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sarajesus95's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
alexandergrantwriter's review
5.0
This story is sooo beautiful and absolutely amazing!!!
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Every bit of prose was masterful and I didn’t want the story to end, purely so I could keep reading the gorgeous writing! The world building was also great and I loved the description on of the planet and its weather!!
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Do yourself a favor and definitely go pick this one up! You’ll read it in a sitting, but the story and world will sit with you a whole lot longer!!
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I will definitely be rereading this one at some point!! Such a great story, wonderful job Nathaniel!!
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Every bit of prose was masterful and I didn’t want the story to end, purely so I could keep reading the gorgeous writing! The world building was also great and I loved the description on of the planet and its weather!!
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Do yourself a favor and definitely go pick this one up! You’ll read it in a sitting, but the story and world will sit with you a whole lot longer!!
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I will definitely be rereading this one at some point!! Such a great story, wonderful job Nathaniel!!
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iamtais's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
/I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily./
"It was so unfair that I’d had to take the pain of my hunt and sow peace from it."
A story of finding belonging and purpose; of generational trauma and of breaking it…
"The Planets We Become" is short and to the point, but beautiful in its prose. There's a sense of both surrealness and pragmatism throughout the novella that is a bit jarring combined with how few pages there are of it, but even if you don't consider the novella for its speculative fiction side, you're still left with a pretty good sci-fi story.
Much of it is spent in the desert with roiling sands and ever-present sandstorms, and I could go on and on about how it makes for an brutal juxtaposition with the technologies central to the narrative, and about the metaphors nature, tech and both together represent, but suffice it to say that "The Planets We Become" is the sort of impactful short story that is great to pick-up at a quiet moment and just throw yourself as deep as you want to go.
"It was so unfair that I’d had to take the pain of my hunt and sow peace from it."
A story of finding belonging and purpose; of generational trauma and of breaking it…
"The Planets We Become" is short and to the point, but beautiful in its prose. There's a sense of both surrealness and pragmatism throughout the novella that is a bit jarring combined with how few pages there are of it, but even if you don't consider the novella for its speculative fiction side, you're still left with a pretty good sci-fi story.
Much of it is spent in the desert with roiling sands and ever-present sandstorms, and I could go on and on about how it makes for an brutal juxtaposition with the technologies central to the narrative, and about the metaphors nature, tech and both together represent, but suffice it to say that "The Planets We Become" is the sort of impactful short story that is great to pick-up at a quiet moment and just throw yourself as deep as you want to go.
adraper2323's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a unique story and it had a bit of a heartwarming yet melancholic ending. I wish it had been a little longer to explain more about the characters and the why of how things were. I was also unsure about the significance or meaning of the word “voice box” because it seemed to mean something so different to the characters compared to what it actually was. This story was very well thought out and I can tell the author had built the whole world in his mind. I just wanted to know a little bit more about it and more important events or plot points because it seemed to just glance over several millennia. I think a second read-through would show even more of the world development and detail.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
thereadinggoose's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Planets We Become by Nathaniel Luscombe was a thoughtfully written novella centering around one character, Rahnia, as she attempts to secure a planet for her community of people to live on. In this story, there is something called a “voice box” on the planet, and once found, the finder can shape the planet however they’d like. Rahnia comes to this desert planet in an attempt to find the voice box for her people.
This short novella gets across clearly the beauty of this desert world. From the descriptions of the sand and the local communities to interactions that Rahnia has with the environment. Rahnia is an important protagonist, but the planet is truly the main character. I loved the messages that this story gets across and how effectively it does it in such a short format.
I would read this story if it was much longer, but I also felt like there was a clear beginning, middle, and end and I got everything out of it that I needed to. To me, that is the makings of a well written novella. I really enjoyed this story, was able to finish it in a day, and would recommend it to anyone. It is beautifully written and despite it being written on another planet, in a science fiction world, the messages really ring home for our world today.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
hallefaye's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-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? No
4.0
*I received this free to read as an advanced copy through BookSirens in collaboration with Dragon Bone Publishing.
This is my first novella I have truly read and I am hooked! Nathaniel Luscombe easily captured my attention in Chapter 1 with a fast-paced science fiction fantasy that left me wanting more and not wanting to put this down. A moving tale that did slow down about half way through but gave us a wonderful character that I yearn for more of. First science fiction of the year and I cannot wait for more of what Nathaniel Luscombe has to offer.
Medium-paced, plot driven novella, with thought a deep, thought-provoking character.
This is my first novella I have truly read and I am hooked! Nathaniel Luscombe easily captured my attention in Chapter 1 with a fast-paced science fiction fantasy that left me wanting more and not wanting to put this down. A moving tale that did slow down about half way through but gave us a wonderful character that I yearn for more of. First science fiction of the year and I cannot wait for more of what Nathaniel Luscombe has to offer.
Medium-paced, plot driven novella, with thought a deep, thought-provoking character.
flowerranger's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
As a Sci-Fi reader, I enjoyed this novella a lot. It seems to have taken inpiration from Dune, which I adore to this day, The 100, which got me into Sci-Fi, and perhaps even Solaris, which blew my 20 years old mind. There are definitely more inflences from other works that I am not acquainted with and some that I haven't discovered yet.
The Cover art is gorgeous and perfectly captures the spirit of the novella. The colours!!! Big wows!
This has been a pleasure to read and might even be beginner friendly for those who want to get into speculative, philosophical sci-fi.
"Power always equates to some form of pain." Nathaniel, Sir, how are you in your early 20s and this reflected?
"When history is the only guide, what room is there for the future?"
Open questions like this give us as readers space to develop our own answers but it isn't too challenging of a question, it doesn't hurt to think about. I enjoyed grinding my neurons to find possible answers and further develop the ideas. After all, isn't creativity what carves our paths into the future?
"[…] one abandoned me because I told him I no longer needed him. It hurts nonetheless." This paragraph on grief did not make me cry but it made me sit with my emotions for a bit and it had me question my path of becoming independent from my parents.
While it is a challenge to incorporate feelings like loneliness and grief and the like into a story that counts less than 100 pages, Nathaniel Luscombe did well enough IMO. Here is, where I can't give the novella 5 stars, though. Considering the amount of editing and improvments that this novella has been through, I would have liked to feel more deeply with the MC. 4 stars is still a high rating and I have already read the sneak peak of Moon Soul and can say that I already feel improvements in the writing. I've preordered Moon Soul, which also has gorgeous cover art.
It also feels like this story was about breaking a vicious cycle and the feeling of contentment that comes with doing better than those who have come before us and I appreciate the story unfolding the way it did after that (trying to spoil the plot here).
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Check out the author on social media, he's a pretty cool dude.
The Cover art is gorgeous and perfectly captures the spirit of the novella. The colours!!! Big wows!
This has been a pleasure to read and might even be beginner friendly for those who want to get into speculative, philosophical sci-fi.
"Power always equates to some form of pain." Nathaniel, Sir, how are you in your early 20s and this reflected?
"When history is the only guide, what room is there for the future?"
Open questions like this give us as readers space to develop our own answers but it isn't too challenging of a question, it doesn't hurt to think about. I enjoyed grinding my neurons to find possible answers and further develop the ideas. After all, isn't creativity what carves our paths into the future?
"[…] one abandoned me because I told him I no longer needed him. It hurts nonetheless." This paragraph on grief did not make me cry but it made me sit with my emotions for a bit and it had me question my path of becoming independent from my parents.
While it is a challenge to incorporate feelings like loneliness and grief and the like into a story that counts less than 100 pages, Nathaniel Luscombe did well enough IMO. Here is, where I can't give the novella 5 stars, though. Considering the amount of editing and improvments that this novella has been through, I would have liked to feel more deeply with the MC. 4 stars is still a high rating and I have already read the sneak peak of Moon Soul and can say that I already feel improvements in the writing. I've preordered Moon Soul, which also has gorgeous cover art.
It also feels like this story was about breaking a vicious cycle and the feeling of contentment that comes with doing better than those who have come before us and I appreciate the story unfolding the way it did after that (trying to spoil the plot here).
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Check out the author on social media, he's a pretty cool dude.
fussl's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was nice. It was just a really nice book that made me feel happy. No unnecessary drama or misunderstanding or complicated world building. Just a main character trying to make this planet she's stranded on a better place than it was before. I liked it.
This was nice. It was just a really nice book that made me feel happy. No unnecessary drama or misunderstanding or complicated world building. Just a main character trying to make this planet she's stranded on a better place than it was before. I liked it.
hahafool's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
redreeads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5