Humanity is deeply flawed. But despite this, not ultimately doomed.
This is the recurring theme throughout this book, which is the first volume in what is styled as an epic sci-fi trilogy.
And epic it is! The story covers vast amounts of space and time in its quest to tell the story of Imre Bergemasc who may be the saviour of human civilisation, or it’s greatest threat. He can’t quite recall which. Reconstituted into physical form after drifting as a download of sorts for millennia through space, and missing vital memories lost in the process, he is struggling to make sense of a galaxy greatly changed since he was last conscious. In the vacuum of power caused by the governing body, The Continuum, it’s every person for themselves, which presents endless complications for Imre as he attempts to rebuild his life.
Sean Williams’s great gift is that his story doesn’t descend into dystopian bleakness. Humanity, while technologically and biologically much evolved in a far distant future, is still prone to many of the same flaws that beset us in our troubled present. But the key part is we’re still around, chaotic galaxy or not, trying to do our best. This grounded perspective informs the whole book and makes it a compelling read.