Humanity, it seems, is being squeezed between these two prongs of an incredibly ancient civil war with weapons lingering on even after the civilization that wages it is long gone.īut there’s a whole lot going on against this epic background. Humanities’ settlements along the frontier have been ravaged by twin threats from an ancient lost race called the Chenzeme: automated, partially biological warships and an engineered virus that turns its hosts into carriers of a cult that enslaves entire populations.

Vast is set in the far future, after multiple waves of colonization have moved out from Earth (which has since itself been destroyed). On top of all this, this scale and big ideas are woven alongside excellent character formation and a plot that builds tension so effectively that long years of pursuit between vessels with slow relative velocities still feels sharp and urgent. Vast provides all this, with some truly beautiful descriptions of stellar evolution thrown in for good measure. I’ll get right to it: Linda Nagata’s Vast is everything you want epic sci-fi to be: a huge scope in time and space, a compelling look at the horizons of human and technological evolution, and a celebration of the wonder of the universe itself. Gollancz edition (1990) cover by Bob Eggleton

Vast linda nagata