Review: The Albatross: Contact by Connor Mackay

Author Connor Mackay makes an impressive debut with his epic space adventure, The Albatross: Contact. With precise language, unforgettable characters, and a twisted plot that feels primed for the big screen, this knockout of a novel wrestles masterfully with alien forces and some of humanity’s darkest demons.

Forged in the crucible of war, Will is one barfight or drunken night from ending his painful stint on Earth, perhaps even at his own hand, but when an opportunity to escape to the stars presents itself, he and his ride-or-die vet pal Frank decide to join a much grander battlefield. There are six new alien races on the table in the galaxy, and one is determined to wipe the others out. The Lumenarians need able-bodied warriors for the epic conflicts ahead, and Earth’s ex-soldiers are definite leadership material.

The story takes an even more sci-fi turn when these volunteers’ bodies are transformed into nanobotic war machines, granting them electrifying abilities as fighters. Humanity’s newest soldiers on the planet’s most distant battleground will be tasked with bolstering the Lumenarians defenses against an agile, tank-like enemy that threatens to turn the tide of the galactic war in a cataclysmic direction.

The long journey aboard The Albatross is ripe for close-quarter character development, which is when Sarah has her time to shine in the narrative light. She offers a less militaristic perspective than Will, and a far more human take than Arthur, the alien leader who takes a special interest in his powerful new recruits.

While the plot of this novel is exceptional and addictive, the prose stands out for its authenticity in terms of dialogue and character detail. These are not one-dimensional caricatures in a space adventure; they are nuanced, flawed, scarred, dynamic and vulnerable figures wrestling with the greatest crises of their lives – alien or otherwise. The author’s attention to emotional complexity makes every scene compelling, even if it’s just a cut-scene about a training module or a chat over grey eggs and ham. The action sequences are also multi-layered, particularly when Will and Frank are involved, and the violence is never gratuitous.

With refreshingly unique narrative voices and a tightly woven plot reminiscent of “Battlestar Galactica” and other space opera sagas, this novel is endlessly creative and a thrill to read. The otherworldly tech is original and well-developed, while the synthesis of man and machine is beautifully executed and described in visceral, imagery-rich ways. For many sci-fi writers, high-quality prose is secondary to high-quality ideas, but Mackay pays incredible attention to detail in his variety of syntax, word choice, and timing, displaying a masterful ability to create and release tension at will.

There are some lengthy sections of exposition, specifically at the beginnings of chapters, that can feel predictable or sluggish, but this can help readers immerse fully in a new narrator, or simply take a pause from the last breathless passage. The narration within conversations is also occasionally clumsy, or unnecessarily explicit, but as a whole, the book is meticulously edited.

For space opera fans who appreciate visionary writing, character-driven storytelling and sprawling new alien cultures to explore, The Albatross: Contact should be at the top of your reading list.