Undefeated Paperback – 14 May 2019

I am a big fan of Una McCormack’s tie-in novels, and so when I saw that she had written an original work I made sure to pick it up and read it immediately.The novella tells the story of a journalist in a universe where a galactic colonial power seems to be in its end days, and through the story of her life we also see the story of the civilisation.McCormack’s world building is excellent, with a slow reveal of more about the civilisation through an elongated flashback, and character interaction, and leaves me feeling like there are plenty of other potential opportunities to explore this world - though I didn’t feel they were lacking from this story.Very much recommended.

This really isn't "a thrilling space opera adventure" in the Star Trek sense, though Una is perfectly capable of writing such a thing. Instead it's a fascinating exploration of what it means to be human, with subtle consideration of slavery, vengeance, personal responsibility and genetic manipulation amongst other things. The central character is a mature woman, the nature of whose past emerges gradually as she revisits the planet she left long ago and is forced to recognise issues of imperialism and prejudice she has been able to ignore hitherto. The philosophy is there, but so is an engaging character and situation. Well worth your time and money!

in spite of the elegant, even lyrical, language, this text is strangely un-engaging; the protagonist seems to lack motivation for her actions, beyond a drifting curiosity to see "how things go"...the central plot, the kernel of the argument,is the anticipation of retribution from the "engineered", the "almost human" slaves, who are suppressed by a dependency on medication...this could have led to a fascinating discussion of compensation and revenge for historical mistreatment, but itcollapses into personal reminiscences instead...pulling back the focus...softening the sharp cutting-edge...too bad, the treatment of language is exquisite...

Never dissapointed by Una McCormack. I was so immersed in and intrigued by Monica's universe I wasn't quite ready for it to end.More please!

I have not read the other books in this series, but I found this one a fascinating read, a thought-provoking and sensitive study of colonialism and the decline of empire. Monica Greatorex, an elderly woman and a top journalist who has spent all her life commenting on war and other crucial issues of her time, observes the collapse of the empire of which she is a citizen, comparing events now with their beginnings which she remembers from her childhood. Una McCormack is especially effective in depicting the complex relationship between master and servant, a mixture (at its best) of love and suspicion/fear on the part of the master class, and love and resentment/lust for revenge from the servants. McCormack never takes sides, showing sympathy for both classes, just as her protagonist does, aware that, through no fault of her own, she is in one of history’s dead ends and is doomed to watch the approach of disaster. This novella gives rise to uncomfortable questions which remain with you long after you have finished reading.

This is a fascinating and unusual science fiction novella. It feels like a different genre - maybe like literary fiction - examining colonialism and slavery and family relationships. Really superb.

I finished this slim book in a single sitting, and when it was over I found myself re-reading my favourite parts. With elegant prose and the lightest of brushstrokes McCormack builds an entire civilisation on the eve of destruction, seen through the eyes of a retired journalist who, as a young girl, witnessed the early stages of a violent rebellion. While its second act plays out like a sci-fi reworking of 'High Plains Drifter', this is no hackneyed Space Western, but something far more meditative, elegiac and unsettling. I thoroughly recommend it.

This is a short but thoughtful and compelling study of slavery, with some musings about colonialisme too, told through the reminiscences of a 60 years old former war correspondant who returns to her near abandoned birth planet. Beautifully written, engaging and easy to read.It was my first book by Una McCormack, but definitely not my last.

The Undefeated is an almost whimsical story of a short episode in a mature women's life. Like all good books not all its secrets are laid out in front of you or easy to find. Questions about characters or plot lines are left dangling, to be taken up later in the narrative. Deep emotions are to be guessed at, motives ruminated on. The main protagonist is not some super hero or beautiful heroine but a woman of mature years and much experience. In some ways she is very sure of what she wants, at other times she hasn't a clue.While the background of the book encompasses complex civilisation, perhaps even spieces changing themes, these are just a backdrop to the story.The writing is sparse and reminds me of Iain M Banks the opening chapters of Look to Winward where what happens is later made coherent, but leaves you somewhat puzzled in the interim.Though sparse the writing is plain, direct and effective.It is not long enough, it is more like the opening act of a long story. More please

Timely, haunting, and softly subversive - recommended. This novella blends sci-fi, colonialism in its rise and fall, and an eerie edge-of-an-apocalypse setting. The main character's journalist's journey back to the fallen paradise of her youth is opened to us layer by layer. By the time we reach the end of the tale, nothing we began with is as it seemed - not the paradise, the protagonist, or the supporting characters.

Couldn't stop reading, even though some of the concepts confused me. I kept hoping to find out the etymology of 'jenjer' but got to the end without it. That said it was almost a lyric poem, with delicate care for language.

As someone who's just entering his sixth decade, I can certainly understand the melancholy and lack of direction Monica Greatorex is feeling at the beginning of this story. A former war correspondent and author, she has lived a life filled with passion and meaning; a life that MATTERED, right up until the point when it didn't, or at least didn't matter to anyone other than herself. Filled with a sense of wanderlust and a search for meaning and under the cloud of the incipient Jenjer uprising; a rebellion of augmented human servants who are looking to matter a little more themselves, Monica puts herself and her loyal jenjer companion Gale squarely in harm's way as she returns home to the planet of Sienna, on the outskirts of human habitation and one of the first stops for the soon-to-arrive jenjer fleet. Wandering about her childhood home (and hometown), largely deserted in preparation for the on-coming rebellion, Monica considers her father, who died young, her conflicting feelings about her mother and the question of what she'll do next as she enters this next chapter of her life.I enjoyed this story and the emotions it brought to the surface, but it was all too short, as if it were the preface or rough sketch of a bolder and better work to come. As a result, it feels unfinished, as if we were given the opening chapters of a story, but not the meat of the story itself. Hopefully, there's more to come.