I recently read, enjoyed and reviewed New Ceres Nights, a collection of short stories set in the shared world of New Ceres. In a future where humanity has reached the stars, one planet choses to limit themselves to 18th century technology. I liked the collection, and have been keeping an eye out for further work set in the same world.
Angel Rising by Dirk Flinthart is a novella set in New Ceres, focusing on one of the shared characters, George Gordon. Gordon is one of the few people allowed to used modern technology, as a part of a group of protectors (Proctors) that are deployed to foil plots that threaten the New Ceres way of life.
In this novella he is off to the Sunrise Isles, where 18th century Japanese culture has been recreated. Inevitably he runs across samurai, ninjas and mystic warrior nuns, as well as a mysterious offworlder with amnesia and a lot of people looking for her.
I enjoyed the novella, giving further insight into this shared world. I find it interesting how the same character is portrayed by different authors, same base characteristics but some real differences in characterisation.
Flinthart’s writing is crisp and clear, with engaging action sequences placed at regular intervals in the plot. The plot was good – as the book is novella length it carries you along at a fair clip. In fact, the shortness is probably the only main issue I had with the work – there were times where I would have liked to see the plot expanded with more texture.
If you’re interested in the New Ceres shared world, I’d probably start with New Ceres Nights. However, Angel Rising is an excellent next stop on your tour.
Recommended.
I also reviewed this book on Goodreads. View all my reviews.
This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.
