Tag: Science Fiction

“Ravenous State” Review

Posted on by Jen

“Ravenous State” (The Gifted of Brennex No. 3) by Jo Miles

Libbi Wilder is the good daughter. While her older siblings have traveled the galaxy having adventures, she’s stayed home to run the family store. Someone has to, after all.

Then a stranger shows up at the store, and people Libbi’s age—the Losts—start going missing. Libbi and her best friend Mixin set out to investigate, but so do her siblings, who swoop in to save the day without being asked, reigniting old resentments. Libbi knows she’ll always be the baby of the family, but if she can solve the disappearances, maybe she can finally win her siblings’ respect.

Except the truth behind the kidnappings is worse than she feared. With the long-held secret of their gifts now exposed, Libbi will have to rally the Losts—and harder still, work with her brother and sister—to save them from falling under Ravel Corporation’s control in this gripping conclusion to the Gifted of Brennex trilogy.

Review

This one was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed seeing all three of the siblings together. Libby is bit annoying at first, but a lot of her assumptions make sense, and it wasn’t like she was completely wrong either. I liked the way things worked out and that Libby was actually able to resolve a lot of her issues while helping to make sure things with Ravel and the Lost were resolved as well. The one thing Libby was always right about is that while her siblings were doing good work away from Brennex, there was still work that needed to be done on Brennex to help the Lost.

Ultimately I liked the way all of the characters had a part to play in this story and that in the end the siblings were able to resolve things and continue to do what they do best. I also liked the ending for Libby as well as she does realize exactly where she belongs. Something she’d struggled with figuring out because of the assumptions she’d previously had. I felt like this was a good ending for the trilogy with things mostly resolved but room for more – because the as always work is never done.

I also liked the way the author used the idea that disabled children are often seen as worthy of taking care of while disabled adults are seen as a burden who need extra money and resources that are taken away from others. The way things were playing out with the gifted of Brennex as they grew older and took more resources was the same way and it gets mentioned often. This is an area where Libby was right to be concerned and it made sense she would resent that her siblings had seemingly abandoned everyone.

Additional reviews and warnings can be found on the StoryGraph page for “Ravenous State”.

Book Details

The cover is yellow with what looks like an desert landscape at the bottom of the cover with multiple domed buildings and a transport bridge between them. In the background there is the black profile of a head over the sky looking towards the right. There is a space ship flying up and to the left with a trail of white light coming from the bottom.

Author’s Website
Jo Miles
Publisher / Date
Self Published, February 2024
Genre
Science Fiction
Page Count
490
Completion Date
August 10, 2025

“Dissonant State” Review

Posted on by Jen

“Dissonant State” (The Gifted of Brennex No. 2) by Jo Miles

Kay Wilder despises Ravel Corporation, whose occupation of her home planet left Kay with a useful but debilitating ability to hear others’ emotions. Unlike her brother Jasper, an activist who fights corporate injustice, Kay has always stayed as far away from the corporate states as possible.

Until now. Because Ravel has kidnapped her brother, and the only way Kay can help him is to go undercover working for the enemy. Assigned to help Ravel acquire a new member planet, Kay has to lie about what Ravel did to her home. It’s harder and lonelier than Kay could have imagined, until she finds an unexpected ally: a sentient ship who hates working for Ravel as much as she does, who will risk discovery and destruction to help their first and only friend. But the risks are far greater than Kay’s and Ship’s safety. Every day Kay works for Ravel takes them one step closer to completing the acquisition. To save Jasper, she may have to let another world suffer her home’s fate—and betray the cause her brother has risked his life for.

Review

I really enjoyed this one. Apprently the author originally wrote a version of this one first which explains a few things about the first book. There’s a characer who is much better developed in this book than the first one and not just because of the natural character development that would have happened anyway. Granted in this book he is more front and center than in the first one. Anyway I really liked Kay and friendship she develops with the ship. I don’t want to spoil the name of the ship, as it’s an important plot point, but I really liked the name they picked and the way that scene played out. A few things got a little tedious as Kay had to deal with working for Ravel to find her brother, but I liked the way things worked out in the end. Kay and the ship both learn things as does the original character I mentioned. It was good to see Jasper and Havoc again in the later parts of the book and I liked seeing the way they all interact. I really like the way the author has set up the plot threads of the books and the lead to the final book is clear.

Additional Reviews and Warnings can be found on the StoryGraph page for “Dissonant State”

Book Details

The cover is red with what looks like an desert landscape at the bottom of the cover with a few buildings around, with a moon and a star filled sky above it. In the background there is the black profile of a head over the sky looking towards the right. There is a space ship flying up and to the left with a trail of white light coming from the bottom.

Author’s Website
Jo Miles
Publisher / Date
Self Published, November 2023
Genre
Science Fiction
Page Count
361
Completion Date
August 8, 2025

“The Deep” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Deep” by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes

Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.

Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago. Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.

Inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping for the This American Life episode “We Are In The Future,” The Deep is vividly original and uniquely affecting.

Review

I really enjoyed this story. Despite being short there is a lot going on and takes some careful reading. I really liked the way everything was described and the way Yetu figures out what she needs to do. I enjoyed reading the different parts of the story that were in the past and how they related to the present time. Especially how it involved the person Yetu meets during the course of the story. The resolution of all the various problems Yetu had handling the memories worked out well and I’m glad she was able to be happy with everything. The history is terrible and tragic but the future is hopeful.

Warnings and additional reviews can be found on the StoryGraph page for “The Deep”.

Book Details

The Deep book cover depicts a dark skinned mermaid faced away floating in the water vertically with her long hair flowing around her head. There are several whales in the water around her as well. The title is at the top of the cover and the authors names at the bottom.

Author’s Website
Rivers Solomon
Publisher / Date
Gallery/Saga Press, November 2019
Genre
Science Fiction, Alternate History
Page Count
176
Completion Date
July 15, 2025

“The Martian Contingency” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Martian Contingency” (Lady Astronaut No. 4) by Mary Robinette Kowal

Years after a meteorite strike obliterated Washington, D.C.—triggering an extinction-level global warming event—Earth’s survivors have started an international effort to establish homes on space stations and the Moon. The next step – Mars.

Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, lands on the Red Planet, optimistic about preparing for the first true wave of inhabitants. The mission objective is more than just building the infrastructure of a habitat – they are trying to preserve the many cultures and nuances of life on Earth without importing the hate. But from the moment she arrives, something is off.

Disturbing signs hint at a hidden disaster during the First Mars Expedition that never made it into the official transcript. As Elma and her crew try to investigate, they face a wall of silence and obfuscation. Their attempts to build a thriving Martian community grind to a halt. What you don’t know CAN harm you. And if the truth doesn’t come to light, the ripple effects could leave humanity stranded on a dying Earth…

Review

I have mixed feelings about this one. While this book switches back to Elma’s story I felt like some of the issues I had with her personality were toned down a bit in a way that made sense being several years later. That said majority of the book felt off because of the way people had been keeping secrets. And then those secrets caused harm to the current crew on Mars. While actually happened during the first expedition actually makes sense all things considered there are some parts of it that still feel off. I don’t want to spoil it but there were things that happened that were essentially allowed to happen because of racism and then additional choices were made as a result of that. The parts I’m not sure about have more to do it the initial aftermath than the event itself. Some choices make sense some do not.

Besides the central mystery I feel like the author did a lot with this book and tried to address many different issues at once for good and bad. There’s still a huge gap about what actually will happen to people who are still on earth – especially disabled people. But the point of the book is that the people who have journeyed to Mars are trying to do the work to learn how to work and live together on a new planet without requiring the support of Earth. I liked the details the author included about the various holidays and traditions of everyone in the crew. I did feel like some things got shoehorned in as an effort to be inclusive and trying to be more understanding.

The disability aspect is still a sticking point for me in this series. Due to various events there are two characters who become disabled during the course of the book. There’s some of talk about keeping them on Mars because it’s home and they’ve earned staying there. Which is all well and good but it does nothing to indicate what will happen to people with disabilities on Earth who can’t make it into space even if they were going to be allowed to in the first place. What it does do is serve as a reminder that debilitating accidents will happen and people become disabled and need support.

Warnings and additional reviews can be found the StoryGraph Page for “Martian Contingency”.

Book Details

The Martian Contingency cover is mostly yellow/gold with shades of orange red on the left side. At the bottom right corner there is a black image two people in space suites standing on a cliff overlooking a base in the distance on the bottom right. The title of the book is in the center with the authors name above it.

Author’s Website
Mary Robinette Kowal
Publisher / Date
Tor Books, March 2025
Genre
Science Fiction, Alternate History
Page Count
388
Completion Date
July 12, 2025

“The Relentless Moon” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Relentless Moon” (Lady Astronaut No. 3) by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Earth is coming to the boiling point as the climate disaster of the Meteor strike becomes more and more clear, but the political situation is already overheated. Riots and sabotage plague the space program. The IAC’s goal of getting as many people as possible off Earth before it becomes uninhabitable is being threatened.

Elma York is on her way to Mars, but the Moon colony is still being established. Her friend and fellow Lady Astronaut Nicole Wargin is thrilled to be one of those pioneer settlers, using her considerable flight and political skills to keep the program on track. But she is less happy that her husband, the Governor of Kansas, is considering a run for President.

Review

I have to be honest and say that I really liked Nicole, the main character in this book, more than Elma in the others. Nicole doesn’t have the “well intended but clueless white person” problem that Elma has along with some other frustrating personality quarks. Nicole seems to be more aware of the issues which has a lot to do with her husband’s work in politics. I also think this book does a better job acknowledging that there are people who will never be able to leave Earth. While there are a couple relevant plot points in the story that impacts a few things, disabled people are still largely still ignored. There’s also the obvious issue that not enough as been done to help the people in the ares most impacted by the Meteor strike who weren’t killed outright. Many of the worst off are largely minorities or poor and uneducated individuals who don’t have the same opportunities as others. I don’t want to spoil the ending too much but there were at least some indications that there would be additional focus on those individuals on Earth as well as supporting the move to the Moon and Mars.

The overall plot of this book was a bit more contained with the issues on the Moon taking up much of the focus. Unfortunately some parts of this book are spoiled by the previous book as the author hadn’t initially planned to write this one. Because this book takes place in the same time as the second book there is a lot overlap in information about what is happening on Earth. However I still think it makes for a good read even though you go in knowing some of what was going to happen. In some ways I had more fun reading this one than the previous two books because of how much I liked Nicole and her friendships with the other characters. Elma is focused on numbers and the big picture knowledge that Earth is in trouble and if humanity is to survive getting off Earth is vital. Nicole ends up being more detail oriented and worried about everyone.

Warnings and additional reviews can be found on the StoryGraph page for “The Relentless Moon”

Book Details

The Relentless Moon book cover. The background of the cover is entirely taken up with an image of the moon with red lines showing the structure of the moonrise. At the bottom are black images of several people wearing spacesuits walking forwards. The author's name is at the top with the title in the center.

Author’s Website
Mary Robinette Kowal
Publisher / Date
Tor Books, July 2020
Genre
Science Fiction, Alternate History
Page Count
542
Completion Date
July 11, 2025

“The Fated Sky” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Fated Sky” (Lady Astronaut No. 2) by Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal continues the grand sweep of alternate history begun in The Calculating Stars, The Fated Sky looks forward to 1961, when mankind is well-established on the moon and looking forward to its next step: journeying to, and eventually colonizing, Mars.

Of course the noted Lady Astronaut Elma York would like to go, but there’s a lot riding on whoever the International Aerospace Coalition decides to send on this historic—but potentially very dangerous—mission? Could Elma really leave behind her husband and the chance to start a family to spend several years traveling to Mars? And with the Civil Rights movement taking hold all over Earth, will the astronaut pool ever be allowed to catch up, and will these brave men and women of all races be treated equitably when they get there? This gripping look at the real conflicts behind a fantastical space race will put a new spin on our visions of what might have been.

Review

When the author was originally writing the first book she realized that it would be better as two books instead of one. And this book really does feel like the second half of a two parter (with a little bit of a time jump). There were a lot of things I enjoyed about it – especially the details about the space program the author provides. On the other hand it does have more of the same problems as the first book with regard to how various issues are handled. In this book I do believe it’s intentional that Elma is written as a well intended but clueless White woman trying to support her Black colleges. It does make sense given the setting and the characters in question but I would have preferred something different.

Though to be fair I think a lot of my reactions from having been reading a lot of fiction from authors of color (and disabled authors) who do write things differently from the start. For one thing we’d be getting more of the perspective of people who will be stuck on Earth. While this book does address the idea that there are people who will never be able to make it into space for medical reasons, it never really goes into detail. Honestly with all that’s going on right now that’s actually the more interesting story. How would we actually help the people who won’t make it off Earth. This of course includes disabled people who will even more likely be left behind. It may not be the story the author wanted to focus on but I think it’s something that could have been addressed better.

All that said I do think the books tell an interesting story about a disaster requiring extreme measures to save humanity, and I like idea of a space program actually developing faster as a result. The crew’s trip to Mars and the troubles they faced were interesting. I’m not sure how I feel about one character that Elma had to deal with that she had a history with. His background paints to someone with darker intentions but the narrative doesn’t really address that. Though it probably works within the context of the setting being in the 60s. As with the first book the author included a section at the end that detailed the historical information that is relevant to the books which I liked as well.

Warnings and additional reviews can be found on the StoryGraph page for “The Fated Sky”.

Book Details

The cover of the fated sky is nearly sold orange with shades of yellow near the bottom, and depicts a black image of person in a spacesuit standing on the surface of a planet. The title is written one word on each line in the center of the cover and the authors name is at the top.

Author’s Website
Mary Robinette Kowal
Publisher / Date
Tor Books, August 2018
Genre
Science Fiction, Alternate History
Page Count
384
Completion Date
July 6, 2025