"Providence"

"Providence"
Written by Max Barry
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia



A fascinating and charming read by a new-to-me author, "Providence" is a survival story, telling of the crew of Providence 5, a battle ship in space. The story is fictional, but there are many elements of this story that feel very realistic.

Providence 5, with its crew of Captain Jocelyn Jackson, Gilly, Beanfield, and Anders, are in space to stop salamanders, six-legged slimy aliens that "huk", which is spitting out material that can mangle matter, especially from the human body. The salamanders live in hives on planets and moons but are cloned from their 'queen'. Our ensemble of tough and interesting characters must save themselves, when after shutting down the too protective and powerful AI on their ship, must fight to survive.

The writing style in "Providence" is informative, yet succinct. In creating a fast-paced novel, the uses quick and deliberate dialogue, which feels highly realistic. The characters each have interesting qualities, and we even have the semblance of a "final girl" trope that occurs often in science fiction and horror. I truly loved the characters and the technology. There is a strong and important development of character development, especially with Gilly.

A fascinating element of this story is the communication between the salamanders and Gilly. This is easily the best section of the story, feeling reminiscent to a favorite of mine, "Arrival".

I do admit that there is a bit of a slow start, but this proves important for exposition about the interstellar transportation, technology, the salamanders, and the characters.

With many heart-pounding scenes and a phenomenal third act, I truly think this is a fantastic book. I do hope that this becomes a popular read for years to come. This would be a fantastic film. A wonderful interstellar adventure and survival story is precisely the novel I needed to read. I highly recommend this novel and author. Those who enjoy "Alien", "Arrival", "Interstellar", "Gravity", and "The Martian".

I received a complimentary advance edition of this novel in exchange for reading and review purposes. Thank you to  Hodder and Stoughton.