Nothing like a sci-fi treasure hunt turned deep space horror show.
‘Firefly: Generations‘ is the fourth in the surprisingly long line of Firefly novels. It’s also the first I’ve discussed that wasn’t written by James Lovegrove. This time around, we have Tim Lebbon to thank for this story. I’m excited to see what he has to bring to the series.
An inscrutable map passes hands through the Verse until it lands in the grip of our favorite quick-witted captain, Malcolm Reynolds. Luckily for him, Serenity’s resident mad genius, River Tam, can decipher the text. Under her guidance, the crew find an abandoned ship on the outer rim, one of the vessels from Old Earth that brought humanity to the Verse long ago. What hidden treasures – or horrors – await our favorite crew within?
This book puts in a lot of work building on the history of the Firefly universe. How did Old Earth fall? How did humanity escape to the Verse? What was the transition like? Questions that the show never had the chance to answer are addressed here; it’s a nice addition to the world building.
Like the last book, River plays a large role in the story. This time around, the book pulls an interesting trick using perspective. While everyone else is written in past-tense, River and characters who share her abilities are written in the present tense. It’s a tiny but intriguing detail that showcases their odd perception of time and the world around them.
Not to say it’s a solo show. Kaylee plays a fairly large role as well. She gets a significant amount of focus, exploring the ship, its mechanics, and its history. Her scenes are some of the most enjoyable in the book.
Granted, I am biased. Kaylee was always my favorite.
Of course, the rest of the crew have their moments. Mal, Zoe, Jayne, Wash, and Simon are all in top form. Alas, Inara and Book once again find a reason to remove themselves from the narrative. Breaks my heart, man…
As for the plot itself, it’s really good! It’s paced excellently, the ship makes for a creepy and somber setting, and the descent from simple treasure hunt to nightmarish fight for survival is intense and engaging. It’s classic Firefly through and through.
That said, it does start to lose some momentum towards the end. Constant running and fighting gets old real quick. Especially because our antagonists, creepy as they are, don’t get a lot of character development. That, and the ending was somewhat lackluster, if still sweet and wholesome.
Overall, I enjoyed Generations a fair bit. It’s a strong Firefly story, in spite of its issues. Not my favorite by any means, but I still liked it quite a bit.
Though I hope the next book focuses less on River and more on another member of the crew. Jayne’s had his own book. Can we get one for, say, Book or Inara?
I just want to see my favorite shepherd and companion do something, is that so much to ask?
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