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yolandekleinn- — - — - — - — -
Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather
Years ago, Old Earth sent forth sisters and brothers into the vast dark of the prodigal colonies armed only with crucifixes and iron faith. Now, the sisters of the Order of Saint Rita are on an interstellar mission of mercy aboard Our Lady of Impossible Constellations, a living, breathing ship which seems determined to develop a will of its own.
When the order receives a distress call from a newly-formed colony, the sisters discover that the bodies and souls in their care—and that of the galactic diaspora—are in danger. And not from void beyond, but from the nascent Central Governance and the Church itself.
Why you should read it: I absolutely adored this novella. It's short and incredibly readable, and I can't remember the last time I devoured a story so quickly. The characters are complex and lovely, the world building is on point, the complications of a LIVING SPACE SHIP are beautifully explored. And all of that is just background to what an amazing job the author does, of creating a wider story that puts the characters in an impossible position and then falls like perfectly planned dominoes. I love when you can see the pieces the author is lining up ahead of time, but you can't tell exactly how those pieces are going to come into play—and then when they finally do, it's glorious and satisfying and perfect.
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The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older
On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems.
Pleiti has dedicated her research and her career to aiding the larger effort towards a possible return to Earth. When Mossa unexpectedly arrives and requests Pleiti’s assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them embark on a twisting path in which the future of life on Earth is at stake—and, perhaps, their futures, together.
Why you should read it: Absolutely delightful. This feels very Sherlock Holmes in a charming and incredibly deliberate way—while also being about lesbians in a far future civilization, in which humanity has survived the destruction of Earth by building platforms in orbit around Jupiter. All-in-all a decent mystery jaunt, that becomes a wonderful read thanks to the characters and the world building of the whole endeavor.
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Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed—made obsolete—when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate.
What they find is a shock: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick search of the ship reveals something isn’t right.
Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Messages scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold onto her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora, before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate.
Why you should read it: This is an excellent fucked-up-and-spooky read. It had so many of my favorite horror tropes, mingled together in ways that kept me guessing most of the way through. The characters were delightful, the situation completely visceral, and some of the gore so vivid it made me flinch. The atmosphere of dread was brilliantly drawn out and the pacing/structure of the story surprised me in ways I really enjoyed. I would love to see a movie made of this one day, it would work alarmingly well.
Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather
Years ago, Old Earth sent forth sisters and brothers into the vast dark of the prodigal colonies armed only with crucifixes and iron faith. Now, the sisters of the Order of Saint Rita are on an interstellar mission of mercy aboard Our Lady of Impossible Constellations, a living, breathing ship which seems determined to develop a will of its own.
When the order receives a distress call from a newly-formed colony, the sisters discover that the bodies and souls in their care—and that of the galactic diaspora—are in danger. And not from void beyond, but from the nascent Central Governance and the Church itself.
Why you should read it: I absolutely adored this novella. It's short and incredibly readable, and I can't remember the last time I devoured a story so quickly. The characters are complex and lovely, the world building is on point, the complications of a LIVING SPACE SHIP are beautifully explored. And all of that is just background to what an amazing job the author does, of creating a wider story that puts the characters in an impossible position and then falls like perfectly planned dominoes. I love when you can see the pieces the author is lining up ahead of time, but you can't tell exactly how those pieces are going to come into play—and then when they finally do, it's glorious and satisfying and perfect.
- — - — - — - — -
The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older
On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems.
Pleiti has dedicated her research and her career to aiding the larger effort towards a possible return to Earth. When Mossa unexpectedly arrives and requests Pleiti’s assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them embark on a twisting path in which the future of life on Earth is at stake—and, perhaps, their futures, together.
Why you should read it: Absolutely delightful. This feels very Sherlock Holmes in a charming and incredibly deliberate way—while also being about lesbians in a far future civilization, in which humanity has survived the destruction of Earth by building platforms in orbit around Jupiter. All-in-all a decent mystery jaunt, that becomes a wonderful read thanks to the characters and the world building of the whole endeavor.
- — - — - — - — -
Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed—made obsolete—when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate.
What they find is a shock: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick search of the ship reveals something isn’t right.
Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Messages scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold onto her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora, before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate.
Why you should read it: This is an excellent fucked-up-and-spooky read. It had so many of my favorite horror tropes, mingled together in ways that kept me guessing most of the way through. The characters were delightful, the situation completely visceral, and some of the gore so vivid it made me flinch. The atmosphere of dread was brilliantly drawn out and the pacing/structure of the story surprised me in ways I really enjoyed. I would love to see a movie made of this one day, it would work alarmingly well.
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