“The book meditates on truth, lies, fate and the power of stories to change the world. Mostly, it’s a breathless, breakneck adventure that sci-fi junkies can relish in.”
Aurealis
“Imaginative, evocative, and perfectly paced … Ninth Life is compulsively readable.”
The AU Review
“A hot mix of noir and space opera tropes … Dialogue is suitably taut and sharp, the frontier culture is casually inclusive and diverse, and its worldlets are imaginatively various and richly evoked.”
Interzone
“An extraordinary conclusion to The Factus Sequence trilogy. Ninth Life is an explosion of action and imagination. This epic finale takes risks and, in doing so, honors its amazing characters and world.”
Grimdark Magazine
“Stark Holborn hasn’t just knocked it out of the park with Ninth Life, she’s obliterated the field. Mesmerising, mind-blowing, and a total masterpiece, 10/10 doesn’t do it justice … I wouldn’t want to live any of my nine lives without reading this non-stop, adrenaline-fuelled, deeply haunting thrill-ride.”
FanFiAddict
“Gritty, cyberpunk, Western inspired sci-fi … a tour de force. A taut and gripping narrative, it’s a unique work as breathless and relentless as it is beautifully crafted.”
TheBookBeard
“Holborn has created something amazing here.”
Salon Futura
“This book kicks ass. Space cowboy fate defying cosmic action, NINTH LIFE jumps the Factus series to a whole new level. Holborn’s superb structure and deftly crafted narrative will draw you into a tale of violence, destiny, and connection. It is lovingly crafted and utterly compulsive reading. The genre-bending wonder of this series draws from classic Westerns, cosmic horror, and action sci-fi- it is Louis L’Amour and Firefly in a blender with At the Mountains of Madness.”
Ian Green, author of THE GAUNTLET AND THE FIST BENEATH
“The Factus Sequence deserves the word masterpiece as a whole. And individually, NINTH LIFE secured that title … This book does more than stick the landing. It may have just opened an entirely new sub-genre of speculative fiction.”
Jendia Gammon, Nebula and BSFA Award finalist author of DOOMFLOWER, ATACAMA, and THE INN AT THE AMETHYST LANTERN
“Ninth Life is a spectacular culmination of the Factus Sequence trilogy, a mesmerizing and genre-defying space western that cements Stark Holborn’s status as a master storyteller.” – Hidden Sci-Fi
As ever, Holborn’s prose shimmers like quicksilver.—The Fantasy Hive
PRAISE FOR STARK HOLBORN AND TEN LOW
I loved Ten Low. Combining the taut characterisation and clever wit of Stark Holborn’s spectacular Westerns with some splendidly inclusive and innovative sci-fi, this is a wonderful fusion of Firefly and Joanna Russ, with a Ennio Morricone soundtrack. – Joanne Harris, best-selling author of Chocolat, The Gospel of Loki and many more
Mad Max meets Firefly – and that’s awesome – Claire North, award-winning author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
A fantastic, punchy SF action story, full of blood and grit and bitter pasts – Adrian Tchaikovsky, award-winning author of Children of Time, Dogs of War and many more.
Stark Holborn continues to impress. Great characters and a blistering pace – Gareth Powell, award-winning author of the Embers of War series
The future of space westerns, TEN LOW showed me the most vibrant desert world since Dune. A stunning blend of pulp and literary exploration leaves the old guard masters in the dust. – Alex White, author of the Salvagers trilogy
Stark Holborn’s writing is clever, original and thrilling – R. J. Barker, author of The Bone Ships and Age of Assassins
An action-packed SF adventure with an intriguing majority female cast? OH, HELL YES! – Stina Leicht, author of Persephone Station
I loved this from beginning to end. There are furious fight-scenes, down-and-dirty characters and incredible world-building. Stark Holborn grabs you by the throat on page one and never lets you go! – Cavan Scott, bestselling and award-winning author
A gritty space western that fans of The Mandalorian should lap up. As always, Stark Holborn makes us feel immediately for the characters to the point where we’ll follow them through hell. And we do. – Paul Cornell, author of the Shadow Police and Witches of Lychford series
Holborn shows what a rich imagination she has – The Times
Packed with wildly memorable female characters and the pacey prose keeps things whip-cracking along. – SFX
Holborn has crafted a surprisingly cohesive, bad-ass space western full of adventure, tragedy and terror, that still manages to handle its mission with relentless fun. SciFi Now
This is a rich tale, an exciting story, told with admirable ease […] the reader will remain glued to it. – British Fantasy Society
There is a great deal to admire and enjoy in this well-crafted story, with its terse present tense first protagonist. – Fantasy Hive
en Low delivers a fast-paced redemption story full of twists, clever ideas, and surprises. With its bleak but oh-so-cool setting and Low’s haunting narration, it offers much to enjoy. Consider adding this book to your already sagging shelves – it deserves its place there. – Fantasy Book Critic
[A] hit, full force, with a lot of enjoyment. Top marks. – Swords and Spectres
Classic SF and yet fresh at the same time – a wonderful and heady mix – Peter Sutton Review
Ten Low is exactly the kind of story I hope to get when someone mentions Mad Max: Fury Road. A desert type of setting but with its unique touch, super rad gunfights / fighting scenes, non-stop action and amazing, morally-gray (queer) characters. I highly recommend reading this one. – Crini Review
Ten Low is the kind of book that has a lot more depth and character focus than you’d first think from the description, one that goes deep into some heavy themes, all whilst delivering an engaging and action packed character driven narrative. – Set the Tape
Recommended for fans of Mad Max, perhaps a bit of Stephen King’s Dark Tower but sci-fi, and yes of course Firefly. – Little Frog Scribbles
It was stunning; from the opening chapter to the final page. Gritty, intriguing sci-fi/ Western brilliance. – The Book Beard
If you want a pacey and punchy sci-fi, full of great friendships and a twisting story that will keep you guessing, I really recommend Ten Low! – Paperbacks and Pinot
The world is gritty and dry, and the action is plenty. – Susanna Reads
It’s a genuinely gripping story, driven by action on almost every page and the kind of book that once picked up, you don’t want to let go till you’ve finished. – Blue Book Balloon
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