A review by amandasbrews
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

5.0

Asuka has trained most of her life to be selected to go on the world’s last ditch effort to save humanity. And, estranged from her mother, The Phoenix and it’s crew are all she has left. So when an explosion happens on the spaceship, Asuka is determined to find the cause of the explosion before everyone in the crew loses faith in the mission.

The Deep Sky is an epic space thriller that doesn’t let you forget about the humanity of the people that go on adventures like these. It is wide in scope and sincere in characterization. In an striking balance, it makes us think about how the earth came to the brink of demise while mourning the estrangement from our parents but also understanding the barriers between us.

Told in a non-linear timeline, Kitasei beautifully casts a wide net, exposing us to our deepest imaginings about the future of earth and humanity while grounding us in the tension between family members that you wish would understand you. In the middle of an epic space thriller, as the characters are tumbling away from earth at rapid speeds, Kitasei brings us closer and closer to home. As the action rises onboard the ship, the narrative slowly gets closer and closer to the individualized internal self in a stunning dichotomy.

As we got closer to the individual, I began to feel Asuka’s pain, I became grounded in the familiarity of her unbelonging. I felt a kinship to Asuka’s yearning to run away to the stars, a parallel feeling of being an imposter for claiming her heritage. The Deep Sky is vast, action-packed, and introspective; it’s a story that will stick with you through the stars.

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