RE: Original Fiction Recommendations
08-02-2020, 04:47 AM (This post was last modified: 08-02-2020, 05:36 AM by Acyl.)
08-02-2020, 04:47 AM (This post was last modified: 08-02-2020, 05:36 AM by Acyl.)
The Last Angel by Proximal Flame is a completed science fiction story, novel-length. There's also a finished sequel and several side stories set in the same universe. The latest web novel in the series just started a couple of weeks ago, and is ongoing. All links are to SpaceBattles.
At the time of posting, I haven't worked my way through all of this. I've only read the original work, but this is solid enough that I'd like to wholeheartedly recommend it. It's well-constructed space opera with deep worldbuilding and extremely atmospheric writing. When I followed a recommendation myself, and started reading the original "The Last Angel", I was told that it had horror elements... and it absolutely does, except this is a horror story where you're supposed to be rooting for the monster.
The bulk of the story takes place two thousand years after the fall of the United Earth Confederacy. There's flashbacks throughout the story, but that's the here-and-now. What's left of humanity is a client species of the Compact of Species... the polity who destroyed the Confederacy in the first place.
One of the viewpoint characters is a young human officer cadet in the Compact Space Force. Another is her best friend, from a more recently-absorbed client race, who grew up among humans. From their point of view, we see that the Compact is a racist, hierarchical, and altogether unpleasant place to live. The people of the last human world of Rally don't remember their own history. What they think is that the Compact rescued them.
Their academy ship discovers what seems to be an ancient derelict dreadnought constructed by an unknown race, which their ambitious commander tries to salvage. Of course, it's really the story's namesake, and far from dead.
That's not much of a spoiler, because the cards are laid out for the reader from the outset, if not for most of the viewpoint characters. Though the author's still got a few big surprises and plot twists over the course of the tale. But to sum up, of course, what they're trying to salvage is the UECNS Nemesis, the last surviving vessel of the Confederacy, crewed solely by its artificial intelligence - the last soldier of Earth. A vengeful hate-driven ship that's been fighting a long, lonely, campaign against the enemy for hundreds of years. The Last Angel.
At the time of posting, I haven't worked my way through all of this. I've only read the original work, but this is solid enough that I'd like to wholeheartedly recommend it. It's well-constructed space opera with deep worldbuilding and extremely atmospheric writing. When I followed a recommendation myself, and started reading the original "The Last Angel", I was told that it had horror elements... and it absolutely does, except this is a horror story where you're supposed to be rooting for the monster.
The bulk of the story takes place two thousand years after the fall of the United Earth Confederacy. There's flashbacks throughout the story, but that's the here-and-now. What's left of humanity is a client species of the Compact of Species... the polity who destroyed the Confederacy in the first place.
One of the viewpoint characters is a young human officer cadet in the Compact Space Force. Another is her best friend, from a more recently-absorbed client race, who grew up among humans. From their point of view, we see that the Compact is a racist, hierarchical, and altogether unpleasant place to live. The people of the last human world of Rally don't remember their own history. What they think is that the Compact rescued them.
Their academy ship discovers what seems to be an ancient derelict dreadnought constructed by an unknown race, which their ambitious commander tries to salvage. Of course, it's really the story's namesake, and far from dead.
That's not much of a spoiler, because the cards are laid out for the reader from the outset, if not for most of the viewpoint characters. Though the author's still got a few big surprises and plot twists over the course of the tale. But to sum up, of course, what they're trying to salvage is the UECNS Nemesis, the last surviving vessel of the Confederacy, crewed solely by its artificial intelligence - the last soldier of Earth. A vengeful hate-driven ship that's been fighting a long, lonely, campaign against the enemy for hundreds of years. The Last Angel.