind—a true paradise。 And so the fleet 6。0 / 10 ✪https://arefugefromlife。wordpress。com。。。When worst came to worst， the Angel stepped in to save us。 Not an actual Angel mind， but super advanced aliens that stepped in in humanity’s last hour and saved it from destruction。 So， kinda an actual Angel。 Something that saved humanity。 Or， rather， saved the Earth from humanity。Now， cast out upon the stars， humanity exists on a multitude of great Arkships， where everything is provided and no one is left behind—a true paradise。 And so the fleet wanders， knowing that the eye of the Angels will forever remain on them， and knowing that they can never return to Earth。Eryn is a scout pilot。 Together， she and her ship， the Ferocious Ocelot， scout the edges of the Arkships’ path as they wander through space。 When her sister Shay disappears while responding to an alien distress call， Eryn insists on being part of the crew to find her。Candidate-623 is a lonely rock， but harbors something both terrifying and deadly。 Something that might spell humanity’s doom should it reach the Arkships。 When the crew is attacked， Eryn races to warn the fleet， all the while dreading whether or not this certain something might have followed her home…—“Holy shit，” she breathed， “You are not going to fucking believe this。”And she was right， I didn’t。 At least， not at first。 Because high above the atmosphere， something vaster and older than the Earth had reached down and snatched every ICBM from the sky， every torpedo from the ocean， and every tank shell， mortar round， and bullet from every battlefield on the planet。And is was not at all amused。—Man， this was a weird one。It started out like a house on fire: an extraterrestrial attack right out of the gate that quickly transformed into a desperate race against time。 That transformed into a… mystery？ Whereupon suddenly introducing several new characters and plot-lines around the third- or halfway mark。 The last third read a bit like the latest Star Wars movies， where they just ran with whatever thing first came to mind （despite it making little sense in the overall narrative） and made sure to add plenty of action sequences。 Beware spoilers ahead for the romance！ If you want to avoid them just skip the next paragraph。The romance was… cringeworthy。 What happens between Eryn and Li isn’t so much a will-they-or-won’t-they as it is a why-is-something-going-on-i-hadn’t-noticed。 What starts out as a one-night stand （or， a not-even one-night stand） in the face of a certain-death mission， slowly resolves into… nothing。 There are a couple of kisses， interspersed by long gaps where Eryn looks at Li like a guest， but a stranger。 Seriously， they talk only a handful of times—and it actually equates to anything meaningful once。 And yet I’m supposed to believe that they’re madly in love by the end？ That Eryn is so smitten with the person she routinely describes as a stranger that she actually says “I realized that I was always going to love her unconditionally and forever” at the end。 Now I realize that some people can go head over heels damn quick but… were they reading the same book I was， or did I just miss something？ Because this romance seems so forced it literally made me cringe， and gape when they so unexpectedly ended up in love。In addition to a truly cringeworthy romance， the conclusion to the story was a bit of a blur。 By which I mean confusing。 I’m not going to get into it because of spoilers， but… I spent half of the time lost and the other half either experiencing deja vu or wondering how it’d possibly come to this point。 But despite all odds when the end actually came， all my questions had been answered。 As far as I could tell， all major threads had been tied up。 It was extremely odd， but extremely impressive。Yes， there was a talking cat， no， I don’t want to talk about it。Despite it all， Stars and Bones wasn’t bad。 It had a solid story， so long as you overlooked all the tangents， pseudo-parenting， and the romance （ye gods， don’t get me going on the romance again）。 A race against the clock as humanity faces extinction。 Where Eryn must do everything she can to save the human race， despite the fact that all of it should be so， so far over her pay grade。 From an action and adventure stand point: it was a decent read; there was a lot of both action and adventure。 As an existential crisis: it wasn’t bad; it tackled several surprising issues like the nature of love and friendship， parenting， existence， and perseverance。 As a mystery: it was crap; a bit like playing pin-the-tail while ignoring any and all hints or clues—you’re bound to get it eventually， monkeys and Shakespeare and all。 As a book though… Stars and Bones was certainly a mixed bag。 It had a lot of strong points， but some weak ones as well。 And there was a lot to unpack。I believe that was the biggest problem I had with Stars and Bones: its identity。 This is simply a case of trying to do to much。 In its bones， this was a Science Fiction/Space Opera。 But with a little bit of thriller thrown in。 Political thriller too。 Romance， as well。 Mystery。 Adventure。 Allegory for life。 Philosophical endeavor。 TL;DRThere’s a lot to love about Stars and Bones， partly due to the fact that there’s just so much going on in it。 Too much， I’d argue。 A science fiction/space opera by nature， the story tries to hit up every single genre on the way from start to finish。 Thriller。 Romance。 Mystery。 Philosophy。 Existentialism。 The list goes on。 And in the end， there was just too much going on。 Stars and Bones couldn’t seem to make up its mind on what it wanted to be。 And while it pulled some of these transitions off seamlessly， others it definitely didn’t。 The mystery and romance， to start。 But either way a number was done on the pacing; what started out as a house on fire quickly transformed to a barnburner， then an… allegory for life？ A decent read， but one that I just never could get a handle on。 I promise you—there’s a good story in here somewhere， even if I could never find it。Audio Note:I suffered a few burnouts reading this。 I started it only to lose interest fairly quickly。 Part of this could be down to timing—early March is a busy time of year for me， then I got the flu immediately after。 But then these both happened in the early part of the story， when it’s all action all the time in Eryn’s POV， and we’re just learning the fate of Earth in Haruki’s。 Eventually， I picked it up as an audiobook and read it to fruition。 Rebecca Norfolk did a great job—most of the time。 While her reading of Eryn and most other POVs proved excellent， whenever she contrived to do an accent it… just sounded ridiculous。 Frank was passable; Sheppard and Ginet were decidedly not。 The AIs were night and day; the Ocelot was great， while any others were flat and emotionless， even when they seemed to be expressing emotion。 。。。more
Frank Burns
，
A solidly entertaining space opera from Mr Powell here。 There are a few stylistic choices I would quibble with and this is not breaking any new ground。 However， none of that detracts from the enjoyment of this。I do feel he wears his influences on his sleeve a little much and he is clearly writing with an eye to possible film/tv adaptations。 Thus， the stylistic oddities。Sorry， it seems like I am being unduly negative but I did really think this was decent entertainment。 Thus， 4 stars and a recomm A solidly entertaining space opera from Mr Powell here。 There are a few stylistic choices I would quibble with and this is not breaking any new ground。 However， none of that detracts from the enjoyment of this。I do feel he wears his influences on his sleeve a little much and he is clearly writing with an eye to possible film/tv adaptations。 Thus， the stylistic oddities。Sorry， it seems like I am being unduly negative but I did really think this was decent entertainment。 Thus， 4 stars and a recommend。 。。。more
Ryan Hixson
，
Stars and Bones by Gareth L。 Powell is a science fiction with about the worlds survival after earth has already blown up。 The novels plot is half the science fiction horror movie Life meets half of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C。 Clarke。 This novel gets pretty brutal and no one is safe。 The pace of the novel is good as you and the character's race for time and answers。 The big Science Fiction ideas get a little heady but I felt I was able to follow along pretty well。 The backstory for the plo Stars and Bones by Gareth L。 Powell is a science fiction with about the worlds survival after earth has already blown up。 The novels plot is half the science fiction horror movie Life meets half of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C。 Clarke。 This novel gets pretty brutal and no one is safe。 The pace of the novel is good as you and the character's race for time and answers。 The big Science Fiction ideas get a little heady but I felt I was able to follow along pretty well。 The backstory for the plot and how the earthlings got to this moment in time was the highlight。 Stars and Bones was brutal and gory at times as bodies are broken apart and reformed not always in the right way making them nightmare creatures。 The narrative pick 6 characters to tell the story， we stay with Eryn for most of it and the other character fill in the past and other areas that are important to the narrative that she is not involved yet。 The beginning of the novel is super overwhelming as it is all exposition and history which I thought is this the second book in a series because there is so much to absorb， I promise you readers this is the first book and will make more sense later。 I do not read a lot of science fiction that is not Star Wars but I really enjoyed this story and the imagination behind it。 I read Stars and Bones thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books。 Star and Bones by Gareth L。 Powell is published on March 1 2022。The Plot Summery: 75 Years from now the Earth will be at war and on the verge of armageddon， but as the missiles flew at the and entity was watching and stepped in。 A scientist just hours before had found the substrate a way of which to travel from place to place over distance。 Years after this all the earthlings are on giant arcs looking for a new home， they travel through the substrate searching light years in the future。 Where a survey team finds a land full of bones， then run into an enemy that takes the humans apart and reassembles making a new creature。 Eryn is on the search for her sister a member of the survey team。 Eryn and her crew barely escape with their lives， but the the enemy follows and wants all the lives on arcs。 Eryn must solve a mystery that began when people left earth。What I Liked: I loved the idea for this story， it was wild and fun。 I liked how action packed it got at times。 I liked the character of Eryn and her willingness to sacrifice what she cared about。 I liked the bad guys， I wanted a little bit more when it was revealed what it was at the end but was satisfied up until that point。 I loved Sam the talking cat， and his musings on the world but still had cat moments。 I loved the arcs and how they were all different and came with it's own theme。 The pace was really great it made it a pretty easy read。 I liked that the enemy kept evolving and perfecting the way it put people back together， so it made it hard to tell who had already died and was actually the enemy。 I loved the backstory that was created。What I Disliked: Eryn has this big moment with the enemy， explaining why she sacrificed and did everything to raise her sisters kid， then when everything was said and done she doesn't end up raising the kid， this was very frustrating。 there was kind of a reason but it wasn't good enough after everything Eryn sacrificed。 The beginning was too much exposition， I literally stopped reading to check if this was a sequel， but it was not， there was so much it felt like one。 Recommendation: Stars and Bones is a fun ride with lots at stake。 This is the first book in a trilogy and I'm excited for the next cause I have no idea where this is going to go but I like the idea of the arcs。 I recommend you check out Stars and Bones it is not blow your mind science fiction but it is science fiction done really well like a combination of 4 really good ideas and episodes from Star Trek。 When I found out what the enemy was it felt very Star Trek， but a good episode of Star Trek。 I rated Stars and Bones by Gareth L。 Powell 4 out of 5 stars。 I debated for a little bit going to 5 stars but felt 4 is where it belongs。 。。。more
Peter Mark
，
I am a huge fan of Gareth Powell's works and have bought every single one of his published works after first reading Ack Ack Macaque。This is quite a different style from his previous books and he has plainly picked up a few pointers from his recent collaboration with P F Hamilton。The book is well written， interesting plot and fast paced。 It does lack the usual character development that Gareth's books have previously displayed， but that is more than made up for by the story and action。。。。however I am a huge fan of Gareth Powell's works and have bought every single one of his published works after first reading Ack Ack Macaque。This is quite a different style from his previous books and he has plainly picked up a few pointers from his recent collaboration with P F Hamilton。The book is well written， interesting plot and fast paced。 It does lack the usual character development that Gareth's books have previously displayed， but that is more than made up for by the story and action。。。。however。。。Gareth seems to have fallen prey to the "woke agenda" and shoehorns things in that jar and take you away from the story。 Using "pronouns" （they/them） where "it" would have been better caused confusion （does he mean plural？）。 And the whole moral of the story seems to be that humanity is stain on the planet that needs to either eradicated or at least certainly carefully managed for the good of the rest of the universe。 We're even made to feel sorry for the evil protagonist in the story and that the ills of the universe are our fault。So yeah - good story， but complete enjoyment spoilt by a woke self loathing。 。。。more
Micha
，
Very plain story。 Had some promise but too unoriginal after it was done。
James
，
"Stars and Bones" is another great， well written space opera by Gareth Powell。 Start with some science fiction， add some dripping gore for horror， throw in some noir and add a lot of action and that's what you have here。 Highly recommend this book。 "Stars and Bones" is another great， well written space opera by Gareth Powell。 Start with some science fiction， add some dripping gore for horror， throw in some noir and add a lot of action and that's what you have here。 Highly recommend this book。 。。。more
WiseStitch
，
3。5*An exciting fast paced action space opera from Gareth L Powell。 I read in less than a day with the last 70% of the book in one sitting。 So why 3。5 stars。The author has created an interesting universe to set his story one in which humanity has been exiled from Earth by a super powerful alien for our own good。 With the main story being what happens when we meet something new and hostile。However with the book only being 350 pages long setting up a new universe and an existential threat to said 3。5*An exciting fast paced action space opera from Gareth L Powell。 I read in less than a day with the last 70% of the book in one sitting。 So why 3。5 stars。The author has created an interesting universe to set his story one in which humanity has been exiled from Earth by a super powerful alien for our own good。 With the main story being what happens when we meet something new and hostile。However with the book only being 350 pages long setting up a new universe and an existential threat to said universe while resolving said threat in a singe book is all a bit much。 The story as enjoyable as it was felt it needed more room to breathe。With where this book leaves off not sure where a potential book 2 will go but I’ll be there to find out。 。。。more
Nathan Frigerio
，
Wonderful book for a 13 year old girl with anger issues。
Mr。 P
，
This is very good。 Absolutely gripping。 Thoughtful tinted with a smattering of righteous rage。As always with Gareth's stories the characters are wonderfully drawn and typically up against odds they never expected to face and this propels the action。Stirling work well worth the time you need to read it。 This is very good。 Absolutely gripping。 Thoughtful tinted with a smattering of righteous rage。As always with Gareth's stories the characters are wonderfully drawn and typically up against odds they never expected to face and this propels the action。Stirling work well worth the time you need to read it。 。。。more
WorldconReader
，
"Stars and Bones" by Gareth L。 Powell is an exciting space opera。 In the near future， humanity finds itself exiled from Earth and traveling the galaxy in a fleet of massive ark ships。 （The details of exactly how humanity ends up in this situation are rather interesting but to describe them here would be an unforgivable spoiler。） The novel largely focuses around a scout pilot and her sentient scout ship as they do everything they can to save themselves and the vulnerable fleet of the entirety of "Stars and Bones" by Gareth L。 Powell is an exciting space opera。 In the near future， humanity finds itself exiled from Earth and traveling the galaxy in a fleet of massive ark ships。 （The details of exactly how humanity ends up in this situation are rather interesting but to describe them here would be an unforgivable spoiler。） The novel largely focuses around a scout pilot and her sentient scout ship as they do everything they can to save themselves and the vulnerable fleet of the entirety of the human race from gruesome death by a terrifyingly powerful。 mysterious force。 Although this book had a little more horror than I usually like in my science fiction， it was very readable， had all the elements I like in SF: space ships， AI， space battle， super tech， thought provoking aliens， and fascinating cultural adaptations。 I practically could not put it down until I finished it。 I look forward to reading more by Gareth L。 Powell。I thank the publisher and author for kindly providing an electronic review copy of this book。 。。。more
John M Kovac
，
Just didn't care for itSeemed sort of like like a guy who doesn't like humanity lecturing me on all the reasons we suck。 Story seemed contrived and awkward， multiple moments felt like the author was instructing the reader what to think rather than allowing them to draw their own conclusions。 Almost felt like his insecurity around his own writing ability left him no choice but to spell things out。 Kind of ham fisted all around。 The end was really just beyond bad with the central conflict quickly Just didn't care for itSeemed sort of like like a guy who doesn't like humanity lecturing me on all the reasons we suck。 Story seemed contrived and awkward， multiple moments felt like the author was instructing the reader what to think rather than allowing them to draw their own conclusions。 Almost felt like his insecurity around his own writing ability left him no choice but to spell things out。 Kind of ham fisted all around。 The end was really just beyond bad with the central conflict quickly wrapped into a nice pretty bow。 Wouldn't recommend。 。。。more
Bonnie McDaniel
，
I really liked the author's Embers of War trilogy， so I pre-ordered this book。 Now that I've read it， I don't regret doing that。。。。but I also don't like this as much as the previous books。Mainly because the worldbuilding is neither logical nor well thought out。 We have here the tale of the entire human race being forced off Earth to a fleet of a thousand ships， called Arks， and condemned to wander the galaxy for the rest of their days by a cloud-like spacefaring entity that is basically an all-p I really liked the author's Embers of War trilogy， so I pre-ordered this book。 Now that I've read it， I don't regret doing that。。。。but I also don't like this as much as the previous books。Mainly because the worldbuilding is neither logical nor well thought out。 We have here the tale of the entire human race being forced off Earth to a fleet of a thousand ships， called Arks， and condemned to wander the galaxy for the rest of their days by a cloud-like spacefaring entity that is basically an all-powerful god。 Said humans were in the process of destroying themselves by nuclear war and the "angel of the Benevolence，" as the entity is ironically （sarcastically） named， was content to sit back and let them do so because it knew life and intelligence would eventually rise again on Earth （this being lives billions of years and thinks very long term as a result）。 It spared the human race only because someone performed an experiment that proved humans could generate wormholes， which made the species interesting enough for the angel to allow us to live。。。but instead of making us stay on the planet and repair the environmental damage done to it， it yanked us off and forced us on board the Arks instead。 How exactly is that going to solve the problem of a decaying industrial civilization and all the chemical/nuclear/environmental catastrophes that will generate， if the Angels of the Benevolence are so worried about living biospheres they won't allow the human race to live on one ever again？ And also， circling back to the original triggering incident， they sure were content to let a nuclear war destroy the present biosphere， which is a completely different thing than the previous natural extinction events--volcanism， asteroid impacts， etc--that the planet has endured。 I didn't think about this inconsistency before， but it's glaringly obvious。 The "angel，" Raijin， should have stopped the war in any case。 Then if you're going to have an all-powerful not-so-benevolent being in your story to begin with， it should have made humans face up to both their destructive tribal nature and what they were actually doing to the planet， rather than providing a thousand Arks and letting them sail gaily away from the consequences of their actions。 This was mentioned briefly in the book and then dropped， never to be follow up upon。 Which of course would have made for an entirely different story， but now that I'm tearing into this one I'm feeling more and more dissatisfied with it。This is all background， of course， but the illogic of it didn't sit well with me。 This story takes place seventy-five years after the fact， when the scout ship the Couch Surfer stumbles across a planet with an ancient ship on it， and the crew investigating is eaten by invisible aliens。 Another ship， the Furious Ocelot， is sent to find out what happened， and its captain is Eryn King， our protagonist。 （There are a few other viewpoint chapters as well， although I don't really see the point of them except to infodump， as all of those characters get killed pretty quickly along the way。） The aliens soon become an existential threat to the fleet， as they are a furious consuming nanogoo that starts infecting the Thousand Arks of the Continuance （the name of the human fleet as a whole） and causing widespread death and destruction。 The story of this book is okay， but the worldbuilding is not。 I also found a fairly serious copyediting error that I'm surprised was let slip through。 One of the other redshirts viewpoint characters is a detective on board another Ark who investigates a murder。 He's a typical hard-bitten noir type: "He might dress like a peacock， but Genet and I made a good team。 We'd been working together for a couple of years now， and I reckoned I understood him better than I ever understood either of my ex-wives。" （p。 159） But about sixty pages further on， this is blatantly contradicted: "I never married，" Sheppard said。 "I tell people it's because of the job， but we really aren't that busy most of the time， and so I guess that in reality， I just never met the right person。" （p。 226） Seriously？ And this book comes from a major publisher， too。 I also seem to remember someone stating that "dogs， cats， goats， birds and insects" were the only animals allowed to accompany humans from Earth （no horses？ Are you kidding me？） but again further on， one ark is mentioned as having cows。 The worldbuilding is already shaky to begin with， and this does it no good。 （And Eryn also has a talking cat on her ship， with the mechanism of an implant in his brain and a collar translating his thoughts that allows him to "speak。" Which is fine， but most cats I've known--unless this one was genetically engineered for higher intelligence， which isn't stated--have nowhere near the intellect to match what this cat spouts。 This would be far more realistic if the only things this cat says were "Food now，" "Pet now，" and "Don't fucking touch me。"）The author does say he had a helluva time finishing this book because of Covid。 Well， I wish he had taken even more time with it， because as it stands right now， it's a bit of a mess。 。。。more
John Folk-Williams
，
I liked Powell's Embers of War series， but this one just opened with so many tired and mechanical tropes and dialogue that I couldn't get through it。 I'll have to come back to it some time or other to see if it reads better to me。 Gerhard's review is right - the bar is high these days with so much great space opera， and this one stumbles over it。 I liked Powell's Embers of War series， but this one just opened with so many tired and mechanical tropes and dialogue that I couldn't get through it。 I'll have to come back to it some time or other to see if it reads better to me。 Gerhard's review is right - the bar is high these days with so much great space opera， and this one stumbles over it。 。。。more
Maddalena
，
I received this novel from Titan Books through NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review: my thanks to both of them for this opportunity。Even if I had not already read - and greatly appreciated - Gareth Powell’s Embers of War trilogy， I would not have let this story pass me by: ark ships traveling into the unknown is one of my favorite themes， so there was no doubt I would enjoy the start of this new series。 And I certainly did。The core concept of Stars and Bones sees humanity embarked on a hu I received this novel from Titan Books through NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review: my thanks to both of them for this opportunity。Even if I had not already read - and greatly appreciated - Gareth Powell’s Embers of War trilogy， I would not have let this story pass me by: ark ships traveling into the unknown is one of my favorite themes， so there was no doubt I would enjoy the start of this new series。 And I certainly did。The core concept of Stars and Bones sees humanity embarked on a huge fleet of arks journeying away from Earth: seventy five years before the start of such journey， a very advanced race of powerful aliens understood we were going to destroy ourselves and our planet and therefore， to give Earth a chance to repair itself， mounted a massive exodus， relocating humans on these vast， customized arks that offered artificial environments and a comfortable home away from home。 While the majority enjoys the good life aboard the arks， some more adventurous individuals forge ahead exploring the emptiness of space in search of a new planet， and it’s on the surface of Candidate-623 that tragedy strikes when the scout ship sent there to check out a mysterious distress call breaks contact with the fleet。 Main character Eryn， whose sister was aboard the missing ship， goes to investigate with her own vessel， the Furious Ocelot， and what she finds is the kind of horrifying danger that might bring about the annihilation of the entire human race。While it took me a little time to become fully invested in the story， once it launched into its core mystery and subsequent terrifying chain of events， I could not turn the pages fast enough because the threat Eryn and crew discover on Candidate-623 comes out of the same stuff nightmares are made of。 The beginning of the novel needs of course to establish the background and - more importantly - the path humanity took to get where it is when things start to go horribly wrong， and it does so through a series of flashbacks that， though quite informative， felt to me like a distraction from the main narrative thread: given the threat level encountered by the Furious Ocelot， I came to perceive any other kind of information as an obstacle to be cleared before reaching the “meat” of the story， and that’s the reason for my delay in getting immersed in it。 Of course， once that… hurdle was past， there was indeed no turning back。I don’t want to offer any more information about the plot because I’m convinced it must be as much of a surprise （albeit a scary one） as possible， but let me tell you that as I read I kept thinking that every space-faring expedition should make a certain 1979 movie a mandatory part of their training， so that when faced with mysterious signals people would know to exercise extreme caution， or better yet avoid its origin at any cost… ;-）If the story is quite shocking in its increasing threat， its background is quite enjoyable， particularly where the arks are concerned: think of immense ships that can be modified （both internally and externally） according to the specifications of their occupants， so that each ark becomes a very distinctive microcosm with its own peculiar environment and social customs。 What is fascinating here is the way in which humanity has now adapted to the post-scarcity civilization offered by the Angels of Benevolence （the aliens who intervened to prevent Earth’s demise）， crafting habitats and societies that range from an old-style consumer economy to a laid back tropical paradise， under the supervision of the ship’s A。I。 - or envoy - whose appearance is tailored according to the ark’s style: in this respect， I’m still smiling at the recollection of the hammerhead shark look of the tropical environment’s envoy， swimming through the air with total nonchalance for the absurdity of the whole situation。 Sentient ships seem indeed to be Gareth Powell’s favorite theme， and since I enjoyed reading about Trouble Dog in the Embers of War series， I was pleased to find a similar idea here and to become equally fond of Ferocious Ocelot’s envoy and of its interactions with the ship’s crew， and with Eryn in particular。 Add to the mix the Ocelot’s ability to change its appearance according to the circumstances （from a portly gentleman in quiet times to a battle-ready guard when necessity arises）， and its intelligently facetious repartees， and it’s no surprise that it turned out to be my favorite character in the novel。Unfortunately， the human characters in this story did not fare equally well: some of them were woefully short-lived （prepare yourself for quite a number of sudden deaths）， and Eryn herself turned out to be a little too inconsistent for my tastes - I did not truly dislike her， but I have to admit she made it quite difficult for me to connect with her。 While I could sympathize with her grief over the loss of her sister， and with the huge burden of responsibility that the situation ends up placing on her shoulders， still she seems more focused on the emotional pains of the past to be the effective problem solver that the present situation requires。 For once， though， I don’t mind much my lack of total connection with the main character， because the story itself is so gripping that the non-stop action takes precedence over any other consideration， and the cinematic quality of some scenes makes me hope that this novel might one day be turned into a movie， because it would be a very spectacular one。The surprising way in which Stars and Bones ends made me wonder whether the rest of the series will concentrate on other aspects of humanity’s journey， but previous experience with Gareth Powell’s works makes me quite optimistic about the next books， and also quite eager to see where the story will take me。 Hopefully， the wait will not be too long…Originally posted at SPACE and SORCERY BLOG 。。。more
Jay Raams
，
This is an "I don't know" there were parts I enjoyed， like the living ships because I enjoy Far Scape but also things I didn't。 The Angles for one they had a lot of potential but I don't think we quite got there。 The representation was weak， though I appreciate the thought I do think a little more time was needed to make it better。 The author is a man writing queer woman it's about as good as you can expect。 They don't have sex they talk 😒 It just feels very "men writing woman"Not terrible but d This is an "I don't know" there were parts I enjoyed， like the living ships because I enjoy Far Scape but also things I didn't。 The Angles for one they had a lot of potential but I don't think we quite got there。 The representation was weak， though I appreciate the thought I do think a little more time was needed to make it better。 The author is a man writing queer woman it's about as good as you can expect。 They don't have sex they talk 😒 It just feels very "men writing woman"Not terrible but don't recommend 。。。more
Kieran Nurmi
，
A fairly average scifi story， though the ending is rather sudden。 Also there's something the main character considers doing during the low point that made me hate them。 A fairly average scifi story， though the ending is rather sudden。 Also there's something the main character considers doing during the low point that made me hate them。 。。。more
Doreen
，
3/2/2022 Full review tk at tomorrow for the book tour！3/3/2022 Take a bit of The Expanse， add a dash of Battlestar Galactica and a soupcon of Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series， and you have the latest thrilling space opera from multi-British Science Fiction Association Award-winning author Gareth L Powell！Eryn is a Navigator， one of the few people who are capable of linking with the shipminds that help guide humanity through the stars。 After the forced evacuation of Earth， humankind exists on a 3/2/2022 Full review tk at tomorrow for the book tour！3/3/2022 Take a bit of The Expanse， add a dash of Battlestar Galactica and a soupcon of Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series， and you have the latest thrilling space opera from multi-British Science Fiction Association Award-winning author Gareth L Powell！Eryn is a Navigator， one of the few people who are capable of linking with the shipminds that help guide humanity through the stars。 After the forced evacuation of Earth， humankind exists on a flotilla of life-sustaining arks， forbidden from returning to Earth or， indeed， touching down on planets with sentient life until they can prove their cosmic maturity （i。e。 that they won't try to commit global genocide once more） to the benevolent "Angels" that watch over them。 In the seventy-five or so years since exodus， adaptations have been made to living in the stars。。。 tho not everyone embraces these changes or even accepts them with anything but great reluctance。Ofc， neither Eryn nor her sister Shay are part of the naysayers， both embracing space and the now。 Born on the arks to parents who likely would never have connected had they stayed in their respective social stratifications on Earth， both women have wanted to be Navigators for as long as they can remember。 But after a planet-side expedition goes horribly wrong， Eryn finds herself searching for answers as to what actually happened to her sister down on the surface of Candidate-623。 When she realizes that what they've found might finish the job of humanity's mass extermination， no matter the intercession of the Angels， Eryn must embark on a desperate mission not only to save what's left of her family， but of a nomadic humanity forced to fight once more for its survival。The intellectual themes -- whether in theoretical physics or politics and economy -- of this sci-fi novel are second to none。 From the concept of the Substrate and the necessity of a human observer to navigate it， to the hilarious skewering of capitalism and the mindset behind it， Mr Powell writes both confidently and well。 His action sequences and general set pieces are also vivid and memorable: all hallmarks of top-notch space opera science fiction。Where I do think Stars And Bones falters， especially in comparison to his previous works， is in the characterizations， which feel a little more than sketched in but honestly not by much。 Our characters are all deeply human， deeply interesting people， but tend to be given short shrift。 Perhaps that was necessary given the compactness of this novel: clocking in at just under 350 pages in paperback， it lacks the sprawl of much of its genre。 I could have easily read at least a hundred pages more that dwelled on our cast's interior lives。But this was Mr Powell's pandemic novel， so I can understand the sheer amount of willpower it took even to get the rest of it on the page。 Stars And Bones is an entertaining， fast-paced read， and while not the best of his works， still a worthy entry in the canon。 But hey， don't take just my word for it！ Check out the opinions of the other terrific reviewers who are also participating in the Stars And Bones book tour sponsored by Titan Books！Stars And Bones by Gareth L Powell was published March 1 2022 by Titan Books and is available from all good booksellers， including Bookshop！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Stars and Bones
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Stars and Bones&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Stars and Bones&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0