Harare Review of Books

173 pages.

First published in 2021.

Finished reading on 28 Aug 2021.

Genre: Science Fiction.

Publisher’s blurb: In Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell’s action-packed sci-fi adventure Light Chaser, a love powerful enough to transcend death can bring down an entire empire. Amahle is a Light Chaser – one of a number of explorers, who travel the universe alone (except for their onboard AI), trading trinkets for life stories. But when she listens to the stories sent down through the ages she hears the same voice talking directly to her from different times and on different worlds. She comes to understand that something terrible is happening, and only she is in a position to do anything about it. And it will cost everything to put it right.

Finished reading this within hours 😅 Because, of course, Peter F. Hamilton is my favourite author, and I’m a complete fangirl. But also because this was a quick, undemanding, fun read. Also because the main character’s name is Amahle, which I’ve decided has to be Zulu/Ndebele (a beautiful name, in those languages).

It was a little bit uneven. I always wonder how authors co-write fiction: is it alternate chapters? Felt a little like it was, especially when I got to the crux of the action.

But, it was a good read. Amazing world-building in such a short book (– loved it when Amahle “went back” to different worlds, a bit like a time traveller). And the love story at the heart of it is cute. Also appreciate that there’s a definitive end, and although the book is mostly a flashback, I didn’t feel cheated at all by the fact that we’re told what happens right at the beginning.

So, rated: 8/10. A quick, fun read for fans of science fiction, kind of space opera, and it satisfied me even though it’s not really hard sci-fi. Recommend!