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Colony
"They would face at least two winters here. The howling swirl of dust wrapping them in an ever tighter cocoon. It hadn't been like this at first. No windstorms or unexplained power outages. No sense that the planet itself had begun to speak."
The year is 2036, and Project Arche - an international endeavour to create a self-sustaining settlement on Mars - has sent the first wave of civilians to the planet. Silver Antara, Flight Engineer aboard the interplanetary transport ship, Octavia, has spent six months on the inhospitable planet, maintaining a roaming fleet of exploratory rovers looking for signs of water and, potentially, life.
Almost thirty-four million miles from home, Silver has learnt to shelter from solar storms and guard against radiation, but when an unexplained accident occurs at the settlement's quarry, followed by the strange disappearance of a colleague, Silver and Chief Engineer Aliyaah Diambu begin to question the behaviour of some of the station's residents and the wisdom of Project Arche as a whole.
Are the doubts in Silver's mind just a result of fatigue, or radiation sickness, or is she somehow hearing the planet itself resisting colonisation?
The year is 2036, and Project Arche - an international endeavour to create a self-sustaining settlement on Mars - has sent the first wave of civilians to the planet. Silver Antara, Flight Engineer aboard the interplanetary transport ship, Octavia, has spent six months on the inhospitable planet, maintaining a roaming fleet of exploratory rovers looking for signs of water and, potentially, life.
Almost thirty-four million miles from home, Silver has learnt to shelter from solar storms and guard against radiation, but when an unexplained accident occurs at the settlement's quarry, followed by the strange disappearance of a colleague, Silver and Chief Engineer Aliyaah Diambu begin to question the behaviour of some of the station's residents and the wisdom of Project Arche as a whole.
Are the doubts in Silver's mind just a result of fatigue, or radiation sickness, or is she somehow hearing the planet itself resisting colonisation?
228 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2017
2 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
About the author
Leigh Matthews
5 books91 followersLeigh Matthews is a British-Canadian living in Gibsons, BC, where she works as a freelance medical copywriter, novelist, and poet.
Leigh has published four works of fiction:
Colony - September 2017.
Go Deep - April 2016 (Book Two in the All Out Vancouver series).
Don't Bang the Barista! October 2014 (Book One in the All Out Vancouver Series).
The Old Arbutus Tree - July 2013.
Non-Fiction:
Eat to Beat Acne - March 2015.
Leigh has published four works of fiction:
Colony - September 2017.
Go Deep - April 2016 (Book Two in the All Out Vancouver series).
Don't Bang the Barista! October 2014 (Book One in the All Out Vancouver Series).
The Old Arbutus Tree - July 2013.
Non-Fiction:
Eat to Beat Acne - March 2015.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 7, 2019
What a fascinating and unexpectedly spooky book! It might be one of the only 'hard' science fiction books I've ever read. Taking place in the near future, the story is set on Mars with humanity's first attempt at a colony. An unexplained mining accident sparks an increasingly volatile and life-threatening situation. I loved how this was a story with a queer protagonist that wasn't at all about queerness, although it does question what it is to be human. Full review on my blog!
March 8, 2018
Recommend
This book has no romance. Its all hard science. Which, honestly, I appreciate but I craved more from this story.
Regardless, I did find the outcome to be somewhat satisfying. I really liked the writing style; and the degree author's knowledge of the topic was obvious.
[Spoiler]
I really liked the concept of the importance of the organism to technological advances on Earth. I just wish the author elaborated on that.
This book has no romance. Its all hard science. Which, honestly, I appreciate but I craved more from this story.
Regardless, I did find the outcome to be somewhat satisfying. I really liked the writing style; and the degree author's knowledge of the topic was obvious.
[Spoiler]
I really liked the concept of the importance of the organism to technological advances on Earth. I just wish the author elaborated on that.
October 29, 2017
It started really strong and I could have really liked it if the writing quality hadn't decreased somewhat, and if it hadn't been about
There's no romance and I appreciated that queer identities are threaded through the story in a natural way without having to be the focus of the story at any point. I do, however, find it telling that none of the queer-identifying characters are happy in love or allowed to live.
Finally, another point that makes me wary of the representation is that the main character's mother is Navajo and pretended she wasn't/it was best left in the past, while her white father didn't hide his contempt of it and of his daughter for being darker than his wife. There's also some attempt at commentary on her being a colonizer that feels completely insufficient and superficial and not organic.
There's no romance and I appreciated that queer identities are threaded through the story in a natural way without having to be the focus of the story at any point. I do, however, find it telling that none of the queer-identifying characters are happy in love or allowed to live.
Finally, another point that makes me wary of the representation is that the main character's mother is Navajo and pretended she wasn't/it was best left in the past, while her white father didn't hide his contempt of it and of his daughter for being darker than his wife. There's also some attempt at commentary on her being a colonizer that feels completely insufficient and superficial and not organic.
February 9, 2018
A page turner that delves into what it means to colonize and to be colonized. This story, set in the near future, remains utterly believable throughout and manages to explore some big issues while maintaining the heart of a suspenseful adventure. Read it for the fun of exploring space or read it for the smart social commentary on colonization and gender. You won't be disappointed. With everyone rushing to colonize Mars this is a timely read!
October 5, 2017
Astounding
This story is so well put together and the pacing so tight that I felt drawn into it from the beginning and, at the end, felt a tingling in my spine that I usually associate with amazing music. Extremely highly recommended!
This story is so well put together and the pacing so tight that I felt drawn into it from the beginning and, at the end, felt a tingling in my spine that I usually associate with amazing music. Extremely highly recommended!
November 13, 2017
I am at odds over the ending here. Did they go back to infect the Earth, learn how to cohabitate with the Martian element, or in the hopes that the people of Earth can develop a way to eradicate the Martian hive-like life form?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2018
Did not finish.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews