Ratings2
Average rating3.5
C. A. Higgins’s acclaimed novel Lightless fused suspenseful storytelling, high-caliber scientific speculation, and richly developed characters into a stunning science fiction epic. Now the dazzling Supernova heightens the thrills and deepens the haunting exploration of technology and humanity—and the consequences that await when the two intersect. Once Ananke was an experimental military spacecraft. But a rogue computer virus transformed it—her—into something much more: a fully sentient artificial intelligence, with all the power of a god—and all the unstable emotions of a teenager. Althea, the ship’s engineer and the last living human aboard, nearly gave her life to save Ananke from dangerous saboteurs, forging a bond as powerful as that between mother and daughter. Now she devotes herself completely to Ananke’s care. But teaching a thinking, feeling machine—perhaps the most dangerous force in the galaxy—to be human proves a monumental challenge. When Ananke decides to seek out Matthew Gale, the terrorist she regards as her father, Althea learns that some bonds are stronger than mortal minds can understand—or control. Drawn back toward Earth by the quest, Althea and Ananke will find themselves in the thick of a violent revolution led by Matthew’s sister, the charismatic leader Constance, who will stop at nothing to bring down a tyrannical surveillance state. As the currents of past decisions and present desires come into stark collision, a new and fiery future is about to be born. Praise for Supernova “An enjoyable, hard science fiction adventure.”—Cinelinx “Higgins succeeds in expanding her universe and leaving the reader hungry to learn how her debut trilogy will end.”—New York Daily News “Riveting and thought-provoking.”—Publishers Weekly Praise for C. A. Higgins’s Lightless “Gripping . . . sci-fi with a hint of thriller.”—New York Daily News “[A] measured, lovely science-fiction debut [that is] more psychological thriller . . . contained, disciplined, tense . . . The plot is compulsive. . . . Lightless is the first of a planned series, and you can’t help looking forward to learning what’s next.”—The New York Times “The stakes in this story are high—life and death, rebellion and betrayal. . . . Higgins continually ratchets up the tension. . . . This is a debut not to be missed.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “A taut, suspenseful read.”—Tech Times “Absolutely brilliant . . . science fiction as it is meant to be done.”—New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire
Series
3 primary booksLightless is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2016 with contributions by Caitlin A. Higgins and C.A. Higgins.
Reviews with the most likes.
I listened to the “Lightless” audiobook on the recommendation of Kevin Hearne and absolutely loved it. I don't log my audiobooks on GoodReads, but I found it a claustrophobic, suspense-filled sci-fi thriller with powerful prisoners, artificial intelligence, and solid storytelling. So I was excited when I won “Supernova” through the First Reads Program.
Supernova is very different from Lightless in that where Lightless felt painfully combined, Supernova is impossibly vast. While Althea remains one of our narrators, the other is the terrorist saboteur whose shadow lingered over the crew in Lightless, but now is dealing with the aftermath of her successful revolution. Meanwhile, Althea deals with Ananke's newfound intelligence, trying to instill a moral code into her daughter. I was disappointed that Ivan and Mattie do not figure very prominently in this story, but I'm assuming their role is going to be much larger in book three.
Overall, I don't think I liked the structure as much as the first book, mostly because the revolution storyline was not as interesting as Althea and Ananke's storyline. I kept waiting for them to link up, but the fateful meeting is more or less teased all the way through. While Lightless is hardly free from tragedy, Supernova has death and destruction on every page, making it a lot harder for me to get through, and the ending is one of the most disturbing things I have ever read. I feel like I know where the series is going, but I'm very interested to watch it get there.
So while it didn't quite capture the same feel of Lightless, that's probably a good thing. It shows Higgins has range and raises the stakes a lot for the next book. It wasn't quite as aligned to my tastes, but I'm still very game to continue. Recommended for fans of AI gone awry, overthrowing empires, and seriously complex female protagonists.