Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by daryase
Arc of the Universe by Nikki Alexander
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Professor Carrie Davenport, a renowned expert in constitutional law, has been selected to lead the team that will develop the constitution for the future Martian colony, as a private enterprise, Project Mars, is about to launch the first group of colonists into space. Carrie has always believed that her way of introducing change is not through the barricades but by becoming a successful example herself, a role model of what a Black woman can achieve. But a brutal clash with local police, when they misidentify her based on racial stereotypes — where none of her regalia matters anymore — makes her doubt the foundations of American democracy more than ever, let alone the possibility of developing a framework for an equitable coexistence of space-goers on its basis. It seems like the Mars colony is going to be a rich white men's playground anyway, so why bother?
It's a very interesting case of allegedly sci-fi: a setting in the near future not to make conjectures but to develop a what-if situation to explore a very real and contemporary thing. It's the 2030s, to allow for the idea that the tech has developed enough to make that feasible, but otherwise this is a direct commentary on very recognizable aspects of U.S. society, with police brutality, racialized violence, and inequality.
As someone interested in what creates the subjective perception of a genre, I also appreciated this read a lot because it made me think about the following. I would say there is some YA-ish feel despite the novel not having any of the usual components of the category: not the teenage protagonists, not the themes that are usual in YA fiction, such as those associated with first independent decisions about one's life or defining one's identity. What then? I do not want to say this novel is not nuanced, so "simplifying everything like an adolescent read." To the contrary: it is very nuanced in exploring the topic, but all nuance is very thoroughly spelled out, like it often happens in YA fiction. It is a novel of ideas, clearly, and it invites the reader to think through these themes (democracy, equality, justice) together with the characters by sharing with the reader the input that they are basing their thought process on.
And the desire to show some ways toward hope rather than just reiterate the reasons for despair — which is characteristic of many texts for younger people — might also add to the feel. (But that's exactly why there are many 30+-aged people with degrees like me who prefer genre fiction, isn't it? This one is a piece meeting our demand that is often satisfied by YA titles, without being about teenagers.)
But in no way do I want to suggest that this story is only a discussion of legal-ish ideas: the plot is quite gripping, with several wild turns on the way. I happened to make a pause for a couple of days (because of work events) in the reading process that accidentally exactly coincided with one of those wild turns, and I was then: WHA-AT? Are we in a spy novel now?
Highly recommended, 4.5 stars.
Publication date June 24, 2025.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with the eARC through NetGalley. The opinion above is entirely my own.
It's a very interesting case of allegedly sci-fi: a setting in the near future not to make conjectures but to develop a what-if situation to explore a very real and contemporary thing. It's the 2030s, to allow for the idea that the tech has developed enough to make that feasible, but otherwise this is a direct commentary on very recognizable aspects of U.S. society, with police brutality, racialized violence, and inequality.
As someone interested in what creates the subjective perception of a genre, I also appreciated this read a lot because it made me think about the following. I would say there is some YA-ish feel despite the novel not having any of the usual components of the category: not the teenage protagonists, not the themes that are usual in YA fiction, such as those associated with first independent decisions about one's life or defining one's identity. What then? I do not want to say this novel is not nuanced, so "simplifying everything like an adolescent read." To the contrary: it is very nuanced in exploring the topic, but all nuance is very thoroughly spelled out, like it often happens in YA fiction. It is a novel of ideas, clearly, and it invites the reader to think through these themes (democracy, equality, justice) together with the characters by sharing with the reader the input that they are basing their thought process on.
And the desire to show some ways toward hope rather than just reiterate the reasons for despair — which is characteristic of many texts for younger people — might also add to the feel. (But that's exactly why there are many 30+-aged people with degrees like me who prefer genre fiction, isn't it? This one is a piece meeting our demand that is often satisfied by YA titles, without being about teenagers.)
But in no way do I want to suggest that this story is only a discussion of legal-ish ideas: the plot is quite gripping, with several wild turns on the way. I happened to make a pause for a couple of days (because of work events) in the reading process that accidentally exactly coincided with one of those wild turns, and I was then: WHA-AT? Are we in a spy novel now?
Highly recommended, 4.5 stars.
Publication date June 24, 2025.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with the eARC through NetGalley. The opinion above is entirely my own.