The Forever Ship (Starship Omega Book 1) by Scott Bartlett and Joshua James

Pros

  • Mystery involving the ancient, powerful aliens known as the Primevals
  • Some suspenseful fighting scenes
  • Satisfying fate for some of the aliens

Cons

  • Slow start to lay the foundation for the story
  • Motivation for the help to humanity is missing or seems a bit shaky

The Forever Ship Review

The Forever Ship by Scott Bartlett and Joshua James is an exciting new military science fiction story that begins with the complete subjugation of the human species by a galactic empire ruled by the Ornu Imperium, a serpent-like species known for its callousness, ruthlessness, and cowardice.

The protagonists of the story are a marine captain Alden Stone and captain of the Imperium’s Mark XI capital ship Tennyson, Bill Henderson. But Henderson isn’t an ordinary captain. Henderson’s history is a trouble one—his father and grandfather were sent to prison camps to do hard labor for their failed rebellion against the Imperium, a betrayal that haunts the captain.

The Ornu’s conquered species are all vassals, and in order to serve on a capital ship, all crew members must have a kill switch surgically embedded in their bodies to ensure their obedience and compliance.

On top of the embedded kill switch in the bodies of the crew, the Ornu place a monitor on all the ships, and Tennyson’s minder is Signifier Nonus, who has the authority to kill anyone at a whim.

The story follows the crew as Henderson follows in his father’s footsteps to reclaim humanity’s freedom and by overthrowing the Ornu shackles. But the problem is that the Ornu control all the ships and there’s no way to coordinate with other humans.

When the Tennyson receives an automated broadcast from long dead Primeval drones across the sector, the message starts Henderson and his crew on a path toward freedom that is irreversible and perhaps catastrophic.

While the premise for this story isn’t quite unique (though few stories feature completely original plots), the mystery of the Primeval and its motivations keep readers wondering as war within the Ornu Imperium starts (and spreads).

There’s an ominous sense of history and parallelism with the Ornu and Earth’s own history. The oppression, the exploitation, and the disregard for life mirror parts of world history that the story’s humans have since forgotten but should resonate for many readers today.

Also worth noting is the bit of history shared about the Primevals and the later parallels with humans—is this complacency the reason for the Primeval’s help? Does it see in humans the same fate that befell its own creators? But little information is provided about why Henderson and his crew are chosen.

The Forever Ship by Scott Bartlett and Joshua James is a an engaging and thrilling military science fiction adventure that thrusts humans into a life or death battle for the future of the species, and it’s sure to keep readers entertained.

Read other military science fiction stories below.