The Immortality Thief, Review

I've read some cracking books in the past year. Some absolute bangers like ION Curtain and Under Fortunate Stars. I went into Immortality Thief, knowing very little other than it's sci-fi and has a stunning cover. Review spoiler - you can add this book to my best of 2022 list!

On the edge of human existence, beside a dying soon-to-go nova star, lies a nameless ship abandoned and hidden that has been lost for a millennium. There are secrets galore. Terrible secrets that would change the fate of humanity if those secrets got out.

One thousand years later and refugee, criminal and linguist Sean Wren is made an offer he knows he can’t refuse. It's life in prison, "voluntary" military service or salvaging data in a long-dead language from an abandoned ship filled with traps and monsters just days before it’s destroyed in a supernova. Data connected to the Philosopher’s Stone experiments could unlock the secrets of immortality which people will kill to get their hands on.

Unfortunately for Wren, he isn't the only one looking for the derelict ship. The Ministers - aliens that have ruled over humanity for centuries - also want the data, as does humanity's last free government, The Republic. Time is running out for them all once the location of the ship is discovered.

There's one secret the ship contains, in particular, that is let out of the bag pretty early on. It's one that leaves you wondering until it's later confirmed to be true. I'd love to mention it, but it's a good one, so I won't. I've gone back and forth on whether it should be mentioned considering it comes to light in the half (maybe the first quarter?), but ultimately I decided that it's too good to talk about. It's one of those ones that you need to just experience. There are a few moments like that throughout, showing what the ship actually did that either has or would change humanity. Some leave you thinking that you called it earlier, but others are amazing.

There are only a few characters in the story. The main protagonist Sean has an amazing ability to pick up languages and seems to genuinely care about preserving life. He has a tragic backstory which goes some way to explaining that. But you never really know whether he is a genius with incredible luck or if he's an accident waiting to happen. The other characters don't know either. His efforts to ensure as few people die or get injured as possible are endearing and make him quite likeable.

The religious aspect is quite interesting as well. As humanity has spread throughout the stars, planets have formed their own religions. Cutting yourself when someone you love dies to make an offering to a new god and religion is one example. It's quite a take on the topic, as quite a few sci-fi books I've read either never mention religion or act like it's completely gone from humanity. The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell is another that has an interesting take on religion in the future, and it's nice to see. I don't think religion is going anywhere - a lot of people will always want something to believe in, so it makes sense to keep it going even if it's far removed from what beliefs are today. Governments, it seems, never change.

Anyway, there's more than just sci-fi. There are horror elements, too, as they're trapped on a spaceship, and they're not alone as experiments left a thousand years ago were left to take over, and they're beings that will haunt dreams. There are weird creepy ones that look like children that follow you around but really just want to rip you to pieces once there's enough of them to take you down. It's like watching videos of hyenas where when there's just one, they're interested but won't come too close. But when the rest of the pack arrives, they get real brave all of a sudden. It's almost like Aliens mixed with Resident Evil on an abandoned spaceship with the added danger of the sun going nova as a ticking clock.

The Immortality Thief is non-stop action that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending was a bit predictable, but I didn't mind that one bit. It's all about the journey there and what a journey it was. There were still one or two surprises in the endgame sequence, though, that left me wondering whether Wren had hit his head a little too hard one too many times.

Hunt has a great writing style that made the story an absolute delight, which means I'll be on the lookout for whatever book comes next. The occasional flashbacks of Wren's past were well timed and added extra character depth that explains why he behaves as he does.

It's a great read that wraps everything up nicely, but I'd still be delighted if the story gets expanded with more books. There's so much to explore that it could be done. But I'm also happy with leaving it as it is - a fun, engaging sci-fi/horror story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Rating: 5/5