Michael Barnes
A fun science fiction story, imagine the golden age science fiction stories of Robert Heinlein about plucky teens saving the solar systems but without the heteronormativity, American exceptionalism and masculine hegemony (yeah that doesn't leave much does it).
The story of 5 teenage underdogs trying to find their place in a universe that is intent on discarding the rejects. M. K. England sets up a unique and brilliant world of Earth and space in the year 2194. Space travel is a constant, there are hundreds of fully-functioning colonies, and Earth has a strict no-return policy.
Our chosen family are all washed out the selection process for the Academy and I loved how England drops us into the action from almost the first page with out any build up or backstory. The teens stories are organically revealed. Becca Evans at " Nax Hall, the young, attractive, hotshot pilot, is openly bi. Readers get to sympathize with teenage hormones and unfortunate timing, quickly-developed crushes, and lots of inconvenient emotions as Nax recognizes his attraction to other members of his crew and reminisces on past relationships". One of his crew is trans (with a sad, real connection to our own current events). She is a brilliant, kick-ass character, and also was a favorite.
Case, the engineering wiz, Zee, the high-kicking medic, and Rion, the slightly-posh and roguishly handsome smooth talker. Along the way, they meet up with Asra, who promises to get them a ship if they can just help her steal it. And I love every single one of them. These characters are unique, flawed, and undeniably interesting. Each one is brilliant, if atypical, and make up a crew that patches each other’s cracks and works well together.
And while the story is resolved I wouldn't mind spending more time with these characters in this world and the ending certainly leave that open with a new crew and a their spaceship in a big system of worlds.
A fun science fiction story, imagine the golden age science fiction stories of Robert Heinlein about plucky teens saving the solar systems but without the heteronormativity, American exceptionalism and masculine hegemony (yeah that doesn't leave much does it).
The story of 5 teenage underdogs trying to find their place in a universe that is intent on discarding the rejects. M. K. England sets up a unique and brilliant world of Earth and space in the year 2194. Space travel is a constant, there are hundreds of fully-functioning colonies, and Earth has a strict no-return policy.
Our chosen family are all washed out the selection process for the Academy and I loved how England drops us into the action from almost the first page with out any build up or backstory. The teens stories are organically revealed. Becca Evans at " Nax Hall, the young, attractive, hotshot pilot, is openly bi. Readers get to sympathize with teenage hormones and unfortunate timing, quickly-developed crushes, and lots of inconvenient emotions as Nax recognizes his attraction to other members of his crew and reminisces on past relationships". One of his crew is trans (with a sad, real connection to our own current events). She is a brilliant, kick-ass character, and also was a favorite.
Case, the engineering wiz, Zee, the high-kicking medic, and Rion, the slightly-posh and roguishly handsome smooth talker. Along the way, they meet up with Asra, who promises to get them a ship if they can just help her steal it. And I love every single one of them. These characters are unique, flawed, and undeniably interesting. Each one is brilliant, if atypical, and make up a crew that patches each other’s cracks and works well together.
And while the story is resolved I wouldn't mind spending more time with these characters in this world and the ending certainly leave that open with a new crew and a their spaceship in a big system of worlds.