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When I downloaded this ARC to review, I genuinely had no idea what to expect. The synopsis intrigued me; a space ship orbiting a planet – desperate to land and bring the three thousand passengers to safety – but the planet isn’t expecting them, nor is it technologically ready for them – despite it have being supposedly prepared.
It was obvious that there was a mystery in the book – why was the space ship in orbit? Why was it arriving over a thousand years late? Why hadn’t the planets’ inhabitants evolved technologically from a basic feudal system? The questions just kept coming as I excitedly dove into the book.
A Signal for Redemption did not disappoint. From the very first page, I was swept into the story, compelled to keep reading. The prologue, even if I didn’t realise it at the time, had plenty of answers and light bulbmoments when I hesitantly flipped back to check – always a sign of a well thought out, intricately planned book.
As we move through the story, there’s mentions of ‘Empaths’ and people who have a ‘Psi ability’ – something you don’t need to have a genetically engineered psychic ability to understand. Meehan writes with such clarity, so emotively, you fully understand exactly what the Psi characters are experiencing. You feel the depth of their emotions, the crippling anxiety, the overwhelming confusion and the dizzying joy. Those scenes are so exquisitely written, you’re in the heads of the characters, whether you wish to be or not.
The only thing that’s stopping this book from receiving five stars is that at times the pacing of the story is somewhat confusing. The ending is abrupt – there’s no resolution – and you’re left feeling somewhat breathless and confused. I can only hope this means that Meehan is planning on expanding the story to further books – I need to know what happens next.
A Signal for Redemption by A. C. Meehan is a book with an unusual juxtaposition. A feudal civilisation that’s at odds with itself as it waivers under a despotic leader whose ambition knows no bounds. An orbiting space ship from an earth (which may or may not have been destroyed), a thousand years late with rapidly dwindling supplies. Although these two tropes should clash, Meehan has made them work in beautiful harmony.
SA
I received this book as an ARC from the Reedsy Discovery Program. You can read the original review here
You can buy A Signal for Redemption here (or read it for free via Kindle Unlimited)