Ion Curtain, Review

ION Curtain by Anya Ow is a book that left me with mixed feelings. Not in a bad way, mind you. But mixed feelings they were.

This is basically the Cold War but in space. An interstellar Cold War. Lieutenant Kalina Sokolova is an aide to Counter-Admiral Kasparov, the major strategist for the Russian Navy. She is also an elite spy working for the UN.

Solitaire Yeung is a corsair, a scavenger, a pirate. In the heart of a destroyed Russian battleship, his salvage crew makes a discovery that will change the course of humanity in space. The brain of a dead ship - its top secret artificial intelligence - that they take and run away with. The problem is that the Russians want it back, and the UN wants it too. But they're not the only ones that want it. There's something more powerful in space that all of humanity will have to fight to survive.

This sci-fi novel revisits multiple themes in the far depths of space. It's the cold war all over again but in the space age. Worries about conscious AI is still prevalent as they challenge the balance of power and emotions. Can they really feel like humans? Do they care? And there are spies who are trying to do the best for their country and/or the greater good.

The worldbuilding (universe-building?) is brilliant. You learn enough of what you need to know throughout, giving you a sense of where the human race is at this point. Using Russians as antagonists in the plot is bold given current circumstances, but that also makes it seem quite relevant. The futuristic Russian Federation is different to what we'd think of Russia now and has some of the best characters in the book. Counter-Admiral Kasparov was probably my favourite, and I hope we get more of him in the next book.

Other characters are enjoyable, although no one seems to be really fleshed out. This isn't a bad thing as it adds a bit of intrigue to everyone - especially since not everyone is what they seem, particularly as the book progresses. There's a load of surprises that keep characters relatable and fun. They still feel like real people with dialogue that seems realistic. You can actually picture these conversations taking place.

The general plot, characters and writing style make it easy to enjoy how the plot progresses. It made the book hard to put down. It could have been a bit longer, but I'm also totally fine with the length of it - I just enjoyed it, so want more. Thankfully I will get more at some point as the book rushes to a close without closing the story. So there'll surely be another book on the way. It'd be criminal to leave this as it is.

Quite simply, ION Curtain is super enjoyable, and I can't wait for the next instalment, whenever that may be. It gets an easy 5/5.