THE FIRST EMPIRE

Prison escapees in the mid-25th century face off against archangels and an ancient group destroying human colonies in Gallagher’s cross-genre sequel.

While helping others bust out of an inescapable prison, Sam McCall got himself blown up. However, his consciousness lives on in the Phantom, the prototype ship he stole, and shares the neural matrix with the ship’s artificial intelligence, Samantha. Other escapees board the Phantom, but things quickly go awry when one crew member hijacks control of the ship. Sam and the others soon witness a universe in chaos due to the warring federations of Earth and Mars and the Empire of Cain’s systematically attacking human colonies. The latter uses powerful ancient technology that originated from the Command World—the very first world, which is home to the Garden of Eden and even heaven itself; this isn’t terribly shocking to the escapees, who had run-ins with flaming sword–brandishing archangel Samael. What is surprising, however, are the unique components that form the Phantom and that make it a target of the Empire. Sam, Samantha, and the other crew members must retake control of the ship, evade Samael’s assassination attempts, and stay ahead of a group of warriors that’s been around for millennia. As in Gallagher’s preceding novel, Prototype (2017), a large cast and copious subplots crowd this tightly paced narrative. For example, a pathogen from the first installment remains a menace here, and combating it may necessitate tracking down an archangel that’s been missing for 200,000 years. This sequel is heavy on backstory, as well, spotlighting such characters as a double-crossing crew member and more famous figures, such as Lilith, Adam’s first wife. The author combines an intriguing take on the story of Creation with exciting plot turns, such as the sudden appearance of a familiar supernatural creature. Disappointingly, grammatical and typographical errors hamper this otherwise keen story; inconsistent spellings of proper names are particularly jarring.

A smart, witty tale with sharp religious and SF notes that might have benefited from a stronger edit.