The novel “The Star Collector” by Matthew William was published in 2019.

Joe Corbit is a sheriff in a space frontier where problems are generally limited but his life and that of his deputy Tammy change when an investigation leads them to come across an artifact belonging to the Talashaa, an ancient alien civilization that got extinct for mysterious reasons long before the birth of the human species.

When Joe Corbit takes possession of the alien artifact, his intention is to put it up for auction knowing that there are people who are willing to pay a lot of money for a Talashaa artifact. However, the Chinese Galactic Empire was working with the Martian mob to smuggle it for reasons that go well beyond archeology and they want to get it back at all costs.

“The Star Collector” is set in a future in which humans expanded into space and colonized many planets. That happened without a political unification with the consequence that in that future there are interstellar nations. During that expansion, humans encounter no sentient alien species but found the remains of a highly advanced alien civilization that has been extinct for a long time, the Talashaa.

The beginning of “The Star Collector” has a western flavor with a space frontier in which the law has a relative value. What appears to be a routine intervention by local sheriff Joe Corbit turns into something much bigger because it concerns a Talashaa artifact. The element linked to the archaeological science-fiction subgenre is important because Joe doesn’t know the nature of the artifact he came into possession of and the development of the plot concerns this mysterious civilization.

Some excerpts from an fictional essay on the Talashaa offer some information on this civilization that was advanced to the point of being able to build a Sphere of Dyson. They’re also used by Matthew William to address one of the novel’s themes, the Fermi Paradox.

The space travels made by Joe Corbin allow Matthew William to tell something about that future where artificial intelligences and androids exist. The author managed to include some information without weighing down the narrative and maintaining a generally fast pace for what is a space adventure full of surprises and twists. Joe and his traveling companions risk their lives several times but the drama of their adventure is partly tempered by humorous moments.

I found the various elements of “The Star Collector” well blended in a plot that manages to keep the reader engaged. The novel is relatively short and the author’s choice is to focus in particular on the characters, developing the important ones especially through their interactions, and on the mystery around the Talashaa artifact. There are futuristic technologies but the author doesn’t go into the details of how they work, so for example we know that interstellar travel is normal through hyperspace and very little else.

At the end of “The Star Collector” Matthew William announces that the novel will have a sequel, however, it has its own ending so you can read it and then decide if you want to go on without fear. One this novel’s merits, especially for readers who don’t like stories divided into a number of books, is that the author doesn’t leave important mysteries unsolved. In particular, he provides answers to the mystery of the Talashaa extinction, linked to an interpretation of the Fermi Paradox.

“The Star Collector” is a very enjoyable novel with the sense-of-wonder of classic science fiction. If you’re looking for a space adventure with non trivial twists, I recommend reading it.