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Book Review of Dust (Jacob's Ladder, Bk 1)

Dust (Jacob's Ladder, Bk 1)
Dust (Jacob's Ladder, Bk 1)
Author: Elizabeth Bear
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Trey avatar reviewed on + 260 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


This was ... intense. I'd describe it as space opera gothic, sort of like what I'd imagine life is like aboard Alastair Reynolds lighthuggers, especially if one broke down.

The setting is Jacob's Ladder, a generation ship that is in orbit around a binary star, one a red giant the other a white dwarf. A white dwarf that is stealing mass from its companion and is about to go nova. The ship has been in orbit long enough that things have broken down aboard and factions have coalesced around Command and Engineering. This is a more up to date version of a generation ship with AIs (angels), uploads and nanotech. Also, the crew is split between the Exalted (nanotech enhanced and literally blue blooded thanks to a dye), and the Mean, the unenhanced.

Our viewpoint characters are Rien, a Mean serving woman in the Command faction, and Perceval, an angel (human modified for flight - no feathers though) knight defeated and mutilated by Ariane (the leader of the Command faction). From there our two characters discover they are half-sisters, escape from Command and begin to adventure - very aptly defined as being in deep trouble far from home. And oh yes, the world is about to end in a nova.

Some of those troubles include three angels - Samael (life support), Jacob Dust (ship libraries) and the Angel of Blades (name of which escapes me). A necromancer. And family.

Its interesting, its neat and I think I'll read it again soon. My only gripe is that its the first of a series.