“Oichi Angelis, former Worm, along with her fellow insurgents on the generation starship Olympia, head deeper into the Charon System for the planet called Graveyard.
Ancient, sentient, alien starships wait for them–three colossi so powerful they remain aware even in self-imposed sleep. The race that made the Three are dead, but Oichi’s people were engineered with this ancient DNA.” – Publisher
Medusa in the Graveyard by Emily Devenport
(The Medusa Cycle #2)
Paperback, 304 pages
Expected publication: July 23rd 2019 by Tor Books
ISBN 1250169364 (ISBN13: 9781250169365)
The generation ship Olympia is nearing its destination, the Charon system, and Oichi Angelis, once a tunnel worker and rebel leader, is now the leader of the ship clan. But before they can settle at their destination she has to sort out the ship’s ownership from the Weapon Clan who originally built it, and she’s got to confront the powerful alien entities known as the Three, whose DNA is mixed with that of the Olympians.
In the first book in this series the human/hybrid tunnel worker Oichi led a revolt against the elites on a generation starship as it neared its destination. You know, standard fare. Except for the parts about teaming up with the bio-robot Medusa who Ochi essentially merges with to become a combined entity, the fact that this is all 30k years hence in a universe where generation ships and warp/jump drives coexist and that the Olympia’s sister ship the Titania was destroyed by the elites before their demise. Add in the existence of millennia-spanning intelligences on the world the ship is heading for that are waking from their slumber and want to talk to Ochi, and it’s not so run of the mill after all.
The Olympia is heading for the world of Graveyard, where there are lots of old things, ancient alien intelligences and junkyards full of equally ancient starships, but not fast enough for our hero and the plot. Fortunately, a diplomatic message is delivered to the Olympia by the crew of the Merlin, a small, quick, FTL and atmosphere capable ship with the kind of motley crew that makes these adventures fun. Oichi, her protege Ashur, and the bio-bots he’s created all pile in and head for the planet to meet with the Three, the mysterious intelligences that have been helping/hindering them throughout. Along the way, they make new friends, meet old enemies, and walk a long way to get where they’re going.
In other words, it’s the hero’s journey, and I have to admit, I enjoyed it more than the first book. Not that Medusa Uploaded wasn’t good, because it certainly was. It’s just that I like the whole companions on a quest vibe more than the generation ship in revolt tale. Like the Lord of the Rings, the companions winnow down more and more as they approach the final goal, and there’s an old adversary in their way who pops up at inconvenient times, but who’s a friend and who’s an enemy may depend on your point of view.
Throughout much of the tale, Oichi is a bit heartsick because she’s alienated Medusa, which is good because it forces her to grow up a bit and take others into consideration, which, now that she’s the defacto leader of Clan Olympia would be really useful.
If you check out the author’s website you’ll see that the trip through the desert, Oichi’s love of music, and some of the other references in the story channel the author’s own interests. Fans of show tunes will enjoy the music list included there as well as perusing the author’s wide-ranging interests.
Odds are this it the middle book in a trilogy, but it does a good job of resolving its own arc in a satisfying way while setting up the continued story.
Links / References
- Publisher: Tor Books: Medusa in the Graveyard
- Goodreads: Medusa in the Graveyard
- Author Blog: Em’s Joie de Weird
- Blurb: Medusa in the Graveyard is the action-packed, science fiction sequel to Emily Devenport’s Medusa Uploaded. Oichi Angelis, former Worm, along with her fellow insurgents on the generation starship Olympia, head deeper into the Charon System for the planet called Graveyard. Ancient, sentient, alien starships wait for them—three colossi so powerful they remain aware even in self-imposed sleep. The race that made the Three are dead, but Oichi’s people were engineered with this ancient DNA. A delegation from Olympia must journey to the heart of Graveyard and be judged by the Three. Before they’re done, they will discover that weapons are the least of what the ships have to offer.