A sci-fi adventure beginning at a distant planet inhabited by many species living as refugees, fleeing the “Cutters” as they spread across the galaxy leaving devastation in their wake. Ursula, a human refugee, runs a bar there, barely surviving the brutality of the Cutters on Earth. But Ursula is special, she is infected with an alien virus that somehow could save them all. Alongside her ex, his wife, her professor, a college friend and an alien coworker, they race across the galaxy in hopes of saving the few living beings left. With the enemy hot on their trail, they are always on the move. Ursula is by far the most interesting character and I found it a bit difficult to connect with the rest of the crew. Though a lot happens in the story, I also found the pacing to be a bit awkward but I still enjoyed the book.

Feels like a sequel is coming for this one. Good characters and action. Liked the universe the author created and there were high stakes for humanity.

I don't often read sci-Fi am more of a fantasy type... however this was a well crafted and cleverly realised world which still seems believable unlike some fantasy novels. Super easy to read and an enjoyable romp. As this is the first. Book by the author I've read I'll be giving his other books a go!

It's always a pleasure to dive into a well-crafted sci-fi novel, as I find them a huge comfort in these crazy times. Cleverly realized worlds, likeable characters and very human situations alongside alien creatures and worlds - all of which can be found here.

Ursula is a great protagonist, and I enjoyed getting to know her in a very real situation before the main story truly takes off. Is this to be a heist? Nope, she's no thief! OK, an explorer then. An adventurer with a haphazard crew? Or just a lone human with a few friends (and suspicious acquaintances), a sentient ship and a bizarre infection carried from her past...

It's a great adventure, beautifully told and without any unpleasant overly-scientific exposition-dumps that took me out of the story. Like I said: humans doing their best to survive in the Black. A thoroughly enjoyable ride.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC of this title!**

I loved Powell’s Continuance duology and couldn’t wait to get into this one. Future’s Edge is a fun and witty romp through space with just the right amount of danger mixed in.

The dialogue reads a ~bit~ corny at times but it made me laugh out loud at certain parts so I really can’t complain. I love how real Powell’s characters always feel while being literal aliens or other non-human characters.

Check this one out if you love sci-fi, thrillers, and first contact!!

This is a pure Gareth L Powell book. AIs, spacechips, faster than light travel and questions around humanity. Good fun, although I felt I was reading a very similar novel to others from the same author, specially the Trouble Dog trilogy and last couple of novels. If you have read some of these, expect something similar. For starters of Powell, I'd probably pick Embers of War.

From the publisher: “When archaeologist Ursula Morrow accidentally infects herself with an alien parasite, she fears she may have jeopardised her career. However, her concerns become irrelevant when Earth is destroyed, billions die, and suddenly no one needs archaeologists anymore…

Two years later, she's plucked from a refugee camp on a backwater world and tasked with retrieving the artifact that infected her, as it just might hold the key to humanity's survival. With time running short, and the planet housing the weapon now situated in hostile territory, she realises she's going to have to commit an act of desperate piracy if she's going to achieve her objective before the enemy's final onslaught.

A thrilling, page-turning journey into deep space where the fights are brutal, the relationships are complicated and the world ended years ago.”

Let’s be honest - Future’s Edge is not one of those cutting-edge-type of SF books. It is space opera, so much so that there are moments that seem rather Star Wars-like. But the situation’s interesting, the characterisation generally good.

There’s the odd bit of overworking, perhaps one or two hyperactive hyperboles too many and moments where a logical plot is superseded by sentiment. But it is also – and perhaps most of all – entertaining.

Sometimes you don’t need to read a book that involves intense scrutiny – instead you just want a story where you can root for the characters, enjoy the action and get to a satisfactory ending. This is one of those, that involves AI, aliens, strange technology and unusual space ships.  Great fun, and an engrossing page-turner.

Powell is very, very good at writing broken people doing stupid and / or shitty things, in space. Futures Edge is no exception to this rule!
Set in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has reached the stars and the stars have punched back, this is the story of an archaeologist who fucked up on a dig site and got herself infected with an unidentified alien parasite, which might just be the key to the survival of the pathetic remnants of the human race.
But it is also so much more than that.
Sentient spaceships, problematic ex-boyfriends, attackers who exist in different dimensions to ours… this book has them all.
This is a fast-paced romp through space with a diverse crew who are all trying to survive their own pasts last enough to have a future.
The science is complex but believable, the characters are all sorts of fucked up, and the tension and humour are evident in equal measure.
Powell writes big, bombastic, brilliant space opera, and Future Edge is all of those things.

With the highest stakes (extinction), Gareth L. Powell’s latest is a fast-paced space opera with an interesting set of characters, banter, action, and friendship.

Ursula Morrow has been biding her time, managing a bar, on a planet where everyone is a refugee. Humans and aliens alike fled here ahead of monstrous, extremely hard to kill beings from another dimension suddenly appeared at multiple planets connected by tramlines (wormholes) and began eradicating all sentient life.

Ursula had been on Earth just prior to its destruction, and only barely made it to a ship leaving orbit, thanks to Jack, the man she had been involved with during her time at an archaeological dig. A dig that resulted in mishap and a huge health scare—Ursula had accidentally touched an alien artifact, which put her in a coma. Doctors on Earth (Jack rushed her back home) submitted her to every test but other than some physical changes, and a weird ability to repair and heal her body) Ursula was fine and eventually released. Which is when the planetary attack started with Jack getting her off planet and him rushing off to fight aboard a warship, the Crisis Actor.

Some years later, Jack arrives in her bar, and says, come with me so we can kill the Cutters, and we’ll do that by retrieving that alien artifact you touched —we think it’s a weapon.

There are mad dashes, fights, theft, and terrifying encounters with the Cutters, and some heart-to-hearts with the Crisis Actor.

I was entertained throughout, and liked Ursula as she navigates the frightening situation, and works through her grief for her lost family, planet, and life before her accident. Her best friend, and cyborg, Siegfried and Crisis Actor, the warship, are wonderful characters who play integral roles in the plot.

Ursula matures over the course of the story, and finds a way to protect countless others as a result. The plot is compelling, but it was Ursula and her friends who made the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Titan Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Future's Edge presents and feels like a bigger book than it is. It has the set-up of a sci-fi epic. Our protagonist Ursula Morrow is running one of those "worst dregs of society" space bars, putting down fights and occasionally drinking herself to death. Once an archaeologist, until an accident with an alien artifact made her Captain Scarlett style indestructible, all of which ended up being a bit of a footnote as just as she was getting out of quarantine (alien artifact), the Earth was destroyed and she was one of the few that made it out. Now her ex-boyfriend, who got her off planet, is back because it's possible that the alien artifact was actually something that could save the rest of humanity from destruction. What follows is some light space piracy, fights against the implacable and unknowable enemy, and a three-way love triangle between Ursula, her ex and his new wife - who is also the spaceship they are traveling on.

Future's Edge is lots of fun, and threads a fine line between being pulpy and playing with some bigger ideas. The ancient enemy from before time that attacks civilizations when they reach a certain spacefaring level of technology seems to be the plot of fifty percent of space operas now - they make for great enemies and also explain the Fermi Paradox nicely. This batch don't really distinguish themselves, but luckily the low level human / human / spaceship triangle has a surprising amount of weight with the drama. I wasn't all that surprised about the denouement (its the other side of the ancient antagonist from before time), though I was a little surprised about how quickly we got there. And whilst it's clear that Ursula's initial malaise is at least partially PTSD from the wiping out of much of humanity, I didn't quite get the heft of the near genocide in the book, even whilst they are trying to save the resultant refugees. An enjoyable, breathless read, but not quite the full deal.

When I found Gareth L. Powell a few years ago, I was excited. More space opera, just as I was starting to bend back towards the subgenre! Yet the two books I read by him, while they have become fonder memories in my mind, didn’t stay with me the way I thought they might. Future’s Edge seems doomed to repeat this fate, for it has all the makings of an excellent space opera without any of the heat or edge that would make it truly great. Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC.

Ursula Morrow is an archaeologist. However, a mishap with a dormant device from an alien species ships her back to Earth. Altered at a genetic level, Ursula endures prodding and poking before finally being released on her own recognizance—only for mysterious, implacable aliens to destroy Earth that very day. Bad luck! Now living on a backwater refugee planet, Ursula tends bar and ponders what the future might hold. Then a man from her past arrives in town claiming she holds the key to humanity’s—nay, sentient life in this arm of the galaxy’s—salvation.

Future’s Edge feels like it’s riffing, intentionally or otherwise, on so many other science-fiction stories. Titan A.E.: Earth being destroyed, humanity scattered, ragtag band of misfits looking for a weapon that can turn the tide against a mysterious alien enemy. Revelation Space: the Cutters are basically the Inhibitors. Andromeda, Wayfarers, or any number of ship AI-embodied-as-gynoids stories: Crissy. And yes, fundamentally, most science fiction is a remix of old tropes because nothing is original … yet Future’s Edge feels like that, even more so. Powell even has Ursula hang a lampshade on being the namesake of Ursula K. Le Guin!

Whether this annoys or delights you (or, frustratingly, both in my case) is up to your sensibilities. I found this book charming, if somewhat predictable and unsatisfying in the neat and tidy way everything gets wrapped up. There was precisely one moment of devastating emotional attachment me for me (if you read the book, I think it’ll be obvious what I am referring to, but basically it involves one character sacrificing themself for another)—yet I honestly don’t enjoy how the final act alters that sacrifice.

If I had to pinpoint a particular highlight of the story, it’s a sequence where Ursula gets to hang out with Crissy’s avatar and they bond. She’s Jack’s ex; Crissy is Jack’s wife, and Powell plays everything exactly the way you would expect—delightful, yet also part of the book’s problem.

Put simply, this book is too safe. Powell doesn’t take any risks here with his storytelling. From the Cutters to the mysterious alien weapon at the heart of the book’s climax (the Crucible from Mass Effect anyone?) to Ursula’s own ambivalence about her alien alterations, this is a story steeped in science-fictional tropes yet unmoored from any particularly compelling logic of its own design. It’s paint by numbers.

Now, paint by numbers can be satisfying! I really don’t want to damn this book with faint praise, because I think it’s good and well worth your attention if you like space opera with a hint of melodrama. At the same time, I struggle to string together any superlatives about this book. It’s fine, good even. But it’s safe, unassuming, and doesn’t ask you to think too hard about anything. Comfort food? I guess. A tasty snack, yet one that has me looking around for a more substantial meal.

*Future’s Edge* has a cool premise: What if an alien parasite holds the key to humanity’s survival?

Well, all Ursula Morrow, former archeology student, knows is that the parasite she’s carrying isn’t making her sick; on the contrary, it’s somehow protecting her from mortal danger (and also turning her fingernails grey). She’s stuck on some out-of-the-way planet waiting for the love of her life from whom she was separated as she escaped the destruction of Earth by very nasty and, as it turns out, incredibly scary aliens. When said Love reappears, it’s not the fairytale she dreamed, and the future he’s offering is not the one she wants.

This was an entertaining and gripping read, with many pleasurable twists and turns. I generally dislike alien narratives (gasp) (possibly because I’m the imagined “Other” of sci-fi), buuut: **These** aliens really appeal to my maths- and physics-loving brain. They’re so cool! They’re multidimensional, and mostly impossible to describe. They appear suddenly. I won’t spoil it for you any more than that, but Powell builds up the story so carefully and consistently that by the end of the novel, I wanted to know all about the other world(s) he hints at.

This is, of course, for lovers of sci-fi, and will appeal even to hard SF stans like me. The emotional core of the story annoyed me—the resolution felt both too sci-fi-ey and entirely too pat—but it doesn’t really matter, because it did not interrupt the flow of the story. I look forward to reading anything else Powell sets in this universe, and recommend *Future’s Edge* to readers.

Thanks much to Titan Books and NetGalley for early access.

I would like to thank NetGalley & Titan Books for allowing me to read/review this book!
This book was filled with adventure and action from start to end. I wasn't obsessed with Ursula, but I did enjoy seeing her character grow throughout the book. She is able to reflect on her life and heal from her past since she basically lost everyone & everything.
I found that it was kind of comical that her ex was practically married to the warship, and she had to work through that as well. The Crisis Actor, aka Cris, was really like, "You look lonely... I can fix that, " and Jack fell in love. She does have a synthetic body and is very human-like. I was intrigued by the use of AI in this context and how the relationship/dynamic between them worked. I felt that I enjoyed the small perspectives of the Crisis Actor more. Yet, I loved the formation of Cris & Ursula's relationship & their banter!
I loved how different the Cutters were described, and their origins gave me "Prometheus vibes" (An Alien movie).
The ending seemed to resolve pretty quickly & there were a few things that were questionable to me, but overall, I enjoyed this book! This is my first book by Gareth L. Powell, and it won't be my last!

Future's Edge by Gareth L. Powell - currently a standalone Science Fiction story

This book is adventurous and challenging, building tension into the cataclism that happens at the beginning, but maintains throughout the book. There are also times which are funny and lighthearted. Since this is a Science Fiction story, the author has built a universe that is well developed and informative (makes sense/logical). I felt story had a mysterious element, too. I was constantly trying to figure out what would happen next. Now that I've finished this book, I see myself being reflective and feel that I will be pondering this story for a LONG time.

Medium-paced

This book explores a powerful plot driven story, which is diverse and unique in scope.

This also allows for well developed character growth, using impactful experiences through the plot, to in turn effect each character's storyarcs in unexpected ways (at least for me).

I fell in love with Ursula, Jack and Cris (a unique love triangle). The characters were widely diverse, which pulled the reader in (whoever you are). The character flaws of each of the main characters (stated above) move the plot, though at times...I wished they could could just stay put...and live out there (whever THERE was, at the time).

4.25 Stars

I've read a number of this author's works. With each book I pick up and read...he finds a way to speak on another level, giving diversity to his catalog of books/adventures.

This story has "world ending" events, time travel, sentiant AI, good characters...that go on personal arcs, without losing sight of the worldbuilding and plot points...making this story enticing and pulling the reader to keep reading.

I was given this book to read as an eArc by Net Galley...for a fair and honest review.

Sadly, I was reading another book for review...and in that book, it just wasn't hitting. So when I picked this book up, it was refreshing and intoxicating...and I couldn't put it down. A great experience to go through, indeed.

Our first introduction to this story is through the eyes of Claws (a name given to a woman touched by "something" related to the villains of this story...Cutters). Her real name is Ursula, and her story hits hard. Great introduction IMO.

Then we are introduced to Jack, and how he's associated with Ursula, and how he impacts her life...then...

Well, you'll just have to read it. It is both a cool story, but also a sad story. We want to keep Jack and Ursula together, but come to understand...that Cris has stood in the breach, and THAT relationship is incredibly powerful for all their futures.

The growth of each of the main characters, Ursula, Jack and Cris are needed. This is still a plot centered story, but not at the expense of the character arcs, that pull the reader in..and keep the readers engaged, as the storyline moves forward.

This is solitary story (not part of a series...at the moment), but I can see how he could possibly write more from this part of the universe and expand this with other stories. 

This author has such a way to write stories that are connected, but still allowing the readers to approach his works in different orders...other than the published order. That's talent.

The ideas explored in this story are going to stick with me...for a while. I t believe I will be pondering what could/should happen next, and how this or that could happen. I will be approaching this story for a while, and that's a great feeling.

This had all the ingredients of a classic space-faring sci-fi romp: a messy found-family crew, end of the universe disasters, uncovering ancient alien tech, and most importantly, space-travel. I love a good space-travel book.

The archaeologist spin was one that I was particularly interested in, give me Indiana Jones in space any day. But I feel like we barely scratched the surface of the cosmic horror that underlines the plot. This could have easily been two or three times the length with more time spent on developing these concepts and I would have loved it all the more for it, I NEED to know what is in the undervoid.

Do you like fast paced sci-fi adventures? Then you’ll want to check out Gareth L. Powell’s newest book, Future’s Edge. This is definitely not your average sci-fi adventure. I don’t want to go too deep into the storyline to avoid spoilers, but I will say with a lot of sci-fi adventure dealing with the destruction of Earth/humanity by aliens we’d see the build up to that and the actual battles/destruction happening, however this is set years after humanity was already devastated, with the focal character being one of the survivors who just might hold the key to defeating their enemy. And yes while there is a large overarching theme around that quest for revenge, there is also a more personal storyline as well. With well developed characters (including one heck of a unique character..don’t want to say more since its a fun little surprise), a gripping story, and quite the epic ending, Future’s Edge is sure to entertain. If you enjoy this and are new to Powell’s work be sure to check out his Embers of War trilogy as well. I’d like to thank Titan Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Future’s Edge.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RF6XJ7Z06XS3C/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Ahoy there mateys! I am not sure if this is supposed to be the beginning of a series or is just a jam packed standalone.  There is a lot to like here but ultimately this was just an okay read for me.

The alien Cutters have destroyed Earth and the majority of its colonies.  The refugees of Earth are at the edge of the galaxy making colony ships and hoping to save as many as possible before the Cutters reach them.  Ursula is one of those refugees that made it off Earth with some help from an infection by a long extinct alien race's artifact.  She may hold the key to humanity's survival.

I really enjoyed Ursula as a character.  She has changed a lot since her student days studying archeology.  We get flashbacks into her time on Earth, her time with the alien artifact, her relationship with her ex-boyfriend Jack, and her relationship with alcohol.  I appreciate that going through the end times not only produces trauma and regret but also personal growth and reflection.  How she handles the reappearance of Jack and his new loves, the ship's AI and its avatar, was another highlight.  We also get journal entries from the ship itself.

The major problem I had with the book was the overall plot itself and how Ursula's infection worked.  I just didn't find the circumstances to be that exciting.  I liked the pieces of the puzzles but not the execution.  The other characters on the ship, particularly Siegfried and Mouse, had potential but seemed to be used as plot devices only.  Several of the other crew had mentions but didn't really do anything.  The ending itself was hopeful but much too convenient for me.

In general, I seem to find the author's books to have fun concepts and characters but lackluster plots and solutions.  I am not sure if I would read anything else by the author due to this personal taste.  Again I am in the minority though but the rest of the crew loved this.  Arrrr!

I quite enjoyed this one, and I must say, it was far more heartfelt than I'd imagined going in! I think I presumed it would be pretty much all action all the time, but I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful character development and introspection. You cannot help but root for Ursula. She's found herself on some backwater planet, all alone, having lost literally everything and everyone when Earth was destroyed. Also, she's probably infected with some alien junk, and she just found out that her former love, the one who saved her from doom on Earth, is back. Only now he's married to his space ship and Ursula can't help but feel like it's just one more thing (in a very long line of things) she's lost.

I loved that there is a ton of conversation surrounding trauma and grief, and that the characters have to actually face it, even while they're trying to save the universe. The side characters were also great, and I loved that they brought some found family into Ursula's life. The adventure to figure out what the alien stuff infecting Ursula is and how she can be of use to stop the mass destruction is of course incredibly high stakes, compelling, and ultimately quite thought provoking. The ending did confuse me a little, but overall I was quite satisfied with the story and absolutely loved the characters!

Bottom Line: So wonderfully emotive and thought provoking, all while still providing the promised high stakes space adventures!

Two years ago, humanity was massacred in their billions by a violent alien species known as the Cutters. The only survivors were those who managed to flee Earth before it was destroyed, destined to hide throughout the galaxy in refugee camps.

Ursula runs a bar on an obscure and out-of-the-way planet. She had been an archaeology student on Earth, so her skills were now primarily irrelevant. However, Ursula had touched an ancient alien artefact during the very last dig she'd been on, leaving her with superhuman strength and abilities.

Can anything stop the Cutters?
Could Ursula's hybrid DNA hold the clues?


With AI, sentient spaceships, and futuristic technologies weaving in and out of the storyline, don't mistake this for a surface-level or inane tale.

This is an intriguing character-driven Science Fiction tale packed full of action. Ursula is a complex character with very human flaws. Her battle with alcohol and her personal journey through the story are well-written and handled realistically.

I immensely enjoyed the space piracy, action sequences, and how everything is together. The interactions with the sentient ship 'Crisis Actor'told through logs are also great to read.

I did knock a star off my rating because the end seemed to feel like it came together very suddenly. One moment, you're dashing through an action-packed storyline at warp speed, and the next, you've reached the end.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

Future's Edge is the newest science fiction novel by BSFA award-winning author Gareth L. Powell. He's made a name for himself with imaginative stories of humanity among the stars, and the threats they find out in the darkness of space.

Ursula Morrow is running a nameless bar at the end of the universe, fleeing the war that destroyed Earth and other planets with sentient life. "Void’s Edge had always been considered a dead-end at the farthest extremity of the tramline network." Now it was the last place standing as refugees scrambled to gain slots on the new foam ships that would set sail across the gap to other systems far from the remains of the war with a "relentless and lethal enemy." Ursula had given up her spot on one of those ships, waiting for the man she loved - the man who had gotten her off Earth just before the end, but hadn't come with her. She's spent the last two years waiting...

Future's Edge starts off strong, with a sympathetic main character and a solid plot line readers can relate to. Ursula has a rich backstory, which readers discover bit by bit throughout the first few chapters with brilliant transitions between the past and the present. The story unfurls effortlessly, with lovely details throughout.

When Ursula's ex, Jack, shows up and says he needs her help, her temporary life on Void's Edge falls apart. His arrival at Void's Edge after two years would have been better received if he wasn't married to his warship, and wanting her to join them on a mission to fight back against the advancing Cutters.

As the story unfolds, we get a second point of view - not from Jack, but from the warship. The ship's thoughts are far more vivid than Ursula's, making it seem more substantial than the human main character. Given that this book starts with Ursula as a first person point of view, I expected more from her. Even the man in this love triangle felt like a background character sketch, more of a photo the two main characters discuss than a man they both love. It derails much of the tension and drama meant to be tied to this kind of triangle.

That said, Future's Edge is well written, the story is engaging, and I enjoyed the book.