The Immortality Thief is non-stop action that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending was a bit predictable, but I didn't mind that one bit. It's all about the journey there and what a journey it was. There were still one or two surprises in the endgame sequence, though, that left me wondering whether Wren had hit his head a little too hard one too many times.

Hunt has a great writing style that made the story an absolute delight, which means I'll be on the lookout for whatever book comes next. The occasional flashbacks of Wren's past were well timed and added extra character depth that explains why he behaves as he does.

It's a great read that wraps everything up nicely, but I'd still be delighted if the story gets expanded with more books. There's so much to explore that it could be done. But I'm also happy with leaving it as it is - a fun, engaging sci-fi/horror story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

It's not often that I go and rave to all my friends about a book, let alone an ARC from a new author I'd never heard of before. Nor do I normally feel the need to gush about an ARC on Twitter before I've finished it, or pre-order hardcover copies of an ARC for my friends before it was even published.
The fact that I've done all of the above with this book should tell you all about it that you need to know. It is that awesome!

The Immortality Thief brings together a group of misfits on a seemingly impossible mission, a dangerous set-up on a seemingly abandoned spaceship orbiting a star days away from blowing up, warring factions fighting for the loot, lots of deadpan humour, wonderfully well-developed characters (I said wonderful characters, listen to me!) and a complex fast-moving plot that constantly had me at the edge of my seat. Honestly, I was sneakily reading this on my phone under my desk at work, and I am not a twelve year-old schoolgirl, I'm a grown woman with a career. I don't DO things like that.

There are (not-so-)subtle jibes at current world politics, and the book asks some deep questions: in the face of overwhelming odds, when the survival of entire species is at stake, how do you choose? What's more important, doing the thing that's right or the thing that's expected of you? And what does belonging mean? It delves into these issues without ever becoming preachy or on-the-nose, and if you don't like that kind of thing, you can absolutely just enjoy the entertainment factor and read the book as a rolling good read.

There's a horror element created from what exactly is waiting for the crew on that abandoned spaceship, but I'd say as horror goes, it's subtle. It's strongest in the beginning before you understand what the things on the ship actually are. Later, when they are revealed, the horror morphs more into tension as the crew is merely trying to avoid/fight the things. So I'd still recommend this if you feel a bit conflicted about horror.

The ship's AI, The Dreamer, was a brilliant touch that reminded me both of the science-fantasy works of Adrian Tchaikovsky as well as The Other, from Tad William's Otherland. I don't want to say more, because I don't want to spoil anything.

This is the first in a series and wraps neatly in itself, but the ending is open enough for the continuation of the story, and I do hope we really will get a book two (and even three) as the listing on Goodreads seems to hint. I have a lot of theories and hopes (I so hope that one storyline is going where I think it's going, and not knowing is killing me) for book two.

The Immortality Thief is a breathtaking debut, and I for one will greedily lap up anything else Taran Hunt publishes in the future. I want to thank NetGalley, Solaris and Taran Hunt for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.

I love a good space opera. I gobbled up The Expanse series and still mourn the cancellation of the TV show Firefly. I took a chance when I requested an advance copy of this debut novel by Taran Hunt and I'm happy I did. I'm even happier to report that it appears to be the first in a series.

Sean and his partner in crime, Benny, are offered a chance to clear their record if they will travel to a distant, abandoned ship that is about to be destroyed by a supernova. It is believed that the ship contains the mysterious Philosopher Stone that purportedly is the secret to eternal life. It turns out to be an offer they cannot refuse: to do so will result in their deaths by an explosive implanted in both of them by a crooked Senator of the Republic government who wants the Stone for personal gain.

Upon arriving at the long-dead ship, Sean and Benny discover they are not the only ones in search of the Stone. They are met by the lone survivor of a Republican expedition and shortly thereafter by a group of Ministers, a long-lived alien race that currently rules humanity. All three parties have their own reasons for wanting the Stone but they must battle monsters who have survived on the derelict ship for a millennium and against the ticking clock of a star that is soon to go supernova.

This is a fast paced and well written novel with a compelling plot. The characters are interesting and even the evil Ministers prove to have a less sinister side. It's easy to root for the altruistic Sean and the strong-willed Republican Lieutenant Tamara Gupta as they uncover the secrets of the ship in their search for the illusive Philosopher Stone and the data it contains. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this new series.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for an advance copy of this book. The publication date is October 11, 2022.

Cinematic Alien Space Heist. With thanks to Solaris Books and NetGalley for ARC copy.

The Immortality Thief weaves a compelling set of Sci-Fi tropes into an exciting page-turner which will keep you reading well into the night. A motley crew of mercenaries, strong-armed into recovery of a powerful artefact, and pitched against rival forces and deadly aliens, all against the backdrop of a failing spaceship and a dying sun.

The imagery Taran Hunt uses is cinematic and evokes hints of Serenity and Alien, and the character of Sean Wren as one of the last survivors of a city destroyed by alien 'Ministers' is both flawed and charismatic. The story clips along briskly, as the fortunes of the different parties swing wildly, and alliances are formed and broken. Gaps in Sean Wren's story are filled in flashback, and some of the most rewarding sections are where collaboration is needed to overcome the formidable defences the spaceship 'Nameless' employs.

The relationship between Sean and his partner in crime Benny feels a little under-explored given their shared history, and some of the behaviour of the ships unique AI system appears puzzling or convenient, but this did not prevent me devouring the book in a few days, and wanting to hear more of Sean's story, particularly given some of the breadcrumbs scattered at the book's conclusion.

I was excited for this novel based on the description, but I've opted to DNF about 10% in. As such, I won't be giving a star rating -- while this wasn't for me, I do think there's definitely an audience for it and many will like it. My DNF-ing is not even really indicative of my thinking it's not a good book, only that it did not capture my interest enough to stick with it given its length.
I was having trouble articulating why the writing wasn't working for me, but it's *repetitive* in ways that I find tiring. Example: "The woman had huge pale eyes ... an almost amber color like the jack-o-lantern we had lit every year on Kystrom. Those jack-o-lantern eyes looked past me once I was seated, tracking the others in the room." [then a few lines down, same page] "I turned back to the woman with the jack-o-lantern eyes." If the book was shorter, I'd stick with it -- I think the plot is promising, and the socio-political back story is interesting, and I've seen many review it positively -- but at this point, I've opted to DNF. Maybe I'll come back to it later.

A light sci-fi action story with an affinity for quips and deus ex machinas. We follow Sean Wren, a linguist with a complicated past that has forced him to investigate an abandoned spaceship. Or is it? With two unexpected companions alongside, he fights to uncover the ships' secret and find safety.

While it was a quick read despite the large page count with the fast action and dialogue, it was very easy to see the plot skeleton - build up tension, postpone tension with a flashback, resolve tension from the information revealed in that flashback, run to another room where the tension builds up again. This got a bit repetitive. The final rabbit pulled out of the hat in the last quarter of the story... I'm not so sure about. I think it was grounded & foreshadowed enough, but the power-level jump made everything feel inconsequential and stripped out the tension.

I had to stop this book at 65% in.

I feel like this is a book for people to read if they have never seen Firefly/Serenity or the ALIEN franchise. Or you have never read any sort of sci-fi story at all.

We have a language specialist who is not an earthling but from some other planet... but references things that happened on earth or earth incidents. Okay. He is paired up with people from his current government (who he dislikes) who want him to head to this ship (that is on a cruise control into a supernova) that has the key to something called the Philosophers Stone. We hardly get much about the guy. We DO get flashbacks but the flashbacks are absolutely annoying and pop up whenever he has a memory or the author wants to reference him doing something stupid to explain where that inspiration came from.

We have a woman who was from a previous expedition to this ship 3 years ago who has been hiding on it - think Newt from ALIENS. She is found as soon as they get to the ship. Meanwhile there are human-like creatures that are genderless that came out of nowhere years ago, decided to establish themselves as rulers of his (and humanity? never quite really established if humans and martians exist in this world) planet and wiped out everyone from his family and childhood. (Pssst. he hates his government because they ran away from the planet when these beings came, leaving them defenseless.) They too want this Philosphers Stone and have come to collect the information before the ship blows up. Uh oh. There are crazy monsters on the ship that start attacking everyone. Which force the guy and the woman to pair up.

He finds out her name and keeps calling her Lantern-Eyes because her eyes look like lanterns.... Then, one of the more humane creatures that are genderless start tracking them or more importantly the female because she knows the layout of this ship and they need her assistance to get to where the information may be.

There is a lot of running around, a lot of quips from this dude, a truce between all three of them... and you come to find out what these monsters are. Oop. There is the Firefly/Serenity plot line regarding Reavers and their backstory!

I like these movies and sci-fi stories too, but if we're gonna rip em off or get inspired by them at least give it a better plot? If we take away the bits that were stolen from these movies you'd have a very boring plot of people running around on a ship that is going to crash into a supernova with a government and a world you care very little about.

Well, where to start? It's a tried-and-true plot line that managed to keep me hooked and jonesing for another chapter all the way through. While elements of the story are old hat, I love the creativity that went into the creatures, the atmosphere and the characters the whole way through. Not only is the science just true enough to build the road, but the creativity of language and communication between characters, factions and races is excellent. Each character feels unique, each has their own voice. They have their own stories.

I am not a fan of sci-fi, not really, but this was a good book that kept me happy and reading until the final word. While it's set up that there's a sequel, I think it's perfect as a stand-alone - the final few paragraphs opening up the possibility of a sequel just feel a bit forced.

Love it 100%. Not sure if it's rereadable knowing the twists, but definitely bingeable for a first read!

Sean Wren is a talented linguist, a refugee who’s world was destroyed, a criminal, a smuggler working out in the galaxy. With his childhood friend, and only other survivor of their homeworld’s destruction, they carve out an existence among the stars. Then they get caught. They are made an offer they can’t refuse. Life in prison, or a salvage mission - recovering data from a nameless ship, empty, abandoned and long forgotten. The ship is at the edge of known existence, close to a dying star. There is not long left before it gets destroyed by the star. Sean and Benny need to retrieve some long lost data in a long dead language, that fortunately Sean speaks.

They learn the data is known as the Philosopher’s Stone. When they arrive on the ship they also learn they are not the only ones looking for it. Oh and they also learn that the ship is not as empty as they were led to believe. What ensues is a frantic race for the data and survival.

This was a wonderfully entertaining read. Sean was a Stainless Steel Rat/meets MacGyver/meets wanna be Indiana Jones type character. His humour in the face of adversity, making light of situations, but inevitably pulling through when needed was a constant enjoyment. On a ship full of mutant aliens, a fanatic alien species, creepy children (think Village of the Damned!), the odds are against them. But he never gives up. On a crumbling and fast deteriorating spaceship, nothing goes right, and we are held by the seat of our space suits to see where they go next. I don’t want to say any more for fear of spoilers. The characters are fantastic, the pace fast, the story fun, the use of flashbacks to memories used very well. The supporting characters were just as engaging and interesting as the main cast. Does Sean need a little more depth to be more plausible? Perhaps. We are, however, talking about a murderous alien-filled spaceship where we are hunting for the Philosopher's Stone. So as long as I am entertained, I will suspend my hunt for plausible and just enjoy the ride!

A linguist? In space? Sign me in immediately! Le’ts start with the languages since I really want to talk about this. I enjoyed the way Sean learns and uses some aspects of the Light Language during the novel. To be nit-picky, the other languages used or written are not described enough to my liking, so for example, I think that Ameng means American English, but you have to guess and we don’t really know what the human characters’ current languages sound like. But that’s just because I wanted more linguistics :)
The plot itself was interesting and fast-paced enough, with memories used (a bit heavily at some moments) to give enough context and backstory when necessary. I wasn’t surprised by the ending or some twists (well, not the very last one ;)) especially with the message that you can see being built by the narration, but it was done in a nice way that didn’t pull me out. Some scenes were too repetitive and there were a few plot holes, but in the last chapters (no spoilers) I was feeling the psychological stress of Sean and the patterns created before broke, in a good way.
I’m not sure what to think of Sean himself, he had this slightly annoying Han Solo / Indiana Jones vibe that made me think of him as Harrison Ford during the whole book. The backstory made him progressively less caricatural and more likeable but the vibe was still there. The other characters like Indigo and Tamara were interesting.
Overall, an enjoyable read with food for thought!

I want to thank NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Immortality Thief is a ridiculously fun, fast paced, seat-of-your-pants read full of treasure hunts, traps, deadly enemies, betrayal, secrets, mysterious aliens, adventure and action. The author has a great gift for characterisation - nuanced, interesting, believable people but created with a charming lightness of touch.

A great read, that keeps you on the edge till the very end, some great characters and lots of action.

It's a cool story with big scope, lots of action and humor. It's not short, but don't worry, it reads quickly. Likable characters, a compelling plot and exciting action keep the reader immersed. Well worth a shot.

I thought this was a very good book. I had a few issues with it that were minor: I didn’t understand why it was called the Philosopher Stone, it could have had a different name; and sometimes Sean was too jokey when the situation called for more seriousness and why was he so forgiving for the death of his people so easily. However, I thought the plot was strong and the pacing was good. Tamara and Indigo were especially well drawn out characters and I liked Sean too barring my issues with him. I thought the last fourth of the book was particularly strong and I liked the ending. I would definitely be interested in a sequel. I also have a video review on my YouTube channel. Search Disshelved with Adam White and it will be the newest one. Overall I liked this book and I thank you for letting me read it in advance of its release. Thanks again.

The “back cover blurb” sets up the story nicely. Three (3) factions converge on an ancient, disabled ship recently rediscovered and thought to have the secret to immortality. Unfortunately, each needs this information in order to survive … and there can be only one … and they already hate each other … and the long dead author of this information doesn’t want this "evil" to get back out into the wild.

What follows is basically a story of redemption between these groups along the lines of an “Enemy Mine” type story where some members of each must temporarily call a truce to team up against the horrors between them and the ultimate goal. It was a well told story, with the only critique I had being the tendency of every encountered being a similar “We are going to die” style combat that gets a tad old over the 600+ pages … on the upside, that was not enough for me to put the book down very often (as I read through in only two sittings). That is actually a strong endorsement of the book (high recommended).

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#TheImmortalityThief #NetGalley.

🚀 REVIEW🚀

HOLY WHIPLASH BATMAN! The Immortality Thief took me on the most wicked roller coaster of a ride, gave me .2 seconds to catch my breath AND THEN DID IT ALL AGAIN!! This is a story I wish I could read again for the first time. It’s so funny, scary, quotable, thought-provoking, scary (!!), and I love it!

Sean Wren has caught himself up in a string of bad luck when he and his childhood friend and fellow smuggler, Benny, are caught in the middle of a job and brought in front of the Republic. The self-righteous do-gooders that call themselves a government. The Senator himself has given Sean, Benny, and a couple of other criminal slip-ups a proposition: find and deliver the Philosopher Stone to the Senator and in turn the Republic, or be “voluntold” for indefinite military service.

Here’s the catch though: the Philosopher Stone is located on a long-forgotten spaceship 2 weeks from being destroyed in the wake of a star supernova.

I freaking loved this story! I can’t believe it’s Hunt’s first novel?! (Maybe it’s not but I couldn’t find her backlist.) it’s 600 pages, y’all. And I read it in 2 days. It’s the first book I’ve read in months where I couldn’t WAIT to pick it up each time. Let me also mention: THE ENTIRE THING IS SET IN THE DARK! Talk about setting the freaking scene. This story had it all: monsters, aliens, mad scientists, good vs evil, high-stakes, and a guy with a moral compass that made him so relatable. AND THAT CLIFFHANGER!!!!

I will be waiting impatiently for the next one Taran!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

*Spoiler Alert*
I was enthralled by the premise of the book - an unlikely hero, a dystopian government and a terrifying killer alien race all stuck in a race to unlock the secret of immortality on a ship on the verge of being destroyed by a supernova. It's a race against time and each other. Sounds impressive enough, isn't it?

I liked the book in parts. It has some great moments, battle sequences are believable and who doesn't like scary alien monsters or creepy children. The writing and pacing is also on par. But somehow the parts didn't combine to make a great story and therefore didn't click entirely for me. Two specific problems - 1. the running attempts became repetitive after a while and 2. Certain sequences were too over the top. The dreamer only waiting for people to say 'No' even though the AI didn't know where the data was - really? Tamara and Indigo connected to Sean past - way too coincidental. And the protagonist controlling the nano bots was too much out of character and laughable. The last 20% didn't sync up with the rest of the book at all.

I still enjoyed most of the book.

Thanks Rebellion/Solaris and Netgalley for an ARC.

A group of criminals is offered a way out of their sentences. They must travel a long way to a dying star to discover they secrets of what they think is an abandoned starship. The dying star only has weeks before going super nova so time is of the essence. They discover creatures on the starship and are chased by them and the aliens.

I enjoyed this book a lot, in a never-a-dull-moment kind of way. I was expecting something a lot more epic and clever from the description and reviews from other authors so in a way was disappointed, but preconceived expectations aside it was a fun, entertaining read. Sean isn't some mastermind criminal, he's pretty inept and bumbles around in the dark on this enormous derelict spaceship soon be be destroyed by an exploding sun. He is friendly, open, and likeable, and fortunately for him forms an unlikely alliance with two individuals representing the political arch-rivals, the Ministers and the Republic. The ship is overrun with mutated and dangerous zombie-like humans, but by chance and timely interventions from his two allies, it never feels so perilous as to venture into horror territory. Sean uncovers the mysterious origin of the Ministers and some history on the destruction of his home city which left him orphaned. Overall, an interesting, well written story with a solid, stand-alone ending.

A thoroughly satisfying space romp think
aliens meets Star Trek with a bit of Star Wars on the side
Most of the action takes place on an abandoned space ship which adds interesting dystopian elements not often found on sci fi
The book is fast paced and exciting with believable fight sequences and stalking bits that made you want to read from behind the sofa .mixing my metaphors there but you know what I mean
I was quickly invested in the future of the main characters the first chapter grabbed my attention and I was quickly immersed in the sci fi world
I found the relations between the different factions interesting and their ultimate friendships moving
The author has a clear flowing prose style and the book is witty and intelligent a thoroughly enjoyable read
I read an early copy on NetGalley Uk the book is published on 4th October 2022