Lightning Strike: Earthborn and Starborn

Lightning Strike #1-2

by Catherine Asaro

A two-part adventure of time travel, romance, and interstellar intrigue that takes you “from the L.A. barrios to the universe! Excellent” ( The San Diego   Union-Tribune ).
 
Born in Mexico but living in East LA much of her young life, Tina Santis Pulivok has always felt different from her friends and family. Her mind picks up the moods of others, but she’s never understood why—until a bizarre meeting gives her a one-of-a-kind connection to a soldier from the future. Their connection will transcend both time and space—and the future of both their worlds depends on it . . .
 
Earthborn
Tina knows the strange man on the street must be lost, but she can’t imagine just how far he is from home. Althor, an Imperial Space Command pilot, left his planet in 2328 to attend a reception in Washington DC—and somehow ended up in 1987 Los Angeles. When the military captures his starfighter, he and Tina race to recover the ship before it detonates—and takes a large swath of California with it . . . 
 
Starborn
Following her heart, Tina leaves Earth behind when she travels to a future universe with starfighter pilot Althor. But the more she learns about his powerful, telepathic family, the more she realizes how much danger they’re in, as a merciless enemy targets the newlywed couple in a treasonous plan to conquer human civilization.
 
Praise for Lightning Strike
 
“A space adventure for the twenty-first century.” —Nancy Kress, Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author
 
“A truly masterful accomplishment of world-building, an example of consummate craftsmanship and an impeccable feel for the technical and social possibilities that lie ahead of us. Hard science fiction fans can rejoice—the next superstar is here.” —Romantic Times
 

Genres: Science Fiction

528 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2023

About the author

The author of more than twenty-five books, Catherine Asaro is acclaimed for her Ruby Dynasty series, which combines adventure, science, romance and fast-paced action. Her novel The Quantum Rose won the Nebula® Award, as did her novella “The Spacetime Pool.” Among her many other distinctions, she is a multiple winner of the AnLab from Analog magazine and a three time recipient of the RT BOOKClub Award for “Best Science Fiction Novel.” Her most recent novel, Carnelians, came out in October, 2011. An anthology of her short fiction titled Aurora in Four Voices is available from ISFiC Press in hardcover, and her multiple award-winning novella “The City of Cries” is also available as an eBook for Kindle and Nook.

Catherine has two music CD’s out and she is currently working on her third. The first, Diamond Star, is the soundtrack for her novel of the same name, performed with the rock band, Point Valid. She appears as a vocalist at cons, clubs, and other venues in the US and abroad, including recently as the Guest of Honor at the Denmark and New Zealand National Science Fiction Conventions. She performs selections from her work in a multimedia project that mixes literature, dance, and music with Greg Adams as her accompanist. She is also a theoretical physicist with a PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard, and a jazz and ballet dancer. Visit her at www.facebook.com/Catherine.Asaro

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I know why author Catherine Asaro has spent years working on these two books. Lightning Strike is a much-expanded retelling of the second book in her Skolian Empire series Catch the Lightning (published in 1996). But this time the story is told from Earth woman Tina's POV. (All of the other Skolian Empire books are told from the point of view of someone in the ruling Skolian Empire family whose adventure is being told.) I am only totally shocked because Lightning Strike came out in 2023 but I only discovered these two books in 2026.

I had totally enjoyed the entire Skolian Empire series because I enjoy books with characters who have telepathy and, of course, hard sf space opera. The only advantage the Skolians have over their deadly enemies the Traders are that the Skolians can pass telepathic messages faster than the speed of light and the Traders have to rely on their starships going wherever to deliver physically deliver THEIR mail.

The Skolians know that six thousand years ago their ancestors were stolen from Earth and deposited on the planet Raylicon. What they do not know is WHY because the beings who brought them to Raylicon are long gone. The Skolians themselves developed space travel but then lost that technology. We see them now that they have become space travelers a second time.

Highly recommended for all Skolian Empire fans. Boy certainly meets girl in this book so we have romance, stranded alien on Earth trying to get to his ship so that he can return home, PLUS time travel (because the Skolian pilot lands on the right planet but manages to land in an alternate timeline).

Lightning Strike has a much different feel than the Skolian Empire main line books because the story is told from Tina's point of view. So, I consider Lightning Strike a two-book companion to the Skolian Empire books AND a good place to start for readers new to the Skolian Empire series.

Ms. Asaro is at the top of her game with this duology and the result has been TOTALLY worth the years-long wait for Lightning Strike!!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! The writing style and characters had me instantly intrigued. Perfect mix of sci-fi and romance. Althor is interesting, flirty, and totally entranced by Tina which I completely ate up. I had no idea this was a larger series when I started reading it. It’s great as a standalone duo as the author still explains everything fairly well. She took a difficult topic (quantum physics) and not only explained it well; it was incredibly interesting! I would read her other books based on how well developed everything was.
Starborn was quite more chaotic at times that I felt like I was desperate for a break, but it engrossed me into the characters more.
Would’ve loved more romance and more explanation into how Mayans got to space and why. But I do think her other books in the series delve into that.

[Groucho42 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I've read the pair before, but they weren't in my database. They're just ok. Tina was born in Mexico, lives in LA, and is Maya. Althor does the usual cross universe shuffle to meet her in a different one so his people get to breed. The pair of novels are Skolian novels about their adventures in both universes. Between the author's world building, hard SF, and romance, there's really nothing unusual about the books, but they're not bad.

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story lacks depth

I kept hoping that the story would deepen but it largely stayed focused around the sexual attraction between the two protagonists. Disappointing.

[Joseph Manes · Rating 5 out of 5]

wondrous, rewrite, and a great second book

I remember reading this one and thinking it the best of the whole series and now there’s a second book and a third, which I’m about to read
if you haven’t read the first book jump in right now