Michelle Herbert reviews The Hangman’s Daughter by Gavin Smith…
Welcome to the future, where humanity left Earth for the stars 400 years ago. In this future, we have expanded through the stars, although some things are still the same. There is still crime, as humanity hasn’t evolved into purely altruistic beings, the CIA is still enforcing American values abroad and people are still joining the armed forces of their country, but now humanity fights against aliens, with the last big war being fought against Them.
The Hangman’s Daughter starts with Miska’s first mission to take back control of an asteroid mining company, we learn during this that Miska stole a prison ship containing around 6000 condemned prisoners. With the help of Miska’s father, who is a virtual reality memory download of her deceased father, they have begun training these prisoners to become mercenaries.
In a move reminiscent of the Suicide Squad (comic or film), Miska controls these dangerous individuals with the threat of immediate death for insubordination by necklaces laced with explosives which Miska can activate with a thought.
I really enjoyed how you are thrown into the action right from the start. That you don’t find out Miska’s reasons for doing all the things she has done until you are halfway through the story makes it indelible. Miska is very smart, but due to the events of her life, she is barely able to control the rage that drives her on. Miska is very happy to take risks, she wants to make a name for herself, but she also gets a kick from pushing herself and defying death. Having a legion of mercenaries under her control is a dream come true, which is amusing as we learn that Miska was never great at being told what to do.
This isn’t only Miska’s story even if it is told from her point of view. As the story continues we also get to know some of her makeshift mercenaries, these include both members of the Mafia and the Yakuza, who have their own power struggles and seem to be waiting for the opportunity to test Miska for any weakness that they can use to gain influence. There are also characters like Torricone who is very resistant to the path Miska forces him on, and yet he becomes a voice of reason, even if it is a voice that is barely listened to, Torricone has still managed to keep his life for now. The prisoners are a bunch of misfits, strangers and very dangerous individuals and to make a situation more combustible the prison ship was men only.
Miska’s world view is quite nihilistic, she is forcing bad people to do what she wants, never knowing or caring if the people hiring her are worse than the people forced to do her bidding. The corporations in this book are forces of capitalist ideals, where the only thing they care about is profit, whether that is from other people misery, as long as they can operate without being seen to do so. In this world, it seems that everyone is a slave to something or someone, with Miska being no exception.
I was really excited to hear that Gavin Smith had a new book out and I was not disappointed with The Hangman’s Daughter, as it is a great start to a new series. His novels are always dark and ultra-violent with hints of psychological trauma, as part of the character’s make-up. Miska is my new idol, even if she may be the loneliest person in this universe, she is very layered and I can’t wait to see what happens to her and her legion in future stories.
Michelle Herbert
Originally published March 5, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
