Costi Gurgu’s The Cursed is a high-octane science fiction adventure that blends interstellar intrigue with the pulse and momentum of a treasure-hunt thriller. Imagine The Expanse infused with the adventurous spirit of Indiana Jones, and you begin to grasp the propulsive charm of this galaxy-spanning novel. Readers drawn to bold ideas, cinematic pacing, and character-driven stakes will find much to love here. Big ideas land hardest when carried by characters this grounded. Jo Warwick, an academic on an archaeological mission to Earth, quickly becomes a compelling focal point. Equal parts curious scholar, silver-spoon princess, and reluctant hero, her evolving sense of purpose gives weight to the novel’s escalating stakes. Opposite Jo stands Captain Toshi Hunter and his renegade crew, activists branded as terrorists by the Imperium for resisting its ruthless terraforming projects. Gurgu renders Toshi as a man defined by conviction, fiercely committed to protecting indigenous life on planets viewed by the Imperium as expendable resources. The moral tension between preservation and exploitation sharpens the story’s political edge. While the central characters are richly drawn, one supporting character could benefit from greater depth and sensitivity, as Gurgu leans on a familiar shamanistic stereotype that might feel tokenized to some readers. As written, the character serves more as a plot mechanism than a fully realized presence, which contrasts with the novel’s otherwise thoughtful construction. Where The Cursed truly shines is in its world-building and cinematic set pieces. Gurgu’s imagination feels boundless and unrestrained, particularly in the unfolding mystery surrounding the disease at the centre of the plot. What begins as a biological threat quickly reveals deeper, more unsettling implications, keeping Jo and Toshi in constant motion as they race ahead of Imperial forces. The pacing remains urgent, and the novel rarely loses its forward drive. The novel’s abundance of ideas is both its strength and its primary challenge, at times feeling like an overfilled treasure chest, in the sense that it packs a lot of great concepts into one volume that might have stretched across a trilogy. Gurgu’s universe is rich and ambitious, but the density of the book can limit space for these ideas to fully unfold. Still, the story never loses momentum, racing from revelation to revelation, and readers drawn to fast-paced, idea-driven science fiction will enjoy the energy. Ultimately, The Cursed delivers the pleasures of expansive science fiction: big stakes, bigger ideas, and heroes whose personal journeys matter as much as the fate of the galaxy. Gurgu offers an energetic, imagination-rich ride that will appeal to readers eager for adventurous sci-fi drama—and leaves the door open for further exploration among the stars. —CANREADS BOOK REVIEW