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notamy's review
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
suze_1624's review
4.0
3.5/4*
I'm not a natural sci-fi reader so had dithered on getting this but I do enjoy Matthew Metzger's writing and this story was no exception.
Maggie is lost in space, literally. Then she ends up in the same corner as the abandoned ship her (ex) wife was on - though all is not as it seems.
the mystery of why the Swift was abandoned is mostly solved, though where the crew are now is still to be resolved.
Maggie takes a voyage of acceptance of herself and whilst Lidia seems fairly sure in herself, they both learn much about themselves and each other.
Enjoyed
I'm not a natural sci-fi reader so had dithered on getting this but I do enjoy Matthew Metzger's writing and this story was no exception.
Maggie is lost in space, literally. Then she ends up in the same corner as the abandoned ship her (ex) wife was on - though all is not as it seems.
the mystery of why the Swift was abandoned is mostly solved, though where the crew are now is still to be resolved.
Maggie takes a voyage of acceptance of herself and whilst Lidia seems fairly sure in herself, they both learn much about themselves and each other.
Enjoyed
alphacenterin's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
emmsiej95's review
5.0
**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
I think my rating of this may change but right now, it's just hitting so right.
Matthew J Metzger has crafted such a beautiful story here. It has such a wonderful balance of hopelessness, self-doubt but also self-discovery and blossoming love (queer love, at that).
Like the First Moon Landing is the story of Maggie, a deep space cargo ship pilot, trapped on a dead ship after a collision. When all seems lost, Maggie finds a cargo ship, seemingly devoid of life. However, The Swift isn't any ship, it’s the ship that disappeared into thin air with over 200 crew members…. including Maggie’s wife. Aboard the Mary Celeste of space travel, Maggie seeks to find out what happened to the crew and her wife.
As I said above, this story was excellent. Maggie and Lidia were written perfectly. Maggie is stubborn, headstrong and a force to be reckoned with, but she's also flooded with self-doubt and shame over her body. Lidia is laidback, very confident in herself and her body, but also broken from an incident onboard that lead to the The Swift being dead in the water. Reading about an intersex character and a transsexual character getting to know each other (and themselves) was incredible. I haven't read many books with that specific demographic and I loved every word. Maggie's thoughts and feelings about herself were very relatable, especially i imagine for people within that part of society.
Maggie learning to be free from labels and accept herself a little bit more was wonderful.
I would also like to add that Maggie, Lídia, and Héléne are all people of colour, which added another layer of representation. I was glad to read that, at least, Lídia and Maggie felt strongly that their race was just as important to their identity as their gender and sexual orientations. In other fiction, writers can focus more on one than the other, (which is fine, but it's good to read about characters like those found in this book)
Another sub-set of characters I liked seeing, due to how few times I've personally seen it, was that of the male victim to a female abuser, and a lesbian character who leaves her partner because that partner doesn't identify as female. (and she isn't portrayed as a villian. What she did was horrible but she isn't automatically some man-hating lesbian who is the main antagonist of the main character's life)
For an author who doesn't seem to write science fiction often, Metzger was able to describe the daily struggles of space travel very well without overloading the reader with a lot of technical and medical jargon.
The tone of the book was consistent, alternating between bleak and hopeless; suspenseful before the reveal; and very hopeful as Maggie and Lidia get to know each other. I would also like to say that the bleak moments were so powerful for me. The reveal of what happened to the ship, her crew and Maggie's wife, the whereabouts of the pods was amazing. Metzger gets it, he just knew when to be sweet and when to shock.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy science fiction with less science and less fiction; people who enjoy thrills; and people who enjoy blossoming love and self-acceptance, especially for those in the queer/lgbtq+ community.
I think my rating of this may change but right now, it's just hitting so right.
Matthew J Metzger has crafted such a beautiful story here. It has such a wonderful balance of hopelessness, self-doubt but also self-discovery and blossoming love (queer love, at that).
Like the First Moon Landing is the story of Maggie, a deep space cargo ship pilot, trapped on a dead ship after a collision. When all seems lost, Maggie finds a cargo ship, seemingly devoid of life. However, The Swift isn't any ship, it’s the ship that disappeared into thin air with over 200 crew members…. including Maggie’s wife. Aboard the Mary Celeste of space travel, Maggie seeks to find out what happened to the crew and her wife.
As I said above, this story was excellent. Maggie and Lidia were written perfectly. Maggie is stubborn, headstrong and a force to be reckoned with, but she's also flooded with self-doubt and shame over her body. Lidia is laidback, very confident in herself and her body, but also broken from an incident onboard that lead to the The Swift being dead in the water. Reading about an intersex character and a transsexual character getting to know each other (and themselves) was incredible. I haven't read many books with that specific demographic and I loved every word. Maggie's thoughts and feelings about herself were very relatable, especially i imagine for people within that part of society.
Maggie learning to be free from labels and accept herself a little bit more was wonderful.
I would also like to add that Maggie, Lídia, and Héléne are all people of colour, which added another layer of representation. I was glad to read that, at least, Lídia and Maggie felt strongly that their race was just as important to their identity as their gender and sexual orientations. In other fiction, writers can focus more on one than the other, (which is fine, but it's good to read about characters like those found in this book)
Another sub-set of characters I liked seeing, due to how few times I've personally seen it, was that of the male victim to a female abuser, and a lesbian character who leaves her partner because that partner doesn't identify as female. (and she isn't portrayed as a villian. What she did was horrible but she isn't automatically some man-hating lesbian who is the main antagonist of the main character's life)
For an author who doesn't seem to write science fiction often, Metzger was able to describe the daily struggles of space travel very well without overloading the reader with a lot of technical and medical jargon.
The tone of the book was consistent, alternating between bleak and hopeless; suspenseful before the reveal; and very hopeful as Maggie and Lidia get to know each other. I would also like to say that the bleak moments were so powerful for me. The reveal of what happened to the ship, her crew and Maggie's wife, the whereabouts of the pods was amazing. Metzger gets it, he just knew when to be sweet and when to shock.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy science fiction with less science and less fiction; people who enjoy thrills; and people who enjoy blossoming love and self-acceptance, especially for those in the queer/lgbtq+ community.
hollyandherhardbacks's review
4.0
I recieved an arc from ninestar press and netgally in exchange for an honest review.
This book was just so beautiful. I loved the sci-fi setting of space ships (one of my favourite settings).
The writing was stunning, I felt so connected to Maggie and enjoyed her thoughts. I also enjoyed the relationship she had created with Lidia. The Queer representation was just *chef kiss*.
The story I did lose interest slightly at the 1/4 point but it soon came back at full force.
Then the ending was all I could of asked for.
I'm so glad I read this! I would highly recommend to any other sci-fi fans.
This book was just so beautiful. I loved the sci-fi setting of space ships (one of my favourite settings).
The writing was stunning, I felt so connected to Maggie and enjoyed her thoughts. I also enjoyed the relationship she had created with Lidia. The Queer representation was just *chef kiss*.
The story I did lose interest slightly at the 1/4 point but it soon came back at full force.
Then the ending was all I could of asked for.
I'm so glad I read this! I would highly recommend to any other sci-fi fans.
sapphicreads's review
5.0
vibrating at a frequency that can shatter glass: i love this book a normal amount
I just.... what can I even say about this when my head is filled with so much love all I can think is: AHHHHHHHHH.
This is a story about Maggie, whose ship gets hit while on a cargo run which leaves her only option to try and dock with a seemingly unresponsive ship that is stranded nearby. Only problem is, this ship is the same ship that has been missing for two months and that Maggie's estranged wife is currently employed under. What happens next leads Maggie on a course of self-discovery that I certainly wasn't expecting but appreciated so much.
Because, ultimately, that's what this book is about. Yes, a large portion of the plot is dedicated to finding out what happened to this ship and how Maggie is going to survive. Yes, there is definitely a budding relationship depicted between Maggie and Lydia. But more than that a major theme in this is self-discovery and figuring out who you are when the world wants to tell you you're something different.
There is also more diversity in this than I was expecting. Maggie is black and intersex, Lydia is a trans women of color and Helene is also black and a lesbian.
Overall, this is a fun - sometimes intense - and quick sci-fi read that I loved with everything I have and highly recommend.
tws: some gore, some vomit, mild transphobia and mild interphobia
*this was provided to me as an arc through netgalley but that does not affect my review*
I just.... what can I even say about this when my head is filled with so much love all I can think is: AHHHHHHHHH.
This is a story about Maggie, whose ship gets hit while on a cargo run which leaves her only option to try and dock with a seemingly unresponsive ship that is stranded nearby. Only problem is, this ship is the same ship that has been missing for two months and that Maggie's estranged wife is currently employed under. What happens next leads Maggie on a course of self-discovery that I certainly wasn't expecting but appreciated so much.
Because, ultimately, that's what this book is about. Yes, a large portion of the plot is dedicated to finding out what happened to this ship and how Maggie is going to survive. Yes, there is definitely a budding relationship depicted between Maggie and Lydia. But more than that a major theme in this is self-discovery and figuring out who you are when the world wants to tell you you're something different.
There is also more diversity in this than I was expecting. Maggie is black and intersex, Lydia is a trans women of color and Helene is also black and a lesbian.
Overall, this is a fun - sometimes intense - and quick sci-fi read that I loved with everything I have and highly recommend.
tws: some gore, some vomit, mild transphobia and mild interphobia
*this was provided to me as an arc through netgalley but that does not affect my review*
intothevolcano's review
3.0
Thanks to Ninestar Press and Netgalley for the ARC.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3. This book just didn't click for me, for some reason - it's well crafted, but I found it difficult to engage. I'm always glad to see queer rep in SFF, and the ruminations on gender identity here were interesting. I was also keen to unravel the mysteries involved and find out what happened. However, even when I was invested in the plot, I wasn't invested in the characters - and I can't quite pinpoint why. Considering the plot centres around Maggie on a quest to find her ex-wife, the book is strangely unemotional - the gore is (at times) visceral, but the feelings are not. I still might be tempted to pick up the next in the series, but I won't be in a rush to do so.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3. This book just didn't click for me, for some reason - it's well crafted, but I found it difficult to engage. I'm always glad to see queer rep in SFF, and the ruminations on gender identity here were interesting. I was also keen to unravel the mysteries involved and find out what happened. However, even when I was invested in the plot, I wasn't invested in the characters - and I can't quite pinpoint why. Considering the plot centres around Maggie on a quest to find her ex-wife, the book is strangely unemotional - the gore is (at times) visceral, but the feelings are not. I still might be tempted to pick up the next in the series, but I won't be in a rush to do so.
yourwordsmyink's review
4.0
Read more of my reviews on www.yourwordsmyink.com
I really enjoyed this story. The first few chapters did rub me the wrong way, but at the 30% mark we got really into the story and it picked up. I did feel like this book lacked some sci-fi elements, I wanted a bit more techno-babble and futuristic technology.
I usually like my sci-fi with a dash of optimism, like how humanity overcomes all our differences and we can all live together in peace (you can tell I'm a Star Trek fan). Unfortunately, this story takes humanity back a few steps, but it's a very important story in today's climate.
This story is about accepting yourself, and I think everyone should read this book. The story punches you in the gut and pulls on your heartstrings and makes you want to laugh and cry and rage at the same time.
Read this book. Understand that humanity has a long way to go, but accept every human being you meet regardless of what they look like. Compassion is missing from the world and I just want everyone to be nice to each other.
This story was a great read and thought me many lessons, so I definitely recommend this book.
I really enjoyed this story. The first few chapters did rub me the wrong way, but at the 30% mark we got really into the story and it picked up. I did feel like this book lacked some sci-fi elements, I wanted a bit more techno-babble and futuristic technology.
I usually like my sci-fi with a dash of optimism, like how humanity overcomes all our differences and we can all live together in peace (you can tell I'm a Star Trek fan). Unfortunately, this story takes humanity back a few steps, but it's a very important story in today's climate.
This story is about accepting yourself, and I think everyone should read this book. The story punches you in the gut and pulls on your heartstrings and makes you want to laugh and cry and rage at the same time.
Read this book. Understand that humanity has a long way to go, but accept every human being you meet regardless of what they look like. Compassion is missing from the world and I just want everyone to be nice to each other.
This story was a great read and thought me many lessons, so I definitely recommend this book.
mxphoebesviewpoint's review
5.0
Matthew J. Metzger starts Like the First Moon Landing with utter confusion, blood, and vomit. Be forewarned: this is a common theme throughout the book! (laugh) I kept thinking of all kinds of scenarios because this reads just like a Twilight Zone episode. At times it is very creepy and you are jumping at shadows along with Maggie. Other times you are like, “Just kiss the girl already!” Then you are expecting the boogie man to jump out at you. What is real? What isn’t? Metzger keeps you guessing.
Freaking awesome!
Who doesn’t like to be kept guessing in a science fiction book? I will admit to being surprised by such a tame ending as I expected Maggie to still be back on her ship that she originally crashed. (laugh) Now I just said a tame ending...I kind of just lied. Metzger throws in a diablogical twist at the end that had me pausing, then saying, “NO WAY!!!” Not telling.
Pay attention. This is all I am going to say….well no it’s not. Read the book. The next book will be out any day now.
Freaking awesome!
Who doesn’t like to be kept guessing in a science fiction book? I will admit to being surprised by such a tame ending as I expected Maggie to still be back on her ship that she originally crashed. (laugh) Now I just said a tame ending...I kind of just lied. Metzger throws in a diablogical twist at the end that had me pausing, then saying, “NO WAY!!!” Not telling.
Pay attention. This is all I am going to say….well no it’s not. Read the book. The next book will be out any day now.