Lightless is a story about a secret experimental spaceship on a journey within our solar system on a scientific mission. The result of the mission promises a great leap in technology that would change lives. I found the story of Althea who is the starship mechanic and Ananke, the top secret spaceship compelling.
The book is set on the Ananke. When intruders sneak onto the ship and introduce a virus into her compute, it causes random malfunctions. One of the intruders, Ivan, is a wanted criminal and his presence attracts the attention a government investigator who wants to come to the ship to investigate in person.
Lightless is both a science fiction thriller and a character-driven story since Althea is an unusually proficient mechanic and engineer who built the ship with help from a theoretical scientist. She must fix the malfunctioning ship before it accidentally kills the crew and also to fulfill the team’s important scientific mission since its success would validate a discovery that would change society.
I enjoyed the book as a whole and would recommend it to others who are fans of hard science fiction, especially with spaceships, and to readers who prefer a strong female character but who also has insecurities. Also for readers who appreciate world building, where a details are dispensed as the story progresses. Other characters who were in conflict with the protagonist like the government interrogator, who was described with great detail, I found lacked veracity since her justification and the motivation behind her plan to discover the truth only reinforced her predetermined expectations. It was stated several times that she was a skilled investigator but her lack of flexibility didn't indicate she would be successful.
An element that distracted from the main storyline was Althea's captain who vasilated from seeming to support her to toeing the government line very convincingly.
Spoiler
I found it unbelievable that he could turn against Althea in a moment.
The book's important themes are science fiction, adventure, and mystery. The main theme is fundamentally a role reversal where in contrast to a male hero centred adventure, the decisions a female character in a similar situation do not mirror the ones of a male protagonist.
The book is set in space, on the Ananke which a massive sea shell shaped spaceship. The story follows Althea, a young woman who is recruited to work on the Ananke since she has the technical expertise to build such a ship. After intruders are found on the ship, Althea quickly realizes that there are serious mechanical problems with the ship, and that she is unable fix it. As she investigates the mysteries of the ship, Althea must fight for her life against both the dangerous environment of space, the accidental machinations of the AI, with interference of a government representative who is only interested in her own agenda.
I found the book's characters to be very well-developed and relatable, particularly the female protagonist. Althea is a convincing character, a technologist, who built the ship (the way it seems to be done at this time) and maintains it.
I enjoyed the book's suspenseful plot and fast-paced action. The book's exploration of themes such as science, technology, and morality was fascinating.
The ending was somewhat unsatisfying but clearly resolved all plot questions (almost too well). A twist ending could have spiced it up.
Overall, I would highly recommend Lightless to fans of science fiction or thriller novels. Lightless is well-written and suspenseful, with likable characters and an interesting plot. However, the book lacks depth and fails to explore the implications of its scientific concepts.
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