''Silversands'' (, published by

Pendragon Press There are five unrelated publishers with the name Pendragon Press. The first is a British small press based in Maesteg in Wales and specialising in science fiction, fantasy, horror and weird fiction. It is run by Christopher Teague. In 2005 the ...

) is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

novel by British writer

Gareth L. Powell Gareth Lyn Powell (born 1970) is a British author of science fiction. His works include the ''Embers of War'' trilogy, the ''Continuance'' series, the ''Ack-Ack Macaque'' trilogy, ''Light Chaser'' (co-written with Peter F. Hamilton), and ''Abou ...

. It was his

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to ...

Plot summary

In an age where interstellar travel is dangerous and unpredictable, and no-one knows exactly where a trip ends up, Avril Bradley is a Communications officer on board a ship sent to re-contact as many of these lost souls as possible. But a mysterious explosion strands her in a world of political intrigue, espionage and subterfuge; a world of retired cops, digital ghosts and corporate assassins who fight for possession of computer data that had lain undisturbed for almost a century.

Ebook edition

As ''Silversands'' was only produced in a limited run in hardcover, online publisher Anarchy Books released a mass-market ebook edition in April 2012, including the bonus short story "Memory Dust".

Critical reception

The novel received mostly favorable reviews, including reviews from '' Interzone'' and Eric Brown in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

''. Brown regarded the novel as a "fine hi-tech romp" but was critical of what he called "a rushed and melodramatic dénouement."

References

External links

''Silversands'' on Gareth L. Powell's website
2010 science fiction novels 2010 British novels Space opera novels British science fiction novels 2010 debut novels {{2010s-sf-novel-stub