The Stargazer's Embassy

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.

I enjoy a good pulpy sci-fi story from time to time, and that's about all I expected from The Stargazer's Embassy. What I didn't expect was a very well-written and intelligent piece of speculative fiction that still managed to be a page-turner, much like the over-the-top alien story I had expected it to be.

There are moments when the sci-fi elements threaten to become ridiculous, even silly, but that never kept me from investing myself in the story. In fact, it's surprising to me that an alien abduction book didn't feel ridiculous more often. Eleanor Lerman's excellent writing makes it easy to take this story seriously when necessary, and the complex character of Julia keeps the emotional center of the book grounded, even in the midst of little gray invaders.

The Stargazer's Embassy seems keenly aware of the most important part (in my opinion) of good genre fiction: the authentic human element. A great main character, tone, and sense of pacing turns what could have been a silly, inconsequential alien story into something effective and capable of connecting on an emotional level.