I will admit to being a bit of a Tom Lloyd fan, I have loved everything he has written since the fantastic The Stormcaller many years ago introduced me to his writing and it still remains one of my all time favourite fantasy books, but I will admit to having been nervous when I heard he was bringing out a sci-fi book... I have never really been a huge sci-fi fan when it comes to reading (watch it on TV alot but rarely read it), very glad to say that I have been converted to sci-fi. This is another excellent book, the ideas are New and bold, incorporating certain technology we know so it's not all New makes it easier to associate with and he doesn't go in assuming you are a tech head so the terms and descriptions suit the s of me whilst at the same time bringing alot of new concepts to the table.
If you are a fan of Tom Lloyds previous books, or of sci-fi in general, you could do alot worse than give this a try.
3 s Gerald Robinson36 1 follower

Wonderfully envisioned Drama, too strung out

In all tespects a well written sci fi adventure but following typical storylines and inevitable movie finale. Oprning srquenced great fun, end sequence just as much fun. BUT, OH BUT, the whole middle section once onboard the other ship is the most long drawn out Tedious, repetitive bit of wriing I have ever endured. Why oh why was the prolonged sequence even allowed to get past ARC state? There is a thing as too much tedium and dadly the middle of the nivel is just that. Enough is enough.2 s Wilfred Berkhof226 26

Having read all of Tom Lloyd's excellent fantasy series, I was very keen to see what he would come up with in a sci-fi setting. As always Tom writes great characters that instantly pull you in. Combine this with the creepy setting and a tense claustrophobic feel to the story and you will blast right through this story in one go, not wanting to put it down!fiction2 s Pers1,571

I bloody loved this! It was weird and spooky and I spent a lot of the book as confused as Song - but Lloyd pulled it all together and I thoroughly enjoyed it.novellas1 Bory212 9

I d the Falling Dark for what it is - minimalistic on the characters, maximalistic on the atmosphere. And the atmosphere is very-well crafted - it's creepy, it's mysterious, it's great.

The books being as short as it is, obviously we don't get much in terms of comprehensive world building. What we do get is descriptive and details enough to service the story, yet vague enough to be little frustrating.

Sogn and Ulu are well written and likable, even if the way Ulu's speech is written is a little confusing - hence the constant need for Song to mentally translate what is being said. The side characters, from what very little we get of them, are enjoyable.

Overall, this is a fine little book - engaging and well-crafted. I would read Tom Lloyd again. 1 Will465 15

5 / 10 ?

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...

When Song and her ragtag salvage crew stumble on a wreck at the far reaches of the galaxy, she realizes it could be her big break, that miracle that saves her and her family from a life in the poor house. But procedure must be followed.

First, she scans the tech to make sure it’s not human. Little chance of that—it’s a behemoth: kilometer upon kilometer of hulking metal, in a design that no human could ever imagine. By her own estimate thousands of years old. Tens, hundreds of thousands, maybe. Before humanity learned to walk, or even crawl. Next, she must set foot on the thing and claim it for the company, and then the exploration can begin. Even now, company ships are covering upon her location, summoned by her claim. Her mission now—insure that she gets first claim to anything truly priceless, and make them pry it from her cold, dead fingers.

Instead, the mission turns sour almost instantly, as Song and her crewmate, Kall, are sealed within the wreck, at the mercy of whatever lurks inside. Which, at first, appears to be patches of flickering lights and widespread gloom, but quickly escalates.

Soon, Song is against the clock to escape before her air runs out, or be swallowed forever by the absolute darkness.

—

’Come on, Song. You know contact theory well enough. Better than most of us I'm guessing. Mathematics is the most ly basis of first con-tact, of establishing any common principle or just demonstrating sentience.’
'Building a gigantic spaceship probably has that last bit covered already,' Kall mutters in the background.

—

First off, Tom Lloyd makes it clear that he’s not a science fiction author. Dude writes fantasy, pretty much exclusively. Falling Dark is new for him; a thought he had during COVID. It’s an attempt at something new—nothing more. Which… shows. Straight in, and messages are delivered instantaneously, with no explanation as to how. Dilation is a thing, after all. Second, no mention to anything about the universe at all. This is your basic starfaring universe; no questions? Good.

So it’s science light, fiction heavy. I’m the type that often complains when a sci-fi novel skimps on the science, and this is no different, because it’s practically nonexistent. Song alternates between walking and floating on her journey within the hulk, seemingly at the whim of an author that kept forgetting that there was no gravity, and what that entailed.

Otherwise… I mean, it’s not terrible. An interesting concept, one that’s not even remotely new, but manages to be entertaining all the same. There’s very little characterization, or world-building. It’s all about the atmosphere—which I assume was supposed to be creepy, or horror-y, but I’m somewhat bad at noticing these thing, because horror often just bores me. As tense atmospheres go… it was alright, I guess. A decent enough story, and a decent enough atmosphere. Entertaining through to the end. Short enough to excuse not being too in-depth, but long enough to tell a complete story, and keep and hold even a wavering attention span such as mine.

Song isn’t the best character, though I couldn’t tell whether this was due to a lack of insight, or just the mimicry of emotions. She spends most of the story in a borderline panic attack, but it seemed to be written by someone that had only ever had the concept described to them and didn’t fully understand what it entailed. Further character development—or , any—might’ve gone a ways toward remedying this, but, as I said before, there really is none.

Still, as it’s the first book I’ve managed to complete in a month, I suppose credit should be given. It wasn’t great, but also wasn’t bad either. $3 for the ebook in the US (£2 in the UK)—or free, if you have kindle unlimited.2024 aliens artificial-intelligence ...more1 Greg47

The story is set several centuries into the future. Humanity has settled several worlds, and the search continues for worlds to colonize. Though no alien species have been found, ancient alien tech is dotted through the star systems.
Returning home from a fruitless survey mission, the main character and her crew pick up an unknown signal from a system around a fading brown dwarf. They discover a massive alien starship, apparently scarred from a massive battle.
The crew is now rich beyond their dreams and set out to stake a salvage claim on the ship. When the captain and her crew member shuttle to the ship, things begin happening, the shuttle is trapped inside, and the captain begins her desperate attempt to find a way out before she runs out of oxygen.
The bulk of the book is her wandering through this multi-kilometer ship, seeing the remnants of a truly alien civilization, and fleeing the "ghosts" that are chasing her.
The author communicates a picture of the alien ship that is well thought out and does not require the reader to suspend logical thought. It does get long and confusing as the captain has to describe the alien environment and then avoid large sections of destruction and blocked passageways.
The book is a good read, the ending is satisfying, and the concepts of this discovery do not take us out of science fiction and force us into a fantasy genre. Craig W.10

A generally entertaining sci-fi novel narrated by its protagonist, a female captain of a salvage ship in search of alien technology. The author goes to great lengths to provide readers with details of the setting--a derelict, kilometers-long alien spaceship. Despite this, I could never form a clear mental picture of the wreck or its dangers--animate and inanimate. Maybe it's just a failure of my imagination that all the details didn't form a clearer picture for me. The plot and action are solid. Quick, easy read, if you don't constantly pause, as I did, reading over all the generous details, and puzzling them into a coherent mental image.1st-person humans-v-aliens sci-fi Tufty McTavish359 6

This is a short, gripping read. Chapter cliffhangers abound, and I had to fight the urge to flick my eyes across the page to the final sentence each time!

As a story, this tapped right into a very specific niche genre that I adore: that of Xenoarcheaology. Give me some wrecked alien spaceships, planets, or installations to explore and I am quite simply all in. This tale riffs on Mass Effect, Alien and System Shock, and kept me hooked from the very beginning. So much so in fact, that I finished it in just over a day. Sophie Watson48 1 follower

Really enjoyed eventually.....

It's playing a game. You're shouting "no" but in reality Song makes the best decision for her. Trust or not to trust....read it and stick with it.
Almost reminiscent of books I used to read when you turned to the relevant chapter on the roll of the dice (but you can't. You're stuck with Songs rolls).
I enjoyed. Thousands won't but I'm old school.

Best seat in your pants novel for a while. I'm hopeless at gaming but think gamers might enjoy.

Sxx Crawford Joshua Reed4

A good story almost ruined by author's woke affectations.

A prominent character is an android found on a derelict ship. The main character begins to refer to the a droid via woke pronouns, they/them/their. If the author didn't want to gender the bot, why not just say "it"? In that these pronouns also suggest plural, the reader is often left scratching their head asking themself if there are more than one robot. Really annoying for those of us that don't buy unto that liberal nonsense. Kim McQuaid67 2

Fun

The story in this novel is not something that I've read about before. Quick read, lots of action and puzzles for the mind. I d the book I just wish the ending wasn't such a cliff hanger. I recommend people read this novel. Scott WhitmoreAuthor 6 books35

Very enjoyable read

Atmospheric and thrilling sci-fi tale. Plenty of twists along the way. Realistic and relatable main character whose fate it was easy to care about. A great, fun way to pass a few hours in your favorite reading spot. Rachel 111 1 follower

This is very much a "haunted house in space" story, but it's a good one, with the character's well drawn and the excitement / tension pulling you in. I really enjoyed it.kindle owned Natalie aka Tannat671 7

2.5 starsfiction science-fiction Mike Pearson115 1 follower

Good story

Good story I will say that it was a great way to spend a winter day. It makes me want to see more of this author
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