A review by mj_james_writes
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

5.0

The Deep Sky is a science fiction thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat with so many theories running through your head only to find out they can all be as right as they are wrong. 

 

Asuka was born in a future America where wild fires have left Californians as refugees and extremest have become mainstream. Hum maybe it isn’t that futuristic after all. Everything seemed not only possible but also likely. Including the plan to send out a deep space ship to colonize a new planet. 

 

Only eighty will go, and at the age of twelve Asuka submits her application to be one of the few. Only now they are living in Japan and she is chosen to represent a country she barely knows. 

 

The Deep Sky takes place both on the ship and in the past. Asuka’s narration is plagued with self doubt and imposter syndrome and it is by looking to the past that we truly get a sense of who she is as a narrator and a character. 

 

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of do much non-binary/trans rep s as well as queer rep and it was normalized. Although that may have just been the space that these kids were allowed to grow up in. Progressive and toxic at the same time. 

 

There are a few items that were not as great. I do not understand why there was a plan to give birth to babies half way through the trip. A reason was given but it fell flat to me. I assume it was to make the characters all be individuals with uteruses. And it made for interesting pregnancy rep in space. You don’t get that a lot. But then again is it really a great idea for eighty people to be pregnant at the same time? Once the babies are born there would be no one left to ruin anything. 

 

Also, the reasoning behind the ending was a bit of a let down. I especially feel this way the more I have sat with it. The actual ending was as expected and played out well. But the reason for the whole mess could have been given a bit more thought or depth IMO. 

 

But mostly I just enjoyed it. The writing was great and the characters were well developed.