Blindspace

Action packed and exciting, this series is only getting better and better. Blindspace follows up quite closely after the events of Stormblood. We see the team that Vakov has put together take on more and more missions to try and get to the bottom of the House of Suns cult, and through that get redemption for his little brother. And this little tidbit gives the heart that runs through the story. We have the found family of the team that Vakov has put together, with their competing and compelling reasons for being there (which occasionally become at odds, much like a real family). we also have the more personal family issues running through here as well. All running against the backdrop of existential galactic threat and general space opera. Amazingly, this sequel manages to be both more intimate and more grand than the first book.

The expanding world is also fascinating. Here we begin to move away from Compass and start too see the greater universe that Jeremy has built, visiting new worlds and stations, encountering more aliens and getting more of a view of the vastness and otherness of world that has been built.

The characters are well developed and the inter-relationships, the small betrayals, the developing learning between them all serve to give colour and life to the book. I do find that Vakov can be a bit overpowered sometimes though which is the only criticism I can draw really. That man goes through a lot yet through the stormblood lore he is able to stay strong and largely unharmed by this, despite all other users seeming to be largely driven insane by the drug.

Nonetheless this is a hugely impressive world building and character building exercise. Space Opera on both a grand and intimate scale.