Featured image by fieryzard (artwork commissioned by the author). It shows a crowded canteen of the Herald Petrel spaceship. There is a large round table with a map-like board and some pyramid-shaped game pieces on it in the center. Six crew members are sitting, talking, playing cards and drinking around the table; two are fighting in the back; a waiter is passing by with a tray of drinks (probably beer).
You can find the artist on their website or Mastodon.
Blurb
Another spaceship, another explosion. Harold Galahad would love to wake from this particular nightmare that is so eerily similar to the events that cost him his beloved wife and destroyed his soul. But the only way out is by saving the ship and its entire crew.
If you ask Harold Galahad, he isn’t fit to lead a crew or command a ship. But nobody is asking Harry.
Instead, he finds himself back on the bridge, on a ship stranded in space, no help in sight, only kept alive by remnants of a gradually failing life support system.
His crew? A nurse running out of tentacles and eyes to care for all the wounded, a chief engineer who knows all about her systems but struggles with people, a chief of security who thinks everything can be solved with paragraphs from the Company’s handbook, a cursing chief of logistics, an anxiety-ridden communications officer, and a first officer who stays mysterious and feigns ignorance. This ship needs a captain to avert a complete disaster that includes the death of everyone on board.
Can Galahad overcome his trauma? Can he find solutions where there are none? And worst of all, can he unravel all the mysteries surrounding the ship, its crew and the system they all work for?
If you enjoy a complex tale that brings a human element to all species that travel space, combined with a multi-layered mystery, and starring a broken hero, Herald Petrel by Strange Seawolf will deliver.
Contains adult language and a considerable amount of swearing — it is a cargo space ship in a desperate situation, after all.
The book cover below includes alt-text.
Content warnings: Death, including death of a loved one, PTSD, depression, grief, terrorism, explosions. These themes are present, but they don't necessarily make the book sad. Despite them, it's rather a light read. However, if you are sensitive to them, be careful.
Impressions
Herald Petrel is a debut sci-fi novel by Strange Seawolf. It's a fast-paced and fun read. The problems keep snowballing as the characters discover more secrets of the company they work for. The novel plays with classic dystopian sci-fi themes of an evil corporation with too much power, surveillance, compliance and unethical forms of control.
While the crew deals with the aftermath of a terrorist attack on their spaceship, the captain also grapples with grief and PTSD, as the events keep reminding him of his traumatic past. However, these difficult themes (see content warnings above) don't make the book sad. They are present, as they inform the actions of the characters, but they aren't necessarily the main focus of the story, since too much is going on. The characters simply don't have time to wallow in their sadness, as they have to fight to stay alive. For me, despite the difficult themes, as well as the dystopian setting, it was a fun and light read.
There are various LGBTQ+ characters in the book, including a sympathetic asexual character, and a demisexual MC (the word isn't used in the book, but it becomes apparent when he explains how his attraction works). Most of the characters are human/humanoid, but there are a few alien species.
I enjoyed Herald Petrel, as it was a fun adventure that highlighted the importance of genuine relationships. The ending was really beautiful, as it brought the whole crew together and showed the power of working as a team while relying on everyone's unique strengths. Despite the desperate situation, there is hope for the crew, as well as those struggling with their personal demons. The book has set up the stage for a sequel.
You might enjoy Herald Petrel if you like fast-paced space adventures and dystopian settings that don't make the book too sad.
You can get Herald Petrel at Kobo, Barnes&Noble, Apple, Amazon and other bookshops.
The author
The Strange Seawolf is a storyteller. They move from campfire to campfire to tell their stories about life and death, about grief and loss, about the horrible things creatures can do to each other, but, more than anything, about love, and hope, and the power that lies within every single creature to make a difference, no matter how unfortunate and unfair circumstances are. You can find them on Mastodon, Instagram, or check out their website dedicated to the book.