I obtained a overview copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my overview and all opinions are my very own.

Artifact Area by Miles Cameron

Mogsy’s Score: 3.5 of 5 stars

Style: Science Fiction

Sequence: Guide 1 of Arcana Imperii

Writer: Saga Press (January 27, 2026)

Size: 528 pages

Creator Data: Web site | Twitter

Artifact Area was a e book I felt genuinely enthusiastic about trying out. I have already got a pair Miles Cameron books underneath my belt, largely epic fantasy, however given his vary as a author, a science fiction novel felt like a pure subsequent step. I used to be curious to see how his model would translate to an area opera setting. That mentioned, navy sci-fi being outdoors of my favourite nook of the style, I wasn’t too shocked after I ended up struggling a bit.

The story follows a younger lady named Marca Nbaro, who, regardless of rising up within the harsh circumstances of an orphanage, has dreamed for years of sooner or later having the ability to journey to the celebrities. And in the end, after numerous hours of coaching and preparation, she lastly has the prospect to hitch the crew of the Athens, one of many huge Greatships concerned in interstellar commerce throughout the galaxy. Sadly although, getting aboard isn’t precisely authorized. Marca needed to spend the final of her assets forging her papers, which implies that even when she manages to tug off her long-awaited escape, she’ll be at fixed threat of being uncovered.

Marca’s efforts repay, nonetheless, when she is allowed onboard and made midshipman. Throwing herself into studying the ropes, she additionally tries to earn her place among the many crew by adjusting to the realities of life on a Greatship run by a ruthless mercantile authorities. The first mission of the Athens is the transport of a uncommon and immensely priceless materials referred to as xenoglas, which varieties the spine of human and alien commerce. Crew schedules are tightly structured, and any errors are judged harshly, which solely heightens Marca’s fears of being found and forged out. However at the same time as she struggles to show herself whereas maintaining her head down, the ship turns into concerned in an more and more difficult internet of commerce politics and dangerous encounters, pushing Marca nicely past merely attempting to get by unnoticed. Apparently, her previous isn’t as straightforward to outrun as she’d hoped.

In a method, Artifact Area virtually reads like a slice-of-life e book, specializing in on a regular basis moments of Marca’s life aboard the Athens as we comply with her via the coaching routine and creating relationships with the opposite crew members. That’s to not say the story isn’t plot-driven or devoid of drama and motion, as a result of there’s loads of these. Slightly, we simply work in direction of them extra gently and slowly. Certainly, a high-stakes battle does ultimately emerge from a sequence of escalating developments that trace at larger issues within the background.

However whereas this setup is spectacular, I believe it’s additionally what prompted the e book to tug for me. One quirk I seen is that though the Athens is a buying and selling vessel, life onboard resembles extra just like the navy. There’s a variety of advanced military-like jargon, heavy emphasis on ranks and hierarchies, in addition to the logistics of operations and transport. Cameron clearly desires the reader to view these dynamics as an ecosystem and to know how they operate. The identical goes for the political aspect of the story involving commerce alliances and energy buildings. After all, none of that is inherently dangerous, however I confess it didn’t all the time maintain my curiosity.  Whereas I can admire this excessive degree of element, at instances the trivia can really feel slightly overwhelming and extra methodical than I personally favor.

My emotions are additionally blended in the case of Marca. As a protagonist, she’s clearly meant to be likeable, however emotionally, there was a distance. Character work was maybe on the weaker aspect, as I typically discovered it troublesome to attach along with her on a deeper degree. For instance, her reactions, particularly when it got here to attraction and romantic components, didn’t really feel absolutely developed or convincing. The camaraderie between the crew members added some heat, however lots of these relationships stayed pretty surface-level.

That mentioned, the world-building is really unbelievable. Identical to in his fantasy and historic fiction, Cameron’s consideration to element pays off. The Greatships are a novel idea, giving off cool old-school-meets-futuristic-tech vibes. The setting feels nicely thought-out and lived in. Storytelling is constant and exhibits plainly that it is aware of the place it’s going and how much narrative it desires to be, even when it didn’t all the time line up with my very own tastes.

In the long run, Artifact Area is a strong begin to a brand new sequence, nevertheless it doesn’t finish on a cliffhanger and so additionally works completely nicely as a standalone. The scope of its wider world jogged my memory slightly of The Expanse, whereas the extra intimate, zoomed-in appears to be like at every day life aboard the Athens even jogged my memory slightly little bit of The Wayfarers. Personally although, I do suppose expertise or an appreciation for navy sci-fi will assist enhance enjoyment. I didn’t love this, however I didn’t dislike it both, and I’m curious sufficient about the place issues are going that it’s probably I’ll be selecting up the sequel.