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beckys_books's review against another edition
4.0
This book hit a little too close to home. Set in a post global warming world where the human race is in a race for survival. People have to wear protective masks outside, the sea is kept at bay with huge concrete walls and terrible weather systems affect what little survivable land is left. Valerie Black has long since decided that Earth and the human race cannot survive much longer and found ‘Cavendish’ a planet in the ‘Goldilocks zone’ of a Gas giant. Neither too hot nor too cold, the right temperature for water to be liquid and the right atmospheric pressure for life to grow. With her company Hawthorne and NASA working together they were able to build the Alcubierre drive, a literal portal through space, and the Atlanta the ship that would carry Valerie, her adopted daughter Naomi, Hixon, Hart and Lebedeva, 5 women all with their own specialities to Cavendish to see if humans could survive there. A hiccup arises when a new President is elected. One who believes that a woman’s place isn’t in the workplace and the five women are removed from the mission stating it as too dangerous. Valerie Black is not a woman to be told what to do. She enlists the other women and hours before the men are supposed to depart they launch a rocket from a long ago abandoned Russian space centre. All seems to be going well until Naomi Lovelace, Valeries adopted daughter and resident botanist has to communicate with their only contact on Earth, Evan Valerie’s son. After talking with him she realises that Valerie maybe withholding information from the crew, information that could put their lives and the mission at risk. Only Naomi has no idea the true secret Valerie is keeping and how it wont affect just them but the whole human race.
When I saw that the book was described as The Martian meets The Handmaids Tale I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but, honestly, it couldn’t have been described better. There are quite a few bits of the book that talk about the Science behind space travel, growing plants in space etc and though I grasped most of it, some definitely went over my head, though I was able to grasp the concept thanks to the context of the plot. The present in this book doesn’t seem to be that different from where our future is heading, and a big theme of the book is what happens if we don’t stop killing the planet now. It didn’t paint a pretty picture of the world environmentally, but what really hit me was the attitude towards women. In this future they are gradually being weaned out of the workplace, families are only allowed one child, and if they have more they have to pay a tax that would nearly bankrupt the ‘regular’ population. Though this is stated as more prevalent in the US we can also see parts of it being implemented all around the world.
I loved that this was a nearly all female cast, in fact the only man we really get any insight from is Evan, Valerie’s son but even then it is all told from another perspective. This book is Naomi Lovelace’s story. We find out right at the start that she refuses to tell anyone what happened on the Atlanta, and it is only one night when she sneaks into her daughters room and said she’d tell her everything. Naomi was a really intriguing perspective to read the book from. As Valerie’s adopted daughter, she has an almost blind spot when it comes to the woman who raised her. However, she is also the only person who knows her tells and can see through her lies. Without Naomi on that ship the mission would have gone completely differently. I found her quite a likeable character and someone I could easily empathise with. The book jumps back and forth to before the mission and during with each chapter, which gave you a great insight into how the mission and them inevitably taking over it came about.
A big theme in this book is ‘hard decisions.’ Who should make them, who has the right to make them, and will our morality let us? We see this play out through Valerie and Naomi’s characters and interactions. Valerie is not a likeable character, and I would guess that was intended. She is anti patriarchy almost to the point of anti the human race and though her decision making was horrendous there is a little part of you, a teeny tiny part that thinks she may just have a point. She seems to completely lack morality, which is the thing that would stop us from making such a decision. I really enjoyed seeing the crews reactions to her plan, at first resigning themselves to it and then gradually realising the depth of what she has done and their desperation to try and stop it.
This was such a brilliantly written book. I was hooked from the first page, and though I have read some reviews stating it was slow paced, I flew through the pages. I think having the chapters flit between the past and present were a massive help in this, you got some great insight into Naomi and Valerie’s past, which helps you understand their current relationship. The themes brought up in the book were on point for today’s society, and had me asking myself a lot of question’s by the end. I panicked a bit, coming to the end, that the author wouldn’t have time to give us a deserved ending but I needn’t have worried. The ending was beautifully done, and though I wouldn’t class it as happy, it left me with feeling content.
An easy 4.5/5 read, and one that leaves me eager and willing to pick up the authors other works.
When I saw that the book was described as The Martian meets The Handmaids Tale I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but, honestly, it couldn’t have been described better. There are quite a few bits of the book that talk about the Science behind space travel, growing plants in space etc and though I grasped most of it, some definitely went over my head, though I was able to grasp the concept thanks to the context of the plot. The present in this book doesn’t seem to be that different from where our future is heading, and a big theme of the book is what happens if we don’t stop killing the planet now. It didn’t paint a pretty picture of the world environmentally, but what really hit me was the attitude towards women. In this future they are gradually being weaned out of the workplace, families are only allowed one child, and if they have more they have to pay a tax that would nearly bankrupt the ‘regular’ population. Though this is stated as more prevalent in the US we can also see parts of it being implemented all around the world.
I loved that this was a nearly all female cast, in fact the only man we really get any insight from is Evan, Valerie’s son but even then it is all told from another perspective. This book is Naomi Lovelace’s story. We find out right at the start that she refuses to tell anyone what happened on the Atlanta, and it is only one night when she sneaks into her daughters room and said she’d tell her everything. Naomi was a really intriguing perspective to read the book from. As Valerie’s adopted daughter, she has an almost blind spot when it comes to the woman who raised her. However, she is also the only person who knows her tells and can see through her lies. Without Naomi on that ship the mission would have gone completely differently. I found her quite a likeable character and someone I could easily empathise with. The book jumps back and forth to before the mission and during with each chapter, which gave you a great insight into how the mission and them inevitably taking over it came about.
A big theme in this book is ‘hard decisions.’ Who should make them, who has the right to make them, and will our morality let us? We see this play out through Valerie and Naomi’s characters and interactions. Valerie is not a likeable character, and I would guess that was intended. She is anti patriarchy almost to the point of anti the human race and though her decision making was horrendous there is a little part of you, a teeny tiny part that thinks she may just have a point. She seems to completely lack morality, which is the thing that would stop us from making such a decision. I really enjoyed seeing the crews reactions to her plan, at first resigning themselves to it and then gradually realising the depth of what she has done and their desperation to try and stop it.
This was such a brilliantly written book. I was hooked from the first page, and though I have read some reviews stating it was slow paced, I flew through the pages. I think having the chapters flit between the past and present were a massive help in this, you got some great insight into Naomi and Valerie’s past, which helps you understand their current relationship. The themes brought up in the book were on point for today’s society, and had me asking myself a lot of question’s by the end. I panicked a bit, coming to the end, that the author wouldn’t have time to give us a deserved ending but I needn’t have worried. The ending was beautifully done, and though I wouldn’t class it as happy, it left me with feeling content.
An easy 4.5/5 read, and one that leaves me eager and willing to pick up the authors other works.
18thcornet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Book has some things I didn’t particularly like, such as the relentless bashing of men and the factual science being overly dumbed down, but overall it’s a decent yarn with a couple of surprises I hadn’t foreseen.
zoekatereads's review against another edition
5.0
“Earth was such a little, vulnerable thing in the grand scope of the Universe.”
Earth has 30 years left at best. The climate is on the verge of collapse, so humanity is looking to the stars for an alternative home. Valerie Black planned an all-female voyage to the Goldilocks zone - to a planet with just the right conditions for humans, and what they hope will be their saviour.
When their mission is stolen from them in favour of another crew, Valerie and her team commandeer (steal) a ship bound for the new planet. The crew is made up of a pilot, engineer, doctor, and Naomi - Valerie’s surrogate daughter/on board botanist who has lived in Valerie’s shadow for far too long.
Things on board start to go wrong, and Naomi starts to suspect that they don’t know the whole truth about this voyage.
Secrets! Betrayal! Revelations!! Science! Women in space!! The future of humanity hangs in the balance.
I absolutely loved this book. I’ve been so keen to read more from L.R. Lam, and this did not disappoint.
Naomi’s story arc was such a pleasure to read, going between past and present it really felt like I knew her and made her journey all the more powerful.
There were so many powerful plot lines and issues covered in this book, and they were all handled so well. Women’s rights, productive rights, the climate crisis, the never ending cycles of power struggles. Set in the near-future, it was honestly scary how close to home so much of this felt. I can see myself thinking about this story for a really long time.
Next up for me in my L.R. Lam journey will be [b:Seven Devils|38822981|Seven Devils (Seven Devils, #1)|L.R. Lam|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677262398l/38822981._SX50_.jpg|60397353], written with Elizabeth May ✨
Earth has 30 years left at best. The climate is on the verge of collapse, so humanity is looking to the stars for an alternative home. Valerie Black planned an all-female voyage to the Goldilocks zone - to a planet with just the right conditions for humans, and what they hope will be their saviour.
When their mission is stolen from them in favour of another crew, Valerie and her team commandeer (steal) a ship bound for the new planet. The crew is made up of a pilot, engineer, doctor, and Naomi - Valerie’s surrogate daughter/on board botanist who has lived in Valerie’s shadow for far too long.
Things on board start to go wrong, and Naomi starts to suspect that they don’t know the whole truth about this voyage.
Secrets! Betrayal! Revelations!! Science! Women in space!! The future of humanity hangs in the balance.
“The women were stealing a planet.
They were stealing a future.”
I absolutely loved this book. I’ve been so keen to read more from L.R. Lam, and this did not disappoint.
Naomi’s story arc was such a pleasure to read, going between past and present it really felt like I knew her and made her journey all the more powerful.
“Dr Naomi Lovelace has been many things over the years. Scientist. Criminal. Villain. Hero. Famous. Infamous.”
There were so many powerful plot lines and issues covered in this book, and they were all handled so well. Women’s rights, productive rights, the climate crisis, the never ending cycles of power struggles. Set in the near-future, it was honestly scary how close to home so much of this felt. I can see myself thinking about this story for a really long time.
Next up for me in my L.R. Lam journey will be [b:Seven Devils|38822981|Seven Devils (Seven Devils, #1)|L.R. Lam|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677262398l/38822981._SX50_.jpg|60397353], written with Elizabeth May ✨
“The crew of the Atalanta were only five women out of all of humanity, but they could still found a whole new place for humans to flourish. Sometimes you only need one tiny proportion of the population to enact change.”
candaceonline's review against another edition
1.0
DNF, maybe I’ll try to read it again much much in the future but for now I did not find it in any way interesting,
stephiestar's review against another edition
5.0
This is so exactly the handmaid's tale meets the Martian I'm not sure I could relate it any better. It's a stark warning of how conservatives could make female life terrible, and yes it's terrifying, and also how things could go if we ignore global warning as we likely will, it would interrupt our comforts too much. But a very interesting and thrilling read none the less.
even_steven's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The author’s ambition to tackle current social issues through the lens of science fiction is commendable. The contemporary onslaught on women’s rights and the effects of climate change are both addressed, though the topics seem more an aside than core to the narrative. Lam even mulls the potential impacts of a worldwide pandemic - before COVID-19 took hold. She also anticipated the overturning of Roe v Wade in the US. These references are brief, however, and while some points can be awarded for prescience, it’s the whole of the reading experience that matters.
In some of the marketing materials, testimonials, and Lam’s own assessment of her work on Goodreads, this book is likened to Handmaid’s Tale and the Martian. It’s neither as deeply moving nor entertaining as either of those books, and it is certainly not as deftly written as Atwood’s dystopian classic. The writing and narrative structure feel almost amateurish at times, which is curious given that, according to the acknowledgments, Lam was teaching Master’s-level creative writing at the time ‘Goldilocks’ was published. Instead of meaningfully addressing the massive social issues she alludes to in passing, Lam instead defaults to pretty uninspired narrative devices centred on ropey attempts at interpersonal angst. There’s mentor vs mentee tension, disagreements between spouses, a ‘who’s the daddy’ pregnancy reveal that was completely signposted, and a ‘shock’ revelatory origin story and murder plot that was thrown in as an afterthought. ‘You thought this person was bad? Okay, well, what if they also did this?’
My biggest complaint about this book is that it lacks a coherent and meaningful narrative thread. It’s just a series of moments that seem to stumble into the next, and the book reads as if it was written linearly without a full grasp of how everything was meant to hold together to keep the reader curious and engaged. Another smaller issue is that, as a reader, I felt the author’s presence constantly throughout. The main character, Naomi, moves back and forth between California and Scotland. Lam is originally from California and now lives in Scotland. The continued references to these locations just made me think more about Lam’s journey than that of her protagonist, which was also unhelpful in keeping me engaged. They say ‘write what you know’, but in this case, it detracted from my ability to see beyond the author’s own voice.
On the subject of ‘writing what you know’, Lam admits in the acknowledgments that she didn’t know much about certain sciences before writing this book and reached out to professionals in a variety of fields (e.g. biology, astronomy, etc.) to get some input. That’s a really laudable approach and it gives some of the incidents and explanations a sense of legitimacy. It’s a shame, then, that so much of the book is not about these things and is instead about a character navel gazing about past and current relationships. If you’re looking for decent Sci Fi that encourages reflection on current events while providing an interesting and sometimes exciting story featuring characters you have any investment in at all, look elsewhere.
chefkay's review against another edition
2.0
Just very bland to me, the characters, the world and the plot. When I think back on it, the colour that comes to mind is grey. It also all felt like it was building to this big payoff that never really came.
I’d skip this one!
I’d skip this one!
hippolyta95's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved it!! Can't understand why others thought it was slow to start. I did not anticipate some of the plot twists and was really happy with the ending.
woolsson's review against another edition
3.0
This book has really interesting (if not depressing) world building and great character development. I was a bit whatever for the first 60% of the book but the ending really goes for it. The time skips work really well and the first chapter nags at your mind all the time while you're reading the book, waiting to find out what happened. Overall I quite enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
bababookmatt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It started so strong but lost its direction and felt like a totally different book in the final 5 chapters. The resolution felt anti-climactic and then dragged on.