Jitterbug

Many of us do not really know what is going on in Space, and not everyone really cares. It is all so far away and beyond our control. However, even the layman would think twice if the planets in our Solar System started to disintegrate one after the other and strange new discs appear in Space that block out the Sun’s light.  Gareth L Powell’s Jitterbug is set 100 years or so after this happened and humans are going to have to start caring.

Captain Copernicus Brown inherited his father’s spaceship, Jitterbug, after pirates killed him. The life of a courier was not for Copernicus; it would not sate his burning desire for justice. With the vast liveable Swirl now hanging in reachable space, many of the less savoury members of society have fled there and the authorities do not have the resources to track them down. Copernicus is now a Bounty Hunter for hire, but one with ethics. Ethics that get him embroiled in a vast conspiracy when he stops to help a ship in distress.

Space novels can be so complicated with intense opera like storylines and science that even the most ardent of Sci Fi fans can sometimes get lost in. But they can also be great fun. Powell creates entertaining science fiction that is a joy to read, and Jitterbug is another excellent example of this. A ragtag crew going up against the odds, what could be better?

Jitterbug is a fun novel, but the stakes are high. Solar System ending high. The crew of the Jitterbug would not be the first choice to save humanity, but after a series of unfortunate events, a few of their own doing, this is where they are found. Powell is excellent at creating characters and relationships but also slipping in some fantastic world building. We learn about the politics of the time and the mysterious Swirl through the characters. It never feels like exposition.

The back and forth of the crew is what really makes the book. The captain, maverick pilot, grumpy engineer. But we also meet other people; a mysterious woman who seems too good to be true, and the head of the systemwide government. All of the characters have their quirks and flaws, and this is what makes them so fun. We also get to know the Jitterbug itself and some of the other powerful AI spaceships. Jitterbug is more than just a crew member; they are the ship.

The story itself is thrilling, building up from a caper novel into something far vaster. A real science fiction story for fans of the genre who like mind blowing concepts thrown in there. The book is farfetched, but it is written to feel real; messy people, struggling along in a broken future. I had great fun reading this book, pacy, thrilling, but also packed with proper science fiction and fluid world building.