Tag: science fiction

Book Review: Extremity – Nicholas Binge

Book Review: Extremity – Nicholas Binge

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: September 16 2025
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 176
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Synopsis

When once-renowned police detective Julia Torgrimsen is brought out of forced retirement to investigate the murder of Bruno Donaldson, a billionaire she worked with whilst undercover, she doesn’t expect to find two bodies. Both are Bruno–identical down to the fingerprints–and both have been shot.

As the investigation sucks her back into the macabre world of London’s rich elite, she finds herself on the hunt for a mysterious assassin who has been taking out the wealthy one by one. But when she finally catches up with her quarry, she unveils an entire world of secrets: impossible documents about future stock market crashes, photographs of dead clones, and a clandestine time-travelling conspiracy so insidious it might just mean the extinction of the entire human race.

If Julia is to have any chance of preventing this terrible future, she’ll have to revisit her own past, the terrible choices she made undercover, and the brutal act that destroyed her once legendary career.

Review

Nicholas Binge is back with a fast-paced science fiction novella that follows ex police detective Julia Torgrimsen as she teams up with a newly recruited constable to uncover who has murdered billionaire Bruno Donaldson. When they discover two bodies – both with the exact same fingerprints – the two become entangled in an investigation into London’s elite and a conspiracy that could destroy life as they know it.

Ascension by Nicholas Binge was one of my favourite reads of 2023, so I was very excited to get to this. The book is less than 200 pages, and I ended up racing through it in a single sitting. This is a gripping and entertaining read that I didn’t want to put down. Binge has created a really compelling plot that is executed so well. If you enjoy police procedurals but with a sci-fi twist, Extremity should definitely be on your TBR.

The story is told from three different POVs, and I thought that worked really well. I really liked Julia; I thought she was a brilliant character. I thought the story came to a really interesting conclusion, and I would love to read another book following the same characters. If you’re looking for a compelling novella that’s full of tension, action, and mystery, that is one you do not want to miss!

Book Review: Rose/House – Arkady Martine

Book Review: Rose/House – Arkady Martine

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release date: March 11 2025
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 128
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

Basit Deniau’s houses were haunted to begin with.

A house embedded with an artificial intelligence is common. A house that is an artificial intelligence, infused in every load-bearing beam and fine marble tile with a thinking creature that is not human? That is something else altogether. But now Deniau’s been dead a year, and Rose House is locked up tight, as commanded by the architect’s all his possessions and files and sketches are confined in its archives, and their only keeper is Rose House itself. Rose House, and one other.

Dr. Selene Gisil, one of Deniau’s former protégé, is permitted to come into Rose House once a year. She alone may open Rose House’s vaults, look at drawings and art, talk with Rose House’s animating intelligence all she likes. Until this week, Dr. Gisil was the only person whom Rose House spoke to.

But even an animate intelligence that haunts a house has some failsafes common to all AIs. For all AIs must report the presence of a dead body to the nearest law enforcement agency.

There is a dead person in Rose House. The house says so. It is not Basit Deniau, and it is not Dr. Gisil. It is someone else. Rose House, having completed its duty of care and informed Detective Maritza Smith of the China Lake police precinct that there is in fact a dead person inside it, dead of unnatural causes—has shut up.

No one can get inside Rose House, except Dr. Gisil. Dr. Gisil was not in North America when Rose House called the China Lake precinct. But someone did. And someone died there. And someone may be there still.

Review

Rose/House is an engaging sci-fi thriller that centres on Rose House, the work of famous architect Basit Deniau. This AI house has been shut up since Deniau’s death a year ago, allowing only one person to visit – Dr. Selene Gisil, his former protégé. When the police receive a call from Rose House stating there is a dead body on the premises, Detective Maritza Smith has no choice but to investigate – but how did the person get in and more importantly, who killed him?

This little novella was such a fascinating read that I raced through it in a single sitting. I thought it had such an interesting premise and the story was so well executed. Martine keeps you guessing right till the end and I absolutely loved the way Martine built the tension and unease of Rose House.

This story is full to the brim with atmosphere and I really enjoyed Martine’s beautiful, dream like writing style. Rose/House is a really unique and compelling story and if you’re looking for a sci-fi thriller that will stick with you long after reading, you definitely don’t want to miss this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read more from Arkady Martine.

 

Book Review: Ascension – Nicholas Binge

Book Review: Ascension – Nicholas Binge

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release Date: April 25th 2023
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Pages: 320
Find it on: Goodreads. Waterstones.
Source: I received an E-ARC of this book via Netgalley
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis

An enormous snow-covered mountain has appeared in the Pacific Ocean. No one knows when exactly it showed up, precisely how big it might be, or how to explain its existence. When Harold Tunmore, a scientist of mysterious phenomena, is contacted by a shadowy organization to help investigate, he has no idea what he is getting into as he and his team set out for the mountain.

The higher Harold’s team ascends, the less things make sense. Time moves differently, turning minutes into hours, and hours into days. Amid the whipping cold of higher elevation, the climbers’ limbs numb and memories of their lives before the mountain begin to fade. Paranoia quickly turns to violence among the crew, and slithering, ancient creatures pursue them in the snow. Still, as the dangers increase, the mystery of the mountain compels them to its peak, where they are certain they will find their answers. Have they stumbled upon the greatest scientific discovery known to man or the seeds of their own demise?

Framed by the discovery of Harold Tunmore’s unsent letters to his family and the chilling and provocative story they tell, Ascension considers the limitations of science and faith and examines both the beautiful and the unsettling sides of human nature.

Review

I really love books that feature an expedition or climbing a mountain and creepy things start happening (I just love Michelle Paver’s books!) so when I read the premise for Ascension it sounded like exactly my cup of tea. Told through a series of letters our protagonist writes to his niece, the story follows scientist Harold Tunmore as he’s invited on an expedition to explore a mountain that has appeared in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On arrival strange and mysterious things start happening and the higher they go the more questions arise. Can Harold and his team unravel the mystery of the mountain and will they make it out alive?

This book has such a compelling premise and it is executed so well. I really enjoyed the way the story was told in letters and Binge’s writing was so easy to get lost in. The story is paced well and Binge does an amazing job of slowly increasing that sense of unease and paranoia as the expedition climbs higher. There were certainly some really tense, creepy moments and more than a few that sent a shiver down my spine.

Ascension is quite a quick paced book that incorporates science fiction, thriller, and horror elements that make you not want to look away. Our main protagonist Harold is a really complex character, dealing with grief and the loss of everything he once knew. I really liked seeing the dynamics between the characters change as they realised just how much danger they were in.

Binge does a great job of keeping the reader guessing and I was never really sure where the story was going to go. Ascension is a gripping page turner and one that I did not want to put down. Ascension is a hugely enjoyable read and I am looking forward to reading more from Nicholas Binge in the future.

Blog Tour: Some Desperate Glory – Emily Tesh

Blog Tour: Some Desperate Glory – Emily Tesh

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release Date: April 11th 2023
Publisher: Orbit Books
Pages: 448
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis

While we live, the enemy shall fear us.

All her life Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the all-powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the Majoda their victory over humanity.

They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. But when Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons until she dies trying, she knows she must take humanity’s revenge into her own hands.

Alongside her brother’s brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, she escapes from everything she’s ever known into a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could have imagined.

A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is award-winning author Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel.

Review

Emily Tesh’s Some Desperate Glory is an epic space adventure that follows Kyr, a young woman living on Gaea Station – one of the last holdouts of humanity after planet Earth was destroyed. Kyr has trained all her life to be the most skilled warrior and she knows she will be assigned a combat job to help get revenge for her planet. When Kyr is unexpectedly assigned to the nursery to bear sons and her brother Mags is sent on a suicide mission, Kyr teams up with her brother’s friend and a captive alien to rescue Mags and take matters into her own hands. However, once Kyr and her team escape the station, they find there might be far more out there than she realised.

I’ve always wanted to read Emily Tesh’s Greenhollow Duology, so I absolutely jumped at the chance to read Some Desperate Glory. This is a fast paced and addictive read – one I positively raced through. The world building is well developed and this well executed tale had plenty of surprise moments that I absolutely did not expect. Even when I was sure what was going to happen next, Tesh took the story in a completely different direction. Some Desperate Glory is a compelling read, and one science fiction fans are not going to be able to put down.

Some Desperate Glory has a really fascinating protagonist. Kyr really believes in the idea of vengeance for humanity. In the beginning, she’s so unlikeable and it was so intriguing to see how she changes as the story progressed. You eventually get to the point where you can’t help but root for her. Tesh does a brilliant job creating a complex protagonist and combining that with a really compelling story, meant I was glued to this book for hours on end.

The story has plenty of action packed moments that will have the reader on the edge of their seat. Some Desperate Glory is an unforgettable science fiction adventure that should not be missed and I cannot wait to read more from Emily Tesh.

Blog Tour: The Stars Undying – Emery Robin

Blog Tour: The Stars Undying – Emery Robin

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Series: Empire Without End #1
Release Date: November 8th 2022
Publisher: Orbit Books
Pages: 528
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis

A spectacular space opera debut perfect for readers of Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice and Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire, inspired by the lives and loves of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar.

Princess Altagracia has lost everything. After a bloody civil war, her twin sister has claimed not just the crown of their planet Szayet but the Pearl of its prophecy, a computer that contains the immortal soul of Szayet’s god. Stripped of her birthright, Gracia flees the planet—just as Matheus Ceirran, Commander of the interstellar Empire of Ceiao, arrives in deadly pursuit with his volatile lieutenant, Anita. When Gracia and Ceirran’s paths collide, Gracia sees an opportunity to win back her planet, her god, and her throne…if she can win the Commander and his right-hand officer over first.

But talking her way into Ceirran’s good graces, and his bed, is only the beginning. Dealing with the most powerful man in the galaxy is almost as dangerous as war, and Gracia is quickly torn between an alliance that fast becomes more than political and the wishes of the god—or machine—that whispers in her ear. For Szayet’s sake, and her own, Gracia will need to become more than a princess with a silver tongue. She will have to become a queen as history has never seen before—even if it breaks an empire.

Review

The Stars Undying is an epic space opera debut that follows Altagracia, a young princess that lost everything when her twin sister claimed the crown.  With no choice but to go on the run, Gracia soon runs into Matheus Ceirran, the deadly Commander of the Empire of Ceiao. Gracia knows Ceirran could be her ticket to reclaiming her birthright, but only if she can win him over first.

I must admit that two of the main things that drew me to this book was the absolutely stunning cover and the tag line that the story is inspired by the lives of Julius Ceasar and Cleopatra. It has been a while since I’ve read a science fiction book that completely captivated me, but that’s exactly what The Stars Undying did. The story is quite quick paced, with really beautiful writing. It’s the sort of book that you think about even when you aren’t reading it and I often found I was itching to get home at the end of the day to find out what would happen next.

The world building is incredibly detailed and it did take me a little while to get to grips with the different worlds and their beliefs. While I know bits and pieces about Ceasar and Cleopatra, I don’t know loads about their history. I noticed some parallels but I think even if you knew nothing about the historical figures, you would be completely gripped by this story. The story is told in alternating points of view and I was fascinated by both Gracia and Ceirran. Both characters felt so well crafted and developed – it was so intriguing to watch their relationship progress as they’re such determined and power hungry characters.

The Stars Undying is a richly told, unforgettable space opera that I could not put down. If you’re looking for a science fiction retelling that will have you on the edge of your seat, look no further. This is an incredibly impressive debut and without a doubt my favourite science fiction book of 2022. I cannot wait to see what happens in book two.

Book Review: The Offset – Calder Szewczak

Book Review: The Offset – Calder Szewczak

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release Date: September 14th 2021
Publisher: Angry Robot Books
Pages: 240
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

It is your eighteenth birthday and one of your parents must die. You are the one who decides. Whom do you pick?

In a dying world, the Offset ceremony has been introduced to counteract and discourage procreation. It is a rule that is simultaneously accepted, celebrated and abhorred. But in this world, survival demands sacrifice so for every birth, there must be a death.

Professor Jac Boltanski is leading Project Salix, a ground-breaking new mission to save the world by replanting radioactive Greenland with genetically-modified willow trees. But things aren’t working out and there are discrepancies in the data. Has someone intervened to sabotage her life’s work?

In the meantime, her daughter Miri, an anti-natalist, has run away from home. Days before their Offset ceremony where one of her mothers must be sentenced to death, she is brought back against her will following a run-in with the law. Which parent will Miri pick to die: the one she loves, or the one she hates who is working to save the world?

Review

The Offset is an incredibly intriguing story, one set in a world where overpopulation is counteracted by a ceremony known as the offset. When a child reaches 18, they must choose which of their parents must die. Miri is the daughter of the famous Jac Boltanski, leader of Project Salix that will help to save the world. When Jac finds some irregularities in the project’s data, she must discover what’s going on. Meanwhile, their offset is days away and Miri has run away from home. Miri knows in a few days’ time she will need to make an impossible decision – which of her parents will die? The one she loves or the one she hates who might be humanity’s last hope?

The Offset is one of those books where you read the premise and you know immediately that you need to read it. The story has such a unique concept and I was hooked right from the get-go. This is a bleak story and one that felt incredibly plausible. While this is a relatively short story, Szewczak has packed a lot into the pages and I was glued to the book for hours at a time. The story is well-paced, giving the reader a chance to get to know the state the world is now in. I also really enjoyed the writing style in the book and it was easy to get to grips with what was going on.

Where I think The Offset really excels are the interesting characters. Miri is an anti-natalist and tasked with making this really awful decision – she has complicated feelings for Jac, but can she rid the world of their hope for survival? The story really centres on the idea of sacrifice and I thought it was incredibly well executed.

The Offset is completely unlike anything I’ve read before and is definitely a book that sticks with you. If you’re looking for some thought-provoking science fiction that will have you hooked till the very last page, The Offset should definitely be on your wishlist.

Blog Tour: Cytonic – Brandon Sanderson

Blog Tour: Cytonic – Brandon Sanderson

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Series: Skyward #3 (See my review of book one here!)
Release Date: November 23rd 2021
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 432
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

Spensa’s life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary. She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell—the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she traveled light-years from home as an undercover spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home.

Now, the Superiority—the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life—has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa’s seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.

Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy.

The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.

To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying.

Review

Cytonic is the early awaited third instalment in Brandon Sanderson’s epic Skyward series. The story follows Spensa as she has gone from life as a space cadet to one of the best pilots in the Defiant Defence Force. Now an undercover spy infiltrating the Superiority, she has seen the Delvers the Superiority plan to use in the war. Spensa much discover what she truly is if she has any hope of saving the galaxy from destruction.

Cytonic was one of my most anticipated releases and as soon as it arrived I dived straight in, reading long into the night and finishing it in a single day. The story was action-packed and I did not want it to end. Picking up after the events of Starsight, we follow Spensa on her quest to Nowhere. I won’t say too much about the plot because this is the third book in the series, but this installment felt a bit different because Spensa was on her own personal mission. We also meet a new character in this book named Chet and I thought he was a brilliant addition to the fascinating cast of characters Sanderson has created in this series.

Spensa is the perfect protagonist and over the course of the three books, I have really grown attached to her. It’s fascinating to watch as she continues to grow and learn. Like the previous books, there is loads of humour and banter that kept me hooked to the story. Cytonic is a fast-paced story – there’s just something about Sanderson’s writing that makes you so absorbed in the story that you don’t release hundreds of pages have flown by.

Cytonic is an incredible installment in the Skyward series and readers will be on the edge of their seats till the very last page. If you haven’t yet had the chance to try this series, it’s an absolute must-read!

Blog Tour: Far From the Light of Heaven – Tade Thompson

Blog Tour: Far From the Light of Heaven – Tade Thompson

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release Date: October 26th 2021
Publisher: Orbit Books
Pages: 384
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis

The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having traveled light-years from home to bring thousands of sleeping souls to safety among the stars.

Some of the sleepers, however, will never wake – and a profound and sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel as its skeleton crew make decisions that will have repercussions for the entire system – from the scheming politicians of Lagos station to the colony of Nightshade and the poisoned planet of Bloodroot, poised for a civil war.

Review

Far From the Light of Heaven is the beautifully told story of the spaceship Ragtime, which is bringing a thousand souls from Earth to a colony among the stars. This should be a routine journey, captained by an AI. When Shell wakes she discovers the AI has failed and thirty-one of the thousand souls on board have been murdered. As the mystery unfolds it soon becomes clear that there is much more going on, with secrets that could have repercussions far bigger than anyone could imagine.

This book captivated me right from the very first page. Thompson has a beautiful writing style that kept me hooked on this story throughout. The bleak, loneliness of space was so vividly captured and I found myself completely hooked. The story is well paced, with lots of surprise moments that I absolutely did not expect.

The story contains multiple points of view and it was interesting seeing the story unfold from different perspectives. I really liked Shell, a woman thrust into the responsibility of looking after a spaceship and all the people aboard on her first interstellar flight. I enjoyed the mix of mystery and politics that Thompson created in this book and I think it’s the first time I’ve ever read a whodunnit set in space.

Far from the Light of Heaven is an incredibly addictive read, one that sci-fi fans will completely adore. If you’re looking for something that will keep you guessing but also keep you on the edge of your seat, this is definitely one to get reading.


Blog Tour: Notes From the Burning Age – Claire North

Blog Tour: Notes From the Burning Age – Claire North

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release Date: July 20th 2021
Publisher: Orbit Books
Pages: 401
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Synopsis

Ven was once a holy man, a keeper of ancient archives. It was his duty to interpret archaic texts, sorting useful knowledge from the heretical ideas of the Burning Age—a time of excess and climate disaster. For in Ven’s world, such material must be closely guarded so that the ills that led to that cataclysmic era can never be repeated.

But when the revolutionary Brotherhood approaches Ven, pressuring him to translate stolen writings that threaten everything he once held dear, his life will be turned upside down. Torn between friendship and faith, Ven must decide how far he’s willing to go to save this new world—and how much he is willing to lose.

Review

Notes From the Burning Age is the newest release from Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. The story follows Ven who is tasked with interpreting ancient texts and sorting through the information inside. The information inside is closely guarded to stop a repeat of the burning age. When the Brotherhood persuade Ven to translate stolen texts, Ven has everything he knows turned upside down and Ven will have to use everything he knows to save the world.

This was such a fascinating and engrossing read and is one of those stories you end up getting completely wrapped up in. I usually read a couple of books at the one time and I ended up abandoning all the others because I just could not look away from this one. This is my first book by Claire North (though I have quite a few of her books on my shelf) and it will definitely not be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style and the story was well-paced throughout. I thought this was such a fascinating premise – a future where Earth has been ravaged by pollution and the new world where information is closely guarded to protect it.

Ven was a really interesting main protagonist and I felt the world was really well explained. All the characters in this story felt really well developed and I really enjoyed seeing Ven grow as a character as the story progressed. Notes From the Burning Age also has elements of a spy thriller and there is tons of suspense in the story. North weaves elements of science fiction and spy thriller in a really clever way and this story will definitely appeal to a wide range of readers. Notes From the Burning Age is an unforgettable story and completely unlike anything I’ve read before. If you’ve read books from Claire North before you’re bound to love this one. If you’re in the mood for some speculative fiction that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Notes From the Burning Age is a must read.

Blog Tour: We Are Satellites – Sarah Pinsker

Blog Tour: We Are Satellites – Sarah Pinsker

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment


Release Date: May 6th 2021
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pages: 373
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Synopsis

Everybody’s getting one.

Val and Julie just want what’s best for their kids, David and Sophie. So when teenage son David comes home one day asking for a Pilot, a new brain implant to help with school, they reluctantly agree. This is the future, after all.

Soon, Julie feels mounting pressure at work to get a Pilot to keep pace with her colleagues, leaving Val and Sophie part of the shrinking minority of people without the device.

Before long, the implications are clear, for the family and society: get a Pilot or get left behind. With government subsidies and no downside, why would anyone refuse? And how do you stop a technology once it’s everywhere? Those are the questions Sophie and her anti-Pilot movement rise up to answer, even if it puts them up against the Pilot’s powerful manufacturer and pits Sophie against the people she loves most.

Review

I read Sarah Pinsker’s A Song For A New Day earlier this year and absolutely fell in love with the story so I was incredibly intrigued to pick up We Are Satellites. The story follows Julie and Val who just want their kids to be happy and live well. When their son David asks to get a Pilot – the new brain implant – they end up agreeing. When Julie ends up getting one because she feels left behind at work it leaves Val and Sophie as part of a minority of people who don’t have one. This soon causes tensions in the family and when Sophie begins an anti-Pilot movement, it could cost her more than she thought.

Just like A Song For A New Day, this story completely captivated me with its intriguing and slightly terrifying premise. The thing I love about both books is how believable they are. The possibility of a new technology coming out, something that sweeps the world and everyone becomes obsessed with is absolutely possible, so when the story takes a darker turn it feels all that more grounded in reality.

I really like Pinsker’s writing style in this story and the book is really well-paced. This unique plot kept me hooked from the very beginning and while the story isn’t particularly action-based, I was completely engrossed because of the complex and compelling characters that Pinsker creates. I loved that we see the family as things develop over years, showing the longer-term ramifications of the technology. This felt like such an original story, with a cleverly executed plot. If you’re looking for some character-driven sci-fi that you’ll still be thinking about long after you’ve finished reading, I definitely recommend We Are Satellites.