Scan barcode
A review by bunrab
Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler
5.0
This book came out before the movie Ad Astra, but I read it a couple of weeks after the movie came out. So I was primed to notice the similarities - and the differences. So I can say, if you saw Ad Astra and thought it was OK but wished it had more actual science, less Space! Pirates! On! The! Moon!, and a balanced cast of male and female characters, then this is the book for you. The major theme of "the sins of the fathers shall be visited on the children" and how a child forgives their parent(s) for twisting the child's life because of the parent's scientific ambition is there. But our protagonist is a female astronaut headed for another star. Her mother is as important to her journey as her father. The narrative switches between when she was 11, and her present (a few decades in our future) when she is on her one-way voyage to colonize another planet.
I would say, if you are already a fan of Mary Robinette Kowal's /Lady Astronaut/ books, you will probably really like this book, just as I did. There are some interesting comparisons to make there, too; this book is an alternate history of a sort, with a turning point less drastic than the meteor, and in the 1980s. I can't say much more in the way of similarities without spoilers, so I'll just say, read both Kowal's books and this one, and enjoy the journey.
I would say, if you are already a fan of Mary Robinette Kowal's /Lady Astronaut/ books, you will probably really like this book, just as I did. There are some interesting comparisons to make there, too; this book is an alternate history of a sort, with a turning point less drastic than the meteor, and in the 1980s. I can't say much more in the way of similarities without spoilers, so I'll just say, read both Kowal's books and this one, and enjoy the journey.