83. Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather

read on Kindle

2019

176 pgs.
Adult SciFi
Finished  8/3/2021
Goodreads rating: 4.07
My rating: 3.5
Setting: outer space in the future

My comments: Although shorter than I expected, this was a rather satisfying science-fiction.  The convent space ship with a living, breathing animal  The handful of sisters that the reader got to know were quite individual and interesting.  Good versus evil for sure!  Power.  So interesting that Ms. Rather chose a group of NUNS as the protagonists!  I wish it had been longer, though....

Goodreads synopsis:  The sisters of the Order of Saint Rita captain their living ship into the reaches of space in Lina Rather's debut novella, Sisters of the Vast Black.

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.

71. To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

listened on Audible

narrated by Brittany Pressley

Unabridged audio (4:30)
2019
153 pgs. - Novella
Adult SciFi
Finished  6/30/2021
Goodreads rating: 4.21 - 21,750 ratings
My rating: 5
Setting: different planets way, way, WAY out...

First line/s: "I never knew an Earth that was unaware of life elsewhere."

My comments: Set on a spaceship that has traveled 14 light years through the galaxy to four planets somewhat similar to Earth to research possible lifeforms.  To travel, each of the four astronaut/scientists are put into states of torpor, where their body ages very slowly and they can pass through time only aging about 1/10th of what they normally would.  That in itself is fascinating, but the science and the philosophy and the relationships between the four people on this mission astounded me.  I really loved it.

Goodreads synopsis:   In her new novella, Sunday Times best-selling author Becky Chambers imagines a future in which, instead of terraforming planets to sustain human life, explorers of the solar system instead transform themselves.
            Ariadne is one such explorer. As an astronaut on an extrasolar research vessel, she and her fellow crewmates sleep between worlds and wake up each time with different features. Her experience is one of fluid body and stable mind and of a unique perspective on the passage of time. Back on Earth, society changes dramatically from decade to decade, as it always does.
            Ariadne may awaken to find that support for space exploration back home has waned, or that her country of birth no longer exists, or that a cult has arisen around their cosmic findings, only to dissolve once more by the next waking. But the moods of Earth have little bearing on their mission: to explore, to study, and to send their learnings home.

            Carrying all the trademarks of her other beloved works, including brilliant writing, fantastic world-building and exceptional, diverse characters, Becky's first audiobook outside of the Wayfarers series is sure to capture the imagination of listeners all over the world.

49. Ascension by Victor Dixen

#1 Phobos
read the book - just translated (from French, I believe)
2015 original, 2018 in English
496 pgs.
YA SciFi
Finished 6/2/2019
Goodreads rating: 4.05 - 2990 ratings
My rating: 4.5
Setting:  On a spaceship to Mars, current time/dystopia

First line/s:

My comments:  OMG, I want to continue this story immediately, right now, vite, vite!  But it is literally impossible since the American edition will not be available till October 18th. Even though it's been out in English in Britain for a short while, I can't seem to find a way to get it.  Woe is me!
     This book was actually everything I'd hoped it would be, it was just plain fun.  Good guys vs. bad guys, innocents vs. unscrupulous.  And even though I dislike reality TV greatly, reading about it in a book worked really well for me-at least this time.  I can't wait to find out what is going to happen next....what a dirty trick, Victor Dixen....one of the toughest cliffhangers I've ever read.

Goodreads synopsis:  'This thrilling space odyssey will keep you turning pages late into the night.'
C. J. Daugherty, author of NIGHT SCHOOL
          Six girls, six boys. Each in the two separate bays of a single spaceship. They have six minutes each week to seduce and to make their choices, under the unblinking eye of the on-board cameras. They are the contenders in the Genesis programme, the world's craziest speed-dating show ever, aimed at creating the first human colony on Mars.
          Leonor, an 18 year old orphan, is one of the chosen ones. 
          She has signed up for glory.
          She has signed up for love.
          She has signed up for a one-way ticket.
          Even if the dream turns to a nightmare, it is too late for regrets.

8. Toxic by Lydia Kang

read on my iPhone
2018 Entangled Teen
340 pgs.
YA SciFi
Finished 1/19/2019
Goodreads rating:  3.79 - 139 ratings
My rating:  2
Setting:  In the future, on a huge, dying space station called Cyclo, which used to house 1000 people.

First line/s:  "Where is Mother?  Where is she?  Inside my room, my tiny bubble of a room, I pace like the lions in their tiny iron enclosures from Earth's old menageries --- what did the call them in the vids?  Zoological parks?  Mother is never missing at breakfast.  Never."

My comments: This had great potential at its start, but quickly spiraled down into a gobbledygook of scientific terminology and endless boring description,  I absolutely hated 50% of the story and somewhat enjoyed the other 50%.  I thought it would never end, and skimmed a lot of the second half so that I could see how they would (probably) be saved.....

Goodreads synopsis:  Hana isn't supposed to exist. She's grown up hidden by her mother in a secret room of the bioship Cyclo until the day her mother is simple gone - along with the entire crew. Cyclo tells her she was abandoned, but she's certain her mother wouldn't leave her there to die. And Hana isn't ready to die yet. She's never really had a chance to live.
          Fenn is supposed to die. He and a crew of hired mercenaries are there to monitor Cyclo as she expires, and the payment for the suicide mission will mean Fenn's sister is able to live. But when he meets Hana, he's not sure how to save them both.
          As Cyclo grows sicker by the day, they unearth more secrets about the ship and the crew. But the more time they spend together, the more Hana and Fenn realize that falling for each other is what could ultimately kill them both. 

67. Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

#1 Nyxia Triad
read on my iPhone
2017 Crown Books for Young Readers
384 pgs.
YA SciFi
Finished 7/22/18
Goodreads rating: 4.12 - 2514 rtings
My rating: 4.5 (Maybe even 5.....)
Setting: Outer Space a few years from now

First line/s:  " 'You all know why you're here.'  There are ten of us at the table.  We all nod like we even have a clue."

My comments:  Others have compared this book to a sci-fi Hunger Games, and other than having slightly more than one winner at the end, that’s pretty much what it is. I loved the entire premise from the start and was pulled into the story immediately, which hasn’t happened a whole lot lately. Nothing like “coming-of-age“ in outer space! Loved it - 4.5.

Goodreads synopsis:  Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family.
          Forever.
          Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.
          But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.

40. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

read on my iPhone & Kindle
2015 Harper Voyager
460 pgs.
Adult Science Fiction
Finished  4/29/2018
Goodreads rating: 4.18- 32,685 ratings
My rating:  5
Setting:  Waaaaay outer space, somewhere in the distant future

First line/s: "As she woke up in the pod she remembered three things.  First, she was traveling through open space.  Second, she was about to start a new job, one she could not screw up.  Third, she had bribed a government official into giving her a new identity file.  None of this information was new, but it wasn't pleasant to wake up to."

My comments:  Did I just read a scifi novel set waaaaaaay in the future in outer space and LOVE it?  I did!  Ms. Chambers wrote this book with all sorts of wild and crazy species and all sorts of weird technology (both of which I usually give up on) - and wrote it in such a way that I understood it all! And I couldn't put it down, reading it in two days (and I'm a really slow reader).  What pictures I had in my head, I wish I could draw.  The setting, the characters, the plot ... all were so well created that this piece of literature - in a genre that is usually hard for me to complete - drew me in and captivated me. A true story of "family."  Loved it.

Goodreads synopsis: Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.
          Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.
          Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.