n.b. A ‘no star’ rating for books I review does not imply criticism—I rarely give ratings, as giving stars is an unhelpfully blunt instrument and all too often involves comparing apples with oranges.returnreturnThis was a solid, fun read. A sports celebrity, Nilah Brio is focused on the next big race and on her career, accepting any price that needs to be paid to reach each target; happily for Brio, most prices are out of sight and mostly paid by other people. returnreturnMid-race, Brio has a bewildering encounter with the terrifying ‘Mother’ and is framed for murder, and falls into the rackety company of a bunch of salvagers. It is an environment that, while not personally hostile to Brio, certainly has no damns to give about her special status. It’s a very fast-paced adventure, with a lot of fight scenes which (despite these really not being a big draw for the present reader) are ingenious and engaging. There are a couple of romances (again, not a draw here) that manage not to slow down the pace, and are quite fun, and occasionally funny in their bristly way, as well as earning a LGBTQ+ sticker. returnreturnWhat is not entirely clear is why exactly everyone is so desperate to get their hands on the eponymous big ship. The Harrow was thought to have been destroyed, and can itself wreak terrible devastation, but it all feels a bit vague, as though the fact of the ship’s existing is reason enough; like Edmund Hillary saying ‘it was there’ when asked why he climbed Mount Everest. returnreturnBut the pace of the action and the polished, if not remarkable, writing mean that it is easy enough to suspend the disbelief. The Big Bad—‘Mother’—is properly scary, and the overall world-building, which involves both detailed technology and mind-magic, is very well done, thorough and convincing. The characters are well-drawn, though so instantly recognizable—the egotistic darling of the sporting fraternity, the noir-ishly washed-up and betrayed treasure-hunter dragged into ‘one last job’, the bickering, loyal crew—as to seem not entirely three-dimensional. If not a new favourite, 'Big Ship…' is definitely worth a read.