NAVVY DREAMS

In Murray’s SF novel, a pilot and registered smuggler has no choice but to join a mission with the lofty goal of saving the galaxy.

Polla Ottrava, following an accident on her home planet of Feldelroy, awakens on a strange ship. She’s apparently under the care of the Kamen-lords, who hail from notoriously wealthy families and wield such “kamn” (essentially magic) as telekinesis. What little Polla knows of Kamen-lords, she doesn’t like; she lost a friend to their “stinking war” when one Kamen-lord, Ledas Starfire, blew up a star system. Polla learns she’s been in a coma for just over a year; now, the Kamen-lords who have been with her all that time need her piloting skills. They aim to take out Illcord Natoth, the widower of the allegedly dead Starfire, who’s been making planets go dark. Polla can help get to him by flying an undetectable bloodship, or living ship. She can’t exactly say no to this mission, since she’s effectively a prisoner, but her Kamen-lord captors are at least willing to pay her. Polla needs a navvy (implanted navigational computers that Polla calls machines but others call symbiotes) to pilot any ship. Her personal navvy, Second, has been unresponsive since she woke up—a fact she keeps to herself as long as she possibly can. In the meantime, she meets and befriends Rathe Sai, her potential co-pilot, while catching up on all she missed during her coma (although the current interstellar war isn’t so different from what was happening a year ago). If she gets a chance, maybe she can attempt an escape.

Murray’s tale, which kicks off a series, limns an enthralling distant future. The volatile dynamic between Polla and Kamen-lords Davad and Mureen (her captors) beguiles with the characters’ murky histories and the secrets they hold. The story blends real-world places, like Earth and the Alpha Centauri system, with fictional planets that appear in or are referenced throughout the novel. The narrative structure will surely keep readers on their toes as it bounces from Polla’s first-person perspective to her messages to a relatively unknown character to flashbacks that zero in on “Lee” (Starfire) and others. The transitions are easy to follow, as is the overall story, even with those messages citing events that Polla hasn’t yet experienced. Polla is gleefully morally gray; she uses Second to pick locks (which navvies aren’t designed for) but garners sympathy for awakening to utter confusion and concern. The rest of the curious cast follows suit, including hard-to-trust Davad and Mureen, possible ally Rathe, and unexpectedly sensitive nurse-android Teapot (“My precious patient requires a mask…Her health is delicate!”). There’s unfortunately little plot progression in this opening installment, with most focus going to stories from the past (like Starfire’s devastating “supernova”) or Polla’s struggle to connect with Second. Still, Murray’s animated prose is an unmitigated delight: “Lee almost missed the warship that popped out of hyperspace. In another instant, manned fighters streamed from its bays by the hundreds. Sparks spread like fireflies to encircle [her ship].”

A leisurely paced but absorbing introduction to a futuristic series that’s bound to shine.