DARK SPACE by Rob Hart & Alex Segura – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Dark Space by Rob Hart, Alex Segura
Published by Blackstone Publishing on October 8 2024
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A high-stakes space opera with political intrigue, Dark Space succeeded in the first half, but lost me in the second.

I had very high expectations for Dark Space, simply because Rob Hart co-wrote the book. So it pains me to say this was a mixed bag for me and didn’t even come close to Hart’s brilliant Assassins Anonymous. I’m guessing it’s because there are two authors, and for me their styles and writing skills didn’t mesh very well. Still, I did have fun with this story, especially the first half, and it has a lot of elements I love, but I think going in with realistic expectations might be the key to really enjoying it.

The story alternates between two main characters. Jose Carriles is a pilot assigned to the Mosaic, a ship heading away from Earth to a new planet. Carriles got the job after the first pilot died during a training exercise, and because of this, the crew isn’t completely thrilled that he’s flying the ship. When three of the ship’s main systems suddenly fail at the same time, Carriles suspects that something is going on. And when he sends a distress signal back to New Destiny, he finds out later that his message has been deleted.

Back on space station New Destiny, we meet Corin Timony, former spy for Bazaar who has been demoted to desk jockey following an unfortunate incident involving illegal drugs. One day Corin receives a message on the “wire,” the quantum device that allows instantaneous communication with the Mosaic. The Mosaic is in trouble, it’s engines have failed, and they are quickly loosing their shields. But oddly, only moments later another message comes in saying to ignore the first one. Corin doesn’t know what to make of it, and her experience as a spy propels her to start asking questions. Her friend Carriles is up there, and now she’s worried that something terrible has happened.

The authors bounce back and forth between Timony and Carriles as they both realize something foul is afoot with the Mosaic and its mission to the new planet. The stakes are very high, especially up in space as Carriles is trying to figure a way to save them as their shields continue to drop. Once the ship is more or less safe, though, Carriles realizes there is a conspiracy going on, and it involves the captain of the ship. The fact that there is a Chinese contingency on board the Mosaic adds some drama, as the Americans and Chinese start to turn on each other.

From Timony’s POV, we learn what happened to her before she was demoted and experience her frustration with not being able to do the job she’s so good at. We also meet Slade, the woman who took her place and appears to be doing a better job than Timony, which is another source of frustration. Still, Slade and Timony end up working together to not only figure out what’s happening on the Mosaic, but to dig into the death of the first Mosaic pilot. Yes, everything is intertwined, and I thought so many of these details were well done. And I loved the spy subplot, probably even more than what was happening up in space.

So what didn’t work for me? As I mentioned, the first half of the book is very solid. But the second half felt as if the authors were rushing to finish it, and there were too many instances of what felt like lazy writing, unrealistic coincidences, and problems that were way too easily resolved. The story is packed with quite a bit going on, but everything in the second half felt rushed. For example (small spoiler ahead), it turns out there are aliens on the planet, who conveniently look “almost” human and speak perfect English, not to mention they are well versed in popular culture. The sections involving the aliens were probably my least favorite in the whole book, since they came across as silly and clichéd. If the first contact plot had been given more time to develop and wasn’t so rushed, I would have bought it, but the way the story stands now it was sort of ridiculous.

The writing is inconsistent as well, which doesn’t surprise me because there are two different writers. But really that’s no excuse. I found so many awkwardly written sentences and instances of bad dialog, and unfortunately it gave the story an amateurish feel.

But for a space thriller, it definitely has some good moments. The authors address some interesting themes like should a species be judged based on their worst members—those who are hateful and violent? Or should concessions be given for a species willing to change for the better? Readers will have lots to think about while they enjoy the fast-paced thriller parts of the story. 

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.