Firefly: Carnival by Una McCormack

Speaking as a big fan of the Firefly TV series, reading this book has been like coming home after a long absence. It genuinely reads like a missing episode of the show, and for that I have nothing but thanks to both the author, Una McCormack, and whoever managed to secure the licencing at Titan Books to give this series of novels a home of their own.

Set somewhere between the episodes The Message and Heart of Gold, the story is typical of the show, with the crew hired to do a job (legally, it would seem), and then that job goes a little bit wrong and the usual shenanigans and high jinks ensue. Because they always do.

Mal does his best to hold everyone together and keep them safe while putting on a grumpy facade, Zoe acts all professional and soldierly, Jayne cusses and misses out on the bulk of the action, Book preaches and brings down a little heavenly justice, Simon fixes people, Wash panics, Inara plays the diplomatic game, and River … well River is just River.

There are callbacks to events within the show, especially references to Jayne’s attempted betrayal in Ariel and the various ways Mal, Simon, and River confronted him about it. There’s also a couple of nods to War Stories, especially when Zoe gets taken hostage and Wash all but goes into meltdown as he imagines the things that might be happening to her. All of these little details work to place the narrative firmly in the story that has already been told on TV, and give the book a sense of belonging. But beyond the nods and callbacks, this is still its own story, with its own interactions and twists and developments.

As I already said at the start of this review, I’m massively thankful that Firefly still has a home, even if the format has switched from televisual to prose, and will most definitely be devouring the rest of the series in the coming months. If you are also a fan of the show, I seriously recommend you give these books a try.