GENERATIONS

An archivist unearths possible corruption—and worse—aboard a colony spaceship headed toward a habitable planet in Josephides’ SF thriller.

Sandrine Liet lives among thousands of other passengers on the Thetis, a multilevel, multigenerational ship that’s been traveling from Old Earth for nearly two centuries. It’s headed for one of two potential planets for “Resettlement”—a decision that must be finalized soon. Until then, 29-year-old Sandrine, as a Senior Archivist, continues to oversee the Code of Law on a ship that hasn’t experienced violent crime in four generations. She handles an accusation of attempted extortion from the Thetis’ leader, PrimoSebastian Anderson, although the accusation becomes suspicious when Anderson later tells her to forget all about it. Rather than dropping the issue, “protocol-purist” Sandrine tracksthe missing, would-be extortionist: a scientist named Almaz Bashiri, who asserts that Anderson may be involved in an attempt to weaponize his research. What exactly the leader is up to—along with his wife, Cassidi, who heads the Public Health Security division—is a bit murky. Later, data goes missing in an archive system that was supposed to have undeletable files, and the Andersons try to sully Sandrine’s name in the media. She pieces together a conspiracy that involves deceit, political corruption, and maybe even murder, although she’ll need rock-solid evidence to prove her case.

Josephides packs a lot of worldbuilding and backstory into this novel, starting by laying out the tower-shaped Thetis. Copious levels house residential areas, the Archive office, and the Sensory Farm, which is primarily used for educational purposes. Although the pleasant Level 19, where Sandrine lives, provides her with solace, the nerve-wracking lower levels appear to harbor dark secrets. Many gleefully curious details surrounding the Thetisgradually come to light over the course of the novel, most of them tied into the growing conspiracy. For example, alleged extremists called Eternists champion space habitats over planet-bound ones, and Sandrine’s hacker ex-partner, Kilian Ngo, was involved in activities that got Sandrine’s permission to have children revoked “for only associating with him.” Kilian is just one of several memorable members of the cast, which also includes Sandrine’s boss, Nyasha Woo, who treats her like a family member. Sandrine, however, is the most entertaining character—she takes guff from no one and stays cool in nearly every situation. For instance, when one of Anderson’s loyal right-hand men responds to one of his directions in her presence, Sandrine remarks, “Good dog.” The author explains the distant-future tech thoroughly and intelligently, from the encrypted chip implanted into each passenger’s finger to the Thetis’ manner of propulsion. In contrast, the investigative side of things is deliberately cryptic; characters either avoid directly answering questions or engage in prolonged discussions before offering any elucidation. For much of the novel, Sandrine is baffled, and most readers will likely be, too. Nevertheless, the ending provides a welcome and gratifying resolution.

Extraordinary space travelers propel this dense but undeniably enthralling journey.