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Across the Void
A visceral space thriller—perfect for fans of Arrival and The Martian—following the sole survivor of a catastrophic accident in space that leaves her drifting in the void with only the voice of her estranged husband, a NASA scientist, to guide her back to Earth.
Commander Maryam “May” Knox awakes from a medically induced coma alone, adrift in space on a rapidly failing ship, with little to no memory of who she is or why she’s there.
Slowly, she pieces together that she’s the captain of the ship, Hawking II; that she was bound for Europa—one of Jupiter’s moons—on a research mission; and that she’s the only survivor of either an accident—or worse, a deliberate massacre—that has decimated her entire crew. With resources running low, and her physical strength severely compromised, May must rely on someone back home to help her. The problem is: everyone thinks she’s dead.
Back on Earth, it’s been weeks since Hawking II has communicated with NASA, and Dr. Stephen Knox is on bereavement leave to deal with the apparent death of his estranged wife, whose decision to participate in the Europa mission strained their marriage past the point of no return. But when he gets word that NASA has received a transmission from May, Stephen comes rushing to her aid.
What he doesn’t know is that not everyone wants May to make it back alive. Even more terrifying: she might not be alone on that ship. Featuring a twisting and suspenseful plot and compelling characters, Across the Void is a moving and evocative thriller that you won’t be able to put down.
Commander Maryam “May” Knox awakes from a medically induced coma alone, adrift in space on a rapidly failing ship, with little to no memory of who she is or why she’s there.
Slowly, she pieces together that she’s the captain of the ship, Hawking II; that she was bound for Europa—one of Jupiter’s moons—on a research mission; and that she’s the only survivor of either an accident—or worse, a deliberate massacre—that has decimated her entire crew. With resources running low, and her physical strength severely compromised, May must rely on someone back home to help her. The problem is: everyone thinks she’s dead.
Back on Earth, it’s been weeks since Hawking II has communicated with NASA, and Dr. Stephen Knox is on bereavement leave to deal with the apparent death of his estranged wife, whose decision to participate in the Europa mission strained their marriage past the point of no return. But when he gets word that NASA has received a transmission from May, Stephen comes rushing to her aid.
What he doesn’t know is that not everyone wants May to make it back alive. Even more terrifying: she might not be alone on that ship. Featuring a twisting and suspenseful plot and compelling characters, Across the Void is a moving and evocative thriller that you won’t be able to put down.
469 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2019
66 people are currently reading
2581 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 275 reviews
May 9, 2019
Across the Void is a mash-up of both Gravity and The Martian. May commanded a pioneering mission to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, but when she wakes up alone on a foundering spaceship, she believes the rest of the crew to be dead. Suffering from short-term amnesia, she can't remember what led her to this point, or why she has filed for divorce from her husband, Stephen, who is manning the NASA computers back on Earth. As May tries to get the spaceship back on course, she begins to suspect that there's more to her situation than simple human error.
This novel is supposed to be the next 'The Martian', but it actually misses what made Andy Weir's original novel so refreshing - that the enemy is space, rather than other people, and everyone is working together to get Mark Watney home. A depressing, illogical book that I recommend avoiding. 1.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
This novel is supposed to be the next 'The Martian', but it actually misses what made Andy Weir's original novel so refreshing - that the enemy is space, rather than other people, and everyone is working together to get Mark Watney home. A depressing, illogical book that I recommend avoiding. 1.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
July 1, 2019
I requested Across the Void from Netgalley because I both liked the blurb and the cover. A wrecked spaceship, a lonely survivor, a hint of Gravity, and a faint memory of The Martian. It all sounded fantastic.
Sadly, I was somewhat disappointed. I'll talk about the negative things first and will end on a positive note, because, at the end, I enjoyed the read.
Across the Void crams too many things into a normal-sized book. Torn between being a thriller focusing on survival and a love story with a mystery and a redemption arc, it ends up being neither.
May is well depicted and three-dimensional, but sadly I did not like her and could not warm to her. All other characters fell a bit flat.
While the beginning feels realistic, the end does not, and I could no longer suspend my disbelief. Especially the events on Earth begin to feel over the top.
Now, for the positive:
The book opens strong. May wakes up, doesn't know what happened, is terrified and slowly builds a bond with the ship's AI, Eve. Those first 30-40% or so are exceptionally well done, and Eve is a fantastic character. I seem to have a thing for artificial intelligence with an elaborate personality.
The pacing is solid, and it never slows down to a crawl, and Across the Void kept my attention throughout. The writing is straightforward, simple and doesn't distract.
This one isn't for people who like hard SF, or who like their SF to be super realistic. However, if you are looking for some fun twists and turns in space, a dose of marriage turned sour but really they still like each other, give this one a try.
Sadly, I was somewhat disappointed. I'll talk about the negative things first and will end on a positive note, because, at the end, I enjoyed the read.
Across the Void crams too many things into a normal-sized book. Torn between being a thriller focusing on survival and a love story with a mystery and a redemption arc, it ends up being neither.
May is well depicted and three-dimensional, but sadly I did not like her and could not warm to her. All other characters fell a bit flat.
While the beginning feels realistic, the end does not, and I could no longer suspend my disbelief. Especially the events on Earth begin to feel over the top.
Now, for the positive:
The book opens strong. May wakes up, doesn't know what happened, is terrified and slowly builds a bond with the ship's AI, Eve. Those first 30-40% or so are exceptionally well done, and Eve is a fantastic character. I seem to have a thing for artificial intelligence with an elaborate personality.
The pacing is solid, and it never slows down to a crawl, and Across the Void kept my attention throughout. The writing is straightforward, simple and doesn't distract.
This one isn't for people who like hard SF, or who like their SF to be super realistic. However, if you are looking for some fun twists and turns in space, a dose of marriage turned sour but really they still like each other, give this one a try.
August 1, 2019
Oh this was bad.
The way it was marketed I expected Interstellar, with a dash of 2010, and enough romance to bring me to tears. It was none of those things.
Maryann Knox is the most dislikable character of the year. Imagine Lorie Grimes filled with vitriol. Now make it worse, make her think she’s funny.
The humor fell flat, it was continuous, low, and grating. And I like British humor.
There was no redeeming hard science fiction.
There was no redeeming romance.
And the overall story? Days of Our Lives has born more realistic heartfelt plot lines.
This was so bad.
Across the Void was Goldsboro Books June 2019 Book of the Month. I received 547/600, signed by the author, with sprayed edgings. I’m taking a break from this Book Club.
*audible note: Bournemouth is now my least favorite British accent. The Texas accent portrayed was so bad I screamed curses at my iPhone. Also Eve, Maryanne’s mother, had a thick foreign accent for no reason. Other than saying she was black I don’t recall anything about her not being from England. This was painful on all fronts.
April 5, 2020
I straight up loved lots about this book which fit into a niche favourite genre I like to call ‘catastrophised sci-fi’. The book opened straight into an messed up situation that continued pretty much to the end. It was an angsty, thrilling ride with so much to it.
The protagonist was May, alone on her vessel after some kind of event that she didn’t recall due to illness and amnesia. Just her and AI, creepy, am I right? This is the kind of story where you don’t know who the bad guys are and it takes a whole lot of twists, turns and suspicions to see the final issues laid out.
Alongside this lone adventure was the background story of a married couple, May and Stephen. Stephen was on earth, a gifted scientist and part of the reason May was on her vessel in the first place. There were other characters, good and awful that interplayed with this story. I actually found myself really wrapped up in this aspect.
This book was so incredibly moment-to-moment angsty, that I had to put it down a few times, just to give the adrenaline in my body time to settle. Vaughn used short chapters and a bit of past/present to ease the angst and I appreciated that writing style.
This was a great read, totally up my sci-fi street and I would love to read more by this author.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities Blog.
The protagonist was May, alone on her vessel after some kind of event that she didn’t recall due to illness and amnesia. Just her and AI, creepy, am I right? This is the kind of story where you don’t know who the bad guys are and it takes a whole lot of twists, turns and suspicions to see the final issues laid out.
Alongside this lone adventure was the background story of a married couple, May and Stephen. Stephen was on earth, a gifted scientist and part of the reason May was on her vessel in the first place. There were other characters, good and awful that interplayed with this story. I actually found myself really wrapped up in this aspect.
This book was so incredibly moment-to-moment angsty, that I had to put it down a few times, just to give the adrenaline in my body time to settle. Vaughn used short chapters and a bit of past/present to ease the angst and I appreciated that writing style.
This was a great read, totally up my sci-fi street and I would love to read more by this author.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities Blog.
July 11, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley for the free e-book in exchange for a fair review.
I don’t like giving low-star reviews. As a writer myself, I would hate for someone to dislike my novel so much they didn’t find anything redeeming about it at all. But if I can’t bring myself to finish a novel, I can’t give it anything but 1 star unless it was clear the problem was entirely me (such as something triggering me or I was just not into the story).
Unfortunately, the reasons I stopped at 70% with Across the Void was because there is a discernible lack of tension, the setting was unclear, the science was lacking, the characters were inconsistent, and there is a twist you see coming like a land truck down a deserted hallway. This is followed by severe deus ex machina.
It often felt like I was reading a script. Given this, I was not surprised to see on Goodreads that the author is a pseudonym for a movie director.
Were there things I enjoyed? Yes. I loved that there was a female person of colour as our protagonist, I enjoyed the mystery at first (until it was clear the obvious villain was indeed the villain), and the concept of being lost in space was intriguing.
Unfortunately, the rest fell flat.
You can stop reading here, as my rest of my review will be going in depth regarding the tension, setting, science and characters. Overall, it’s a lackluster story at best, which is disappointing, given the premise.
I don’t like giving low-star reviews. As a writer myself, I would hate for someone to dislike my novel so much they didn’t find anything redeeming about it at all. But if I can’t bring myself to finish a novel, I can’t give it anything but 1 star unless it was clear the problem was entirely me (such as something triggering me or I was just not into the story).
Unfortunately, the reasons I stopped at 70% with Across the Void was because there is a discernible lack of tension, the setting was unclear, the science was lacking, the characters were inconsistent, and there is a twist you see coming like a land truck down a deserted hallway. This is followed by severe deus ex machina.
It often felt like I was reading a script. Given this, I was not surprised to see on Goodreads that the author is a pseudonym for a movie director.
Were there things I enjoyed? Yes. I loved that there was a female person of colour as our protagonist, I enjoyed the mystery at first (until it was clear the obvious villain was indeed the villain), and the concept of being lost in space was intriguing.
Unfortunately, the rest fell flat.
You can stop reading here, as my rest of my review will be going in depth regarding the tension, setting, science and characters. Overall, it’s a lackluster story at best, which is disappointing, given the premise.
June 26, 2019
4,5-5 estrellas. Un absoluto enganche, una protagonistas de armas tomar y aunque hay mucho de ciencia ficción más cercana de lo que podríamos pensar, hay mucho de reacciones humanas, de relaciones, superación personal, miedos, dudas, ambiciones. No paran de pasar cosas en todo el libro y la tensión se mantiene desde la primera a la última página. Una maravilla que espero lleven a la gran pantalla.
June 14, 2019
*3.5 stars*
Synopsis
May is the commander of the most monumental space flight in human history: the first manned expedition to Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Except something has gone terribly wrong. On the return journey, she wakes up alone in a stasis chamber aboard her ship only to discover she’s lost her memory, her crew is missing, and her ship has suffered catastrophic failures. It immediately becomes an intense game of survival, not only against the vast void of space, but against foes a bit closer to home as well.
Review
Sounds amazing doesn’t it? And for the most part it was especially with our heroine being a woman of color. I was so excited to be given this ARC that I started reading it immediately.
The first half of the book reminded me of one of my more recent favourites, The Martian, so I was hooked right away. Plus the whole idea of a human trip to Europa is completely fascinating and sparks a lot of wonder in people like me who are enthralled with advancements in space travel. The dangerous beauty of our universe was really atmospheric, adding an incredible backdrop to this fast-paced survival story.
Luckily, May wasn’t completely alone as the ship’s AI survived the unknown disaster and became a valuable ally. May’s relationship with the ship’s AI became one I fell in love with. Her capacity to problem solve and persevere against overwhelming odds with her new AI sidekick really made me root for May.
Then toward the end of the book things got pretty complicated. There was so much going on and so many flashbacks to her pre-flight history that I began to get bogged down with it all. It suddenly became The Notebook 2: The Da Vinci Code in Space and felt really rushed, as if the author was trying to cram as many plots as possible into the remaining pages.
Her motivations and actions started to make absolutely no sense and all the events happening behind the scenes on Earth got very overwhelming, especially when people from her past started entering the scene doing really absurd things. The science began to feel forced and a bit ridiculous, too. One of the reasons The Martian works so beautifully is because of its realistic dedication to science and the ingenuity of the characters involved.
Also, even though the authors are anonymous, I'm assuming that they are white- and most likely male. Maybe I'm wrong, but it didn't feel like this was written (or co-written) by a person of color or a woman.
Final Thoughts
Despite all the messiness at the end, I did enjoy the book. I think a lot of the second half could have been left out because at its core this is an incredible story that is really well written. The copy I received was a solid 3 but I will err on the side of 3.5-4 stars since this was an ARC. I’m really hopeful that by publication things were tidied up and worked on because this was a really promising premise.
Read my full review here! Across the Void review by A Little Nerd Told Me
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this in exchange for a reivew.
Synopsis
May is the commander of the most monumental space flight in human history: the first manned expedition to Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Except something has gone terribly wrong. On the return journey, she wakes up alone in a stasis chamber aboard her ship only to discover she’s lost her memory, her crew is missing, and her ship has suffered catastrophic failures. It immediately becomes an intense game of survival, not only against the vast void of space, but against foes a bit closer to home as well.
Review
Sounds amazing doesn’t it? And for the most part it was especially with our heroine being a woman of color. I was so excited to be given this ARC that I started reading it immediately.
The first half of the book reminded me of one of my more recent favourites, The Martian, so I was hooked right away. Plus the whole idea of a human trip to Europa is completely fascinating and sparks a lot of wonder in people like me who are enthralled with advancements in space travel. The dangerous beauty of our universe was really atmospheric, adding an incredible backdrop to this fast-paced survival story.
Luckily, May wasn’t completely alone as the ship’s AI survived the unknown disaster and became a valuable ally. May’s relationship with the ship’s AI became one I fell in love with. Her capacity to problem solve and persevere against overwhelming odds with her new AI sidekick really made me root for May.
Then toward the end of the book things got pretty complicated. There was so much going on and so many flashbacks to her pre-flight history that I began to get bogged down with it all. It suddenly became The Notebook 2: The Da Vinci Code in Space and felt really rushed, as if the author was trying to cram as many plots as possible into the remaining pages.
Her motivations and actions started to make absolutely no sense and all the events happening behind the scenes on Earth got very overwhelming, especially when people from her past started entering the scene doing really absurd things. The science began to feel forced and a bit ridiculous, too. One of the reasons The Martian works so beautifully is because of its realistic dedication to science and the ingenuity of the characters involved.
Also, even though the authors are anonymous, I'm assuming that they are white- and most likely male. Maybe I'm wrong, but it didn't feel like this was written (or co-written) by a person of color or a woman.
Final Thoughts
Despite all the messiness at the end, I did enjoy the book. I think a lot of the second half could have been left out because at its core this is an incredible story that is really well written. The copy I received was a solid 3 but I will err on the side of 3.5-4 stars since this was an ARC. I’m really hopeful that by publication things were tidied up and worked on because this was a really promising premise.
Read my full review here! Across the Void review by A Little Nerd Told Me
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this in exchange for a reivew.
August 10, 2019
When you pick up a book set in the future about a spaceship being stranded further near a planet we have never sent a manned crew to before (nor are likely to in the immediate future), you go in with a willing suspension of disbelief. You accept that some facts might be stretched in order to fit the narrative, because if such things were possible we would be on our way to doing them right now in the present.
Having said that, the science in a '90's space Hollywood blockbuster is more accurate than anything in this book. The author in particular seemed to struggle with the laws of inertia, and how differently momentum works in space. If there is no gravity, you don't fall backwards when the rope disconnects. You don't drop like a stone when the floor gives way. That is just...not how it works.
I probably could have (grudgingly) overlooked these inaccuracies if every character hadn't also been rather unlikable. I just...didn't care about anybody, or their ridiculous melodrama - which was soap opera levels of complicated, let me tell you.
This book felt like it was written because the author was guessing at what people are interested in. Space! Suspense! Emotional complications! But none of it really lands, because there is no connection between the author and the material, and thus no connection for the reader to follow. I think audiences are smarter than the author really allowed for, and I think I would have been more forgiving of this novel if more effort had been paid to either the science, or rounding out the characters to believable levels of personality.
I will give props to the author at least starting out with a self-rescuing princess (even if she didn't stay that way once the Men got involved), and having her be a woman of colour was a nice touch.
Having said that, the science in a '90's space Hollywood blockbuster is more accurate than anything in this book. The author in particular seemed to struggle with the laws of inertia, and how differently momentum works in space. If there is no gravity, you don't fall backwards when the rope disconnects. You don't drop like a stone when the floor gives way. That is just...not how it works.
I probably could have (grudgingly) overlooked these inaccuracies if every character hadn't also been rather unlikable. I just...didn't care about anybody, or their ridiculous melodrama - which was soap opera levels of complicated, let me tell you.
This book felt like it was written because the author was guessing at what people are interested in. Space! Suspense! Emotional complications! But none of it really lands, because there is no connection between the author and the material, and thus no connection for the reader to follow. I think audiences are smarter than the author really allowed for, and I think I would have been more forgiving of this novel if more effort had been paid to either the science, or rounding out the characters to believable levels of personality.
I will give props to the author at least starting out with a self-rescuing princess (even if she didn't stay that way once the Men got involved), and having her be a woman of colour was a nice touch.
July 25, 2019
Wow! Ha sido un enganche total. Cómo estar dentro de una película de Hollywood ☺️. Empieza algo lenta pero a medida que van pasando los capítulos la acción es trepidante y viviremos con La Comandante Knox cada uno de sus baches para intentar sobrevivir de esta misión galáctica tan complicada y desconcertante. La IA increíble y el ex marido Stephen también. Intrigas en el espacio que no querrás soltar. Reseña completa en https://www.lanarradora.com/2019/07/r...
November 9, 2018
Very entertaining and exciting space disaster adventure, which would certainly appeal to anyone who enjoyed The Martian and Gravity. I loved May, the main character who faces extreme odds against survival, and Eve, the AI that she must lean on for technical and emotional support. There are some implausible elements (notably in the scenes set on Earth rather than in space, which is rather surprising) but it's such a fun read. Review to follow closer to publication on For Winter Nights.
July 14, 2023
This book is the ali express version of Project Hail Mary/the Martian with the game Among Us as some extra addition. Find the imposter, but oh the imposter in the space ship is already dead in the next chapter.
It’s a whole damn mess. It’s not a sci-fi book, it’s just drama in space.
It isn’t even focussed on the mission on Europa. The book briefly mentions it but then, more drama. More people who get murdered. What the whole complot was against the mission wasn’t even clear to me.
In addition to that, the characters are written so poorly. A black main character who is female sounded so promising. But the way she was portrayed was just annoying as fuck. Overly emotional, not-like-other-girls, smoking, drinking, WHILE IN SPACE ON A MISSION? The other characters feel flat, and most of them are homicidal. The book is written under a pseudonym, but clearly it’s written by a white cis men.
Really this book doesn’t even come close to Weir’s work, where everyone on team helps each other out. Instead they mistrust each other, even among crew mates. They murder and shoot them in space and then, *shrugs*, whatever, gonna safe the baby or something??
Just gonna throw this damn book in the trash now. I’m so done.
It’s a whole damn mess. It’s not a sci-fi book, it’s just drama in space.
It isn’t even focussed on the mission on Europa. The book briefly mentions it but then, more drama. More people who get murdered. What the whole complot was against the mission wasn’t even clear to me.
In addition to that, the characters are written so poorly. A black main character who is female sounded so promising. But the way she was portrayed was just annoying as fuck. Overly emotional, not-like-other-girls, smoking, drinking, WHILE IN SPACE ON A MISSION? The other characters feel flat, and most of them are homicidal. The book is written under a pseudonym, but clearly it’s written by a white cis men.
Really this book doesn’t even come close to Weir’s work, where everyone on team helps each other out. Instead they mistrust each other, even among crew mates. They murder and shoot them in space and then, *shrugs*, whatever, gonna safe the baby or something??
Just gonna throw this damn book in the trash now. I’m so done.
November 1, 2019
4.5 stars for this book. There are so many twists to this story that make you keep coming back that you barely noticed the length of the book. Astronaut lost in space, a dark conspiracy to keep her lost, a friendly AI, lost love and more that one mysterious stowaway ...This book has it all.
June 13, 2020
For a book that is supposed to be, in part, a gripping and thrilling mystery and high-stakes story. It was decidedly not in any way gripping. By page 50 it felt like I'd read 400 pages and not in a 'there's so much depth' here way, a 'oh god I've literally only read 50 pages can it be over' way.
I also don't see how we are supposed to be invested in the romance when they met, married and divorced all with in a year before the mission. And their meeting involved her running into him with her car and criticising his dress sense before even thinking to check he's ok.
Maybe you'll enjoy it so if you've had an eye on it still decide for yourself but I didn't enjoy it and could feel the grey hairs coming on it was that slow.
I also don't see how we are supposed to be invested in the romance when they met, married and divorced all with in a year before the mission. And their meeting involved her running into him with her car and criticising his dress sense before even thinking to check he's ok.
Maybe you'll enjoy it so if you've had an eye on it still decide for yourself but I didn't enjoy it and could feel the grey hairs coming on it was that slow.
December 24, 2020
Going into this, for some reason I expected a YA Sci-Fi novel. What I actually got was an Adult Sci-Fi Thriller. I’m not complaining but imagine my shock when I didn’t pay proper attention to the synopsis, haha.
I actually enjoyed this took quite a lot once it got going. The beginning was rather slow and confusing as it set the scene, but it was an enjoyable read. I don’t read sci-fi often and I know nothing about space so I can’t comment on the semantics of the book, but it worked perfectly for me as entertainment. Having said that, I did have several issues with the believability of the story at several points. One thing that bothered me was the AI, at the beginning it doesn’t understand anything of the human speech and communicates like a proper computer. A few pages later, it is speaking in full sentences and understand everything May says without explanation. It just removed some of the fantasy of it all for me, and I didn’t like that aspect.
Th writing was nothing special, but it did the job. The characters weren’t really anything special either, but I did enjoy the characterisations of May and thought she was an excellent protagonist. I didn’t really care much for anyone else in the book to be honest. It was very predictable and I guessed most of the ‘plot twists’ before they happened, but seeing them come in fruition was still satisfying.
Overall I enjoyed it and I liked how it ended, but it left me wanting more from it. While reading, I had so many questions and after reading none of them had been answered. For instance:
*SPOILERS*
If her and her husband knew she was pregnant weeks ago, why did they let her go to space?
How did she literally survive weeks in space and not miscarry?
Stephen literally didn’t mention worrying about her and the pregnancy at all when there was trouble? It never crossed his mind? I’m lost
Why are there pregnancy tests on the space ship?
How didn’t the AI clock on to the fact she was pregnant with all of the tests?
Why were there conveniently a bunch of caskets on board?
How was she only apparently 17 weeks pregnant but gave birth IN SPACE to a healthy baby?
I actually enjoyed this took quite a lot once it got going. The beginning was rather slow and confusing as it set the scene, but it was an enjoyable read. I don’t read sci-fi often and I know nothing about space so I can’t comment on the semantics of the book, but it worked perfectly for me as entertainment. Having said that, I did have several issues with the believability of the story at several points. One thing that bothered me was the AI, at the beginning it doesn’t understand anything of the human speech and communicates like a proper computer. A few pages later, it is speaking in full sentences and understand everything May says without explanation. It just removed some of the fantasy of it all for me, and I didn’t like that aspect.
Th writing was nothing special, but it did the job. The characters weren’t really anything special either, but I did enjoy the characterisations of May and thought she was an excellent protagonist. I didn’t really care much for anyone else in the book to be honest. It was very predictable and I guessed most of the ‘plot twists’ before they happened, but seeing them come in fruition was still satisfying.
Overall I enjoyed it and I liked how it ended, but it left me wanting more from it. While reading, I had so many questions and after reading none of them had been answered. For instance:
*SPOILERS*
If her and her husband knew she was pregnant weeks ago, why did they let her go to space?
How did she literally survive weeks in space and not miscarry?
Stephen literally didn’t mention worrying about her and the pregnancy at all when there was trouble? It never crossed his mind? I’m lost
Why are there pregnancy tests on the space ship?
How didn’t the AI clock on to the fact she was pregnant with all of the tests?
Why were there conveniently a bunch of caskets on board?
How was she only apparently 17 weeks pregnant but gave birth IN SPACE to a healthy baby?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2019
First, the good news. The first half of the book is riveting – that opening sequence where May surfaces on a failing ship, struggling to work out what is going on with a badly glitched AI and memory issues, worked extremely well. The science aspect was entirely believable and the character development and backstory were effective and well written. I was drawn into her life, despite not liking her very much.
I also liked the fact that May was black, with a successful black mother who had helped and supported her. So it was a real shame that I never really warmed to May – in fact as the story wore on, I found myself disliking her selfish behaviour more and more. For me, the dealbreaker was the disgraceful manner in which she neglected her mother as she became old and ill – and then made a huge scene on her death, where we’re all supposed to feel very sorry for her grief. Hm – not me. By this point, I was sick and tired of May’s self absorbed behaviour, just hoping that poor old Stephen would see the light and run away in the opposite direction from her as fast as possible.
Because if you’re sensing a BUT, you’re right… this is a book of two halves. The first half drew me in and absolutely had me hooked, but about the halfway stage, I had a ‘Whoa!’ moment. The storyline lurched into the utterly unbelievable – setting up camp in Fantasyland, where it firmly stayed. I continued reading, hoping that somehow, at some stage, this would stop reading like the script of a really silly sci fi movie, and dial back to what started out as a thoroughly engrossing, strong story. It didn’t. The silliness wore on into the outright ridiculous.
It’s a shame. The characters were well depicted, so that even if I hated the main protagonist, it didn’t stop her being well portrayed, warts and all. The story could so easily have continued to be a gripping, well written thriller with plenty of heft, instead of lapsing into lazy Hollywoodesque clichés that I saw coming on encountering the opening sequences. Frequent comparisons with The Martian demean both the film (which did get a tad daft at the end) and certainly the book, which is far better crafted and more realistic than this effort.
Apparently, the tortured romantic element is being touted as sci-cry – and it’s certainly a crying shame that a better editor didn’t rein in the author(s) in this promising, yet horribly flawed effort. Not recommended for anyone who enjoys believable sci fi.
While I obtained an arc of Across the Void from the author via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
4/10
I also liked the fact that May was black, with a successful black mother who had helped and supported her. So it was a real shame that I never really warmed to May – in fact as the story wore on, I found myself disliking her selfish behaviour more and more. For me, the dealbreaker was the disgraceful manner in which she neglected her mother as she became old and ill – and then made a huge scene on her death, where we’re all supposed to feel very sorry for her grief. Hm – not me. By this point, I was sick and tired of May’s self absorbed behaviour, just hoping that poor old Stephen would see the light and run away in the opposite direction from her as fast as possible.
Because if you’re sensing a BUT, you’re right… this is a book of two halves. The first half drew me in and absolutely had me hooked, but about the halfway stage, I had a ‘Whoa!’ moment. The storyline lurched into the utterly unbelievable – setting up camp in Fantasyland, where it firmly stayed. I continued reading, hoping that somehow, at some stage, this would stop reading like the script of a really silly sci fi movie, and dial back to what started out as a thoroughly engrossing, strong story. It didn’t. The silliness wore on into the outright ridiculous.
It’s a shame. The characters were well depicted, so that even if I hated the main protagonist, it didn’t stop her being well portrayed, warts and all. The story could so easily have continued to be a gripping, well written thriller with plenty of heft, instead of lapsing into lazy Hollywoodesque clichés that I saw coming on encountering the opening sequences. Frequent comparisons with The Martian demean both the film (which did get a tad daft at the end) and certainly the book, which is far better crafted and more realistic than this effort.
Apparently, the tortured romantic element is being touted as sci-cry – and it’s certainly a crying shame that a better editor didn’t rein in the author(s) in this promising, yet horribly flawed effort. Not recommended for anyone who enjoys believable sci fi.
While I obtained an arc of Across the Void from the author via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
4/10
May 8, 2020
Espectáculo sin alma, repleto de tópicos y clichés de telenovela aspirante a blockbuster de ciencia ficción (acabo de borrar lo que venía aquí, porque eran spoilers bien gordos, pero quede constancia que estoy cansado de algunos tropos tan manidos y evidentes que los autores deberían huir de ellos como de la peste), absurdos e incoherencias continuos (sin la excusa del surrealismo), un exceso de problemas críticos resueltos siempre en el último segundo (cuya acumulación hace que al final pierdan toda tensión), tecnojerga y "ciencia" que coger con pinzas (que en una aventura así tampoco es que se pida un contenido "hard", pero cuando se quiere revestir todo de un viso "realista"...), y una narración de lo más irregular (durante la lectura tenía claras las dos estrellas, hubo un par de momentos que casi consigue remontar hasta las tres y un capítulo en que se despeñó a una estrella y porque no hay menos).
Escrita con seudónimo en la bio dice que el autor es un guionista de Hollywood y se nota en muchas escenas donde se palpa el "esto quedaría genial en pantalla" sin haber un sustento detrás.
Se deja leer y si se consigue desconectar de todo (de TODO) análisis, supongo que se podría disfrutar. Yo no lo he logrado.
Escrita con seudónimo en la bio dice que el autor es un guionista de Hollywood y se nota en muchas escenas donde se palpa el "esto quedaría genial en pantalla" sin haber un sustento detrás.
Se deja leer y si se consigue desconectar de todo (de TODO) análisis, supongo que se podría disfrutar. Yo no lo he logrado.
June 14, 2019
Across The Void is highly entertaining with some brilliant characters, Eve especially even though she is not human, this was a novel I devoured in short order enjoying every last moment.
If you enjoyed The Martian I imagine you will love Across The Void. This time its a lone female in peril in space, trapped on a ship that is falling apart with only the A.I. Eve to help her hold things together.
Cue an adventurous twisty tale interspersed with back story and conspiracy as May's husband determines to bring her home against all odds. Battling earthly elements who just want May gone and living with all the ups and downs of their past relationship Stephen is also a highly engaging character.
There are plenty of edge of the seat moments, but what makes this book is the developing relationship between May and Eve - bringing humour, irony and witty observation to the tale which adds so much to it.
Part Scifi, part love story, part thriller, Across The Void is an outstanding read. Loved it
Highly Recommended.
If you enjoyed The Martian I imagine you will love Across The Void. This time its a lone female in peril in space, trapped on a ship that is falling apart with only the A.I. Eve to help her hold things together.
Cue an adventurous twisty tale interspersed with back story and conspiracy as May's husband determines to bring her home against all odds. Battling earthly elements who just want May gone and living with all the ups and downs of their past relationship Stephen is also a highly engaging character.
There are plenty of edge of the seat moments, but what makes this book is the developing relationship between May and Eve - bringing humour, irony and witty observation to the tale which adds so much to it.
Part Scifi, part love story, part thriller, Across The Void is an outstanding read. Loved it
Highly Recommended.
July 17, 2019
Terrible, thinly veiled Pro Life Nonsense
Spoilers ahead. There's no way in 2066 that a highly trained astronaut would make the decision to keep a baby in that dire situation. I know it's the future but how many months was it when it was born??? Like 4?
Spoilers ahead. There's no way in 2066 that a highly trained astronaut would make the decision to keep a baby in that dire situation. I know it's the future but how many months was it when it was born??? Like 4?
February 6, 2021
Actual rating: 4.5 stars!
Review on blog!
Review on blog!
October 16, 2024
Bardzo przyjemna historia, świetnie się czyta. Połączenie obyczajówki, akcji, science-fiction, tajemnicy. Naprawdę bardzo fajnie wyważone. Jest główna oś czasu i co jakiś czas wstawki z konkretnego obszaru z przeszłości, co pozwala nam też inaczej spojrzeć na sytuację. Jest trochę brutalnie, śmiercionośne, a z drugiej strony trochę cukierkowo. Dobre i źle charaktery. Tutaj od razu minus, niektóre charaktery są za bardzo prosto pokazane jako dobre/złe, wolałabym chyba większy poziom skomplikowania postaci. Książka ma w sobie sytuację, o rose się już stało, już się coś prostuje, już myślisz,że z górki, a tu bum! Choć można się spodziewać że tak będzie bo końca w książce nie widać blisko. Naprawdę przyjemna lekka lektura w klimacie kosmosu.
February 14, 2019
This sounded really good and wanted to enjoy this more than I did. The premise sounded like my thing completely but sadly I couldn’t connect with the characters, didn’t seem enough to hold my interest and the pacing had issues. Was so promising but sadly not for me
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review
July 17, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed its complex female protagonist. May isn't always likeable, but that's what makes her realistic: she has moments of being selfish, ridiculous and even stupid, but she is also brave, uncompromising, smart and funny. I loved her relationship with Eve the AI, a very heartwarming friendship (on that note, I loved Eve herself, and yay for an AI not being murderously evil or antagonistic). Her relationships with her mother and her husband are also complicated and well-written, even if the latter borders on melodramatic in places. Stephen and Raj have a fun friendship too. The survival subplot keeps the reader on their toes, and while I second the many comparisons to The Martian, I'd say this book is a lot more accessible to someone who's not a scientist. The Martian tends towards the realism of space travel as much as possible and Across the Void is more like a sci-fi adventure/relationship melodrama mash-up. I also enjoyed the non-linear progression of the flashbacks.
Unfortunately, the whole conspiracy storyline lost me halfway through the book. I didn't really understand Warren's motivation, nor did I really care about him as a character. Basically, he felt like some kind of a trope, a rich white asshole, who's a baddie just by virtue of being rich, white and in charge. Ian's last-minute reveal as a murderous wackjob felt tacked on in order to produce more drama at the stage where it wasn't necessary for the book to be gripping anymore. I loved the idea of Stephen and Ian working together to save May precisely because it felt like a good way for Ian to overcome his shortcomings, but nope, he did a crazy face heel turn; even worse, it was implied that the whole reason for his inviting Stephen to join the rescue mission was to be able to murder him in space. What the hell? Far-fetched and plain weird, just like Cheeky's last-minute paternity doubts.
Overall, an enjoyable, if a little overlong, read, but weighed down with a few improbable twists that turned out to be impossible for me to overlook and spoilt the book for me.
Unfortunately, the whole conspiracy storyline lost me halfway through the book. I didn't really understand Warren's motivation, nor did I really care about him as a character. Basically, he felt like some kind of a trope, a rich white asshole, who's a baddie just by virtue of being rich, white and in charge. Ian's last-minute reveal as a murderous wackjob felt tacked on in order to produce more drama at the stage where it wasn't necessary for the book to be gripping anymore. I loved the idea of Stephen and Ian working together to save May precisely because it felt like a good way for Ian to overcome his shortcomings, but nope, he did a crazy face heel turn; even worse, it was implied that the whole reason for his inviting Stephen to join the rescue mission was to be able to murder him in space. What the hell? Far-fetched and plain weird, just like Cheeky's last-minute paternity doubts.
Overall, an enjoyable, if a little overlong, read, but weighed down with a few improbable twists that turned out to be impossible for me to overlook and spoilt the book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2021
Ce roman raconte comment Mary Knox revient sur Terre avec l'aide de son mari ... Plus en détail (et croyez-moi, des détails, il y en aura), Mary Knox se réveille amnésique dans un vaisseau sans équipage, lequel sera trouvé mort plus tard. Au fur et à mesure du roman, elle découvrira qu'elle est enceinte, qu'elle a demandé le divorce avec son mari juste après avoir couché avec lui, et également après avoir couché avec son ancien amant (ce qui fait qu'elle ne sait pas qui est e père de cet enfant, bien sûr). Elle conduira donc son vaisseau, accompagnée de l'IA capable de gérer complètement ce vaisseau, en orbite autour de mars où elle sera rapatriée sur le vaisseau de son ancien amant, qui mourra pendant la manoeuvre.
Résumé comme ça, ça a l'air mauvais, non ? A titre personnel, j'ai effectivement le roman terriblement mauvais. Ca n'est pas forcément mal écrit. Mais les personnages sont incohérents : dans la mythologie de la NASA, quelqu'un capable de piloter un vaisseau à destination d'Europe est quelqu'un de très stable émotionnellement, et peu de choses dans son comportement m'ont parues stables. Dans le même ordre d'idée, l'amant de cette astronaute est un sociopathe multimilliardaire qui se trouve être à la tête d'une entreprise tendance GAFAM qui se lance dans le voyage interplanétaire et dispose évidement d'un vaisseau spatial prêt à partir. Je vous passe le méchant chef de la NASA, qui est totalement incohérent.
Bref, les personnages sont incohérents, et le scénario est truffé d'incohérence. La pire de toute étant ce rendez-vous orbital autour de Mars qui se passe dans la haute atmosphère martienne. L'orbite, c'est grand. Alors pourquoi construire cet espèce de suspense bancal à base de passage de vaisseaux dans l’atmosphère ? Mis à part parce que l'auteur ne sait pas de quoi il s'agit ?
Franchement, c'était navrant.
Résumé comme ça, ça a l'air mauvais, non ? A titre personnel, j'ai effectivement le roman terriblement mauvais. Ca n'est pas forcément mal écrit. Mais les personnages sont incohérents : dans la mythologie de la NASA, quelqu'un capable de piloter un vaisseau à destination d'Europe est quelqu'un de très stable émotionnellement, et peu de choses dans son comportement m'ont parues stables. Dans le même ordre d'idée, l'amant de cette astronaute est un sociopathe multimilliardaire qui se trouve être à la tête d'une entreprise tendance GAFAM qui se lance dans le voyage interplanétaire et dispose évidement d'un vaisseau spatial prêt à partir. Je vous passe le méchant chef de la NASA, qui est totalement incohérent.
Bref, les personnages sont incohérents, et le scénario est truffé d'incohérence. La pire de toute étant ce rendez-vous orbital autour de Mars qui se passe dans la haute atmosphère martienne. L'orbite, c'est grand. Alors pourquoi construire cet espèce de suspense bancal à base de passage de vaisseaux dans l’atmosphère ? Mis à part parce que l'auteur ne sait pas de quoi il s'agit ?
Franchement, c'était navrant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2019
Una epopeya espacial, llena de fantasía y tecnología futurista. En este caso, ella es la heroína. La historia romántica le da sentido al argumento. Recomendable para quien guste de este tema de ciencia-ficción.
December 5, 2020
Statt einer Rezi Kommentare während meines Lesevortschritts
"Resümee nach einhundert Seiten:
1.Das Buch ist "Rosamunde Pilcher im Weltall".
2.Der Autor S.K. Vaughn alias Shane Kuhn leidet an der typisch amerikanischen Amnesie, wenn es um ihre eigene Geschichte geht. Seine Figuren habe Katastrophen wie Apollo 13 vergessen und bezeichnen die im Buch als die Schlimmste ever.
3.Mays Ex der Astrophysiker hat offensichtlich keine Ahnung von Physik. (siehe Düsen: Schub/Impuls)"
November 14, 2019
page 50
19% "Die ersten 50 Seiten waren bereits... kitschig-schlimm.
Eventuell liegt es an der Übersetzung aber wenn mir jemand den Eismond "Europa" als einen Planeten verkaufen will, sinkt er sofort in meiner Achtung. Europa ist der zweitinnerste Mond des Planeten!!! Jupiter. Wenn Autor, Übersetzer oder Lektorat das nicht wussten, dann doch wenigstens, wie die Planeten unseres Sonnensystems heißen. Peinlich!"
November 14, 2019
page 10
84% "Ich fand gerade heraus, dass S.K. Vaughn das Pseudonym von Shane Kuhn ist. Unter diesem Namen las ich bereits 2014 ein Buch von dem Autoren und es bekam lediglich einen Stern von mir.
(⊙﹏⊙)
O-oh"
"Resümee nach einhundert Seiten:
1.Das Buch ist "Rosamunde Pilcher im Weltall".
2.Der Autor S.K. Vaughn alias Shane Kuhn leidet an der typisch amerikanischen Amnesie, wenn es um ihre eigene Geschichte geht. Seine Figuren habe Katastrophen wie Apollo 13 vergessen und bezeichnen die im Buch als die Schlimmste ever.
3.Mays Ex der Astrophysiker hat offensichtlich keine Ahnung von Physik. (siehe Düsen: Schub/Impuls)"
November 14, 2019
page 50
19% "Die ersten 50 Seiten waren bereits... kitschig-schlimm.
Eventuell liegt es an der Übersetzung aber wenn mir jemand den Eismond "Europa" als einen Planeten verkaufen will, sinkt er sofort in meiner Achtung. Europa ist der zweitinnerste Mond des Planeten!!! Jupiter. Wenn Autor, Übersetzer oder Lektorat das nicht wussten, dann doch wenigstens, wie die Planeten unseres Sonnensystems heißen. Peinlich!"
November 14, 2019
page 10
84% "Ich fand gerade heraus, dass S.K. Vaughn das Pseudonym von Shane Kuhn ist. Unter diesem Namen las ich bereits 2014 ein Buch von dem Autoren und es bekam lediglich einen Stern von mir.
(⊙﹏⊙)
O-oh"
August 11, 2019
A hackneyed piece of crap. The characters are both thin and inconsistently written. The instigating crisis makes no sense. It's full of lazy tropes--amnesia, grave-side funeral in the rain, and despite being set 50 years in the future every character smokes paper cigarettes, and hospital nurses use paper clipboards. And in a supposedly hard sci-fi narrative it frequently confuses velocity for acceleration, is confused about how gravity works and casually drops in faster than light communication, but just for one scene so that the characters can have a real-time conversation at an opportune moment.
It sounds like the author has been identified as a Hollywood screenwriter, which helps put the book in some perspective. I can see this being made into a forgettable B-move and dumped into the depths of Netflix. A 90-minute run time with some CGI spectacle would help paper over many of the problems that the book is padded out with.
It sounds like the author has been identified as a Hollywood screenwriter, which helps put the book in some perspective. I can see this being made into a forgettable B-move and dumped into the depths of Netflix. A 90-minute run time with some CGI spectacle would help paper over many of the problems that the book is padded out with.
December 31, 2018
The first half was marketed last year and was WOW!
What a disappointment to see the book completely rewritten and void of all the wow that made the first draft such a great read. The complete book was, well, nice but nothing more.
I've had too big expectations, probably.
What a disappointment to see the book completely rewritten and void of all the wow that made the first draft such a great read. The complete book was, well, nice but nothing more.
I've had too big expectations, probably.
April 4, 2020
¡Ha sido como ver una película mientras lo leía! He vivido toda la acción y la tensión en el espacio a través de sus páginas. Enganche, intrigas y emociones. Espero que lo lleven a la gran pantalla.
April 13, 2021
Terminé este libro hace ya algún tiempo, y recuerdo que me enfadó tanto que hasta rechacé la idea de hacer una reseña. Pero ahora, con la cabeza más fría voy a usarlo como método para desahogar todos mis pensamientos acerca de este libro.
PRECAUCIÓN SPOILERS
Me gustaría comenzar la reseña por lo único que creo yo que tiene de positivo este libro: el primer tercio. Recuerdo leer la sinopsis y que me pareciera interesante, más aún, comencé a leerlo y ya hablaba con fascinación a mis amigos sobre el libro. Todo hay que decirlo, comienza muy bien. Te presenta una premisa muy atractiva, una supuesta trama de misterio que comienza a la par para la protagonista y el lector (ya que ella sufre de amnesia y recuerda vagamente lo sucedido).
Nos presentan una nave abandonada en medio del espacio, todos los sistemas inoperativos y la única superviviente es la comandante de la misma que despierta de un coma y sufre de amnesia.
Hasta ahí todo bien, pero luego sigue la trama, se presentan otros personajes y todo sale mal. Vayamos por partes.
Trama (contada a grandes rasgos): Una vez May (la comandante) ha recuperado el control de la nave y la comunicación con la NASA, descubre que toda la tripulación ha muerto. Estaban en una misión a Europa para recoger muestras de agua, en la misión más importante de la humanidad. ¿Qué sucedió? Esas muestras contenían un virus, que pese a la tecnología punta y protocolos de cuarentena consigue escaparse y contagiar a la tripulación. Por tanto, murieron por la infección vírica... ¡PUES NO! La NASA tiene un protocolo muchísimo mejor que consta en infiltrar a un topo entre la tripulación y en el caso de que justo este escenario sucediera, matara a todos para que el virus no volviera a la Tierra. Que a mi me parece una medida un tanto radical, porque a priori la nave se podría dejar estacionada en la Luna (donde ya hay una especie de complejo de dimensiones considerables), pero qué sabré yo que no soy científico de la NASA (aunque técnicamente es más complot malvado por parte del departamento de defensa de EEUU).
A todo esto, nuestra querida May, descubre que está embarazada y toma la decisión más coherente para su situación: tener el bebé. ¿Hola, en serio? Estás en una nave abandonada cerca de Júpiter y tienes que volver a la Tierra. No me parece que sea lo más sensato, y no es por no tener opciones, ya que la nave está llena de píldoras abortivas. Aunque la nave no está vacía de tripulantes porque en realidad aún queda el topo traidor que se había infectado del virus, al igual que May, y ambos son inmunes al parecer (tan malo no sería). May cuando le descubre, a parte de darle casi una paliza, le tortura y le deja morir entre terrible sufrimiento. Y como todo el mundo sabe, torturar y matar si eres el bueno, está bien (spoiler: no).
Por otro lado, en la Tierra, su exmarido Stephen se desvive para iniciar una misión de rescate. Acude a nuestro querido deus ex machina (el exnovio de May) para conseguir una nave que ya le gustaría soñar siquiera a la NASA que puede llegar donde quieras. Una nave que no está terminada (pero te la termino en un par de días que hay prisa) ni se han realizado pruebas (pero eso es solo para la plebe) y que, obviamente, funciona a la perfección, y despegan bajo bombardeo de toda la Marina de EEUU. Finalmente, rescatan a May y reviven su matrimonio. Final feliz.
Personajes:
May: Empieza como una mujer capaz de sacarse las castañas del fuego, capaz de todo, inteligente, hábil, diestra en sus tareas y con un sentido del humor característico. En definitiva, un buen personaje. Cuando avanza la historia y la conocemos a través de los flashbacks, descubrimos que es una persona horrible. Su marido está con ella por conveniencia del guion, porque no se me ocurre ningún otro motivo por el que querría estar con esta persona. Es egoísta, maleducada, le humilla siempre que tiene ocasión (ni más ni menos que cuando se conocen, donde él al parecer cae enamorado), paga con él todas sus frustraciones y le es infiel. Vemos también que no está en este cargo tan importante por méritos propios sino que más bien por dedo, y no solo eso, sino que cuando pierde el empleo la vuelven a colocar gracias a que recurre al deus ex machina (su exnovio) que además es de la competencia (con lo que yo sigo sin entender que clase de influencia tiene en la NASA). Es irresponsable, ya que justo antes de embarcarse en la misión más importante de la humanidad tiene relaciones sexuales con su marido Y con su exnovio (ya que cuando descubre que está embarazada, no sabe de quién de los dos es). Y, finalmente, debido al embarazo termina siendo completamente inútil y se convierte en una dama en apuros que tiene que ser rescatada. Un claro ejemplo de como destruir por completo un personaje.
Stephen: Científico brillante. Gracias a él y a Raj se puede realizar la misión. Raj es el inventor de la nave y Stephen, no queda claro qué es lo que ha hecho (cosa común en este libro donde no te explican la tecnología, reflejado claramente en la nave express del exnovio ya que: propiedad intelectual). Lo que sí sabemos es que ni pincha ni corta en ningún lado porque nadie le hace ni caso y lo ningunean en todas partes. Lo único que termina haciendo realmente es bajarse los pantalones ante el exnovio para ir a rescatar a May.
Raj: Sin importancia. Muere durante la persecución del gobierno hacia Stephen por intentar salvar a May, y no podría importarme menos.
Exnovio: tiene nombre pero no lo recuerdo. Es multimillonario, inteligente, innovador, atractivo, tiene mucha labia, aunque un poco arrogante (por eso le terminó dejando May). Y May, obviamente, es tan irresistible que después de más de 20 años de dejarlo, aún no ha pasado página (secretamente), y por eso se embarca con Stephen en la misión de rescate, para intentar asesinarle y que pareciera un accidente. Que digo yo, ¿no sería más fácil que dejara que el gobierno lo matara? No. Le SALVA de morir a manos del gobierno, para intentar matarle en el espacio. Le sale el tiro por la culata y muere. Otra de esas muerte que te la trae al pairo (a parte de las de la mitad de la tripulación de la súper nave molona). Es nuestro querido deus ex machina: tiene la nave más potente de la historia para salvar a May, salva a Stephen del gobierno, enchufa a May en el puesto de comandante de la misión más importante de la NASA (recordemos que él forma parte de la competencia), entre otras cosas.
Robert: el malo malísimo que se veía desde el principio que era malo porque es malo y ya está, no preguntes.
Y hasta aquí el desahogo, más que reseña, sobre esta obra. Hay otros detallitos que funcionan mal (como el hecho de que la gravedad no funcione como toca en el espacio, véase Stephen saltando de una nave a otra para salvar un hueco en el puente pero como no lleva impulso suficiente cae al vacío... pero si no hay gravedad, ¿por qué cae?) pero no entraré en más detalles.
Si has llegado hasta aquí, mi último mensaje es que no te recomendaría este libro, aunque solo es mi opinión.
PRECAUCIÓN SPOILERS
Me gustaría comenzar la reseña por lo único que creo yo que tiene de positivo este libro: el primer tercio. Recuerdo leer la sinopsis y que me pareciera interesante, más aún, comencé a leerlo y ya hablaba con fascinación a mis amigos sobre el libro. Todo hay que decirlo, comienza muy bien. Te presenta una premisa muy atractiva, una supuesta trama de misterio que comienza a la par para la protagonista y el lector (ya que ella sufre de amnesia y recuerda vagamente lo sucedido).
Nos presentan una nave abandonada en medio del espacio, todos los sistemas inoperativos y la única superviviente es la comandante de la misma que despierta de un coma y sufre de amnesia.
Hasta ahí todo bien, pero luego sigue la trama, se presentan otros personajes y todo sale mal. Vayamos por partes.
Trama (contada a grandes rasgos): Una vez May (la comandante) ha recuperado el control de la nave y la comunicación con la NASA, descubre que toda la tripulación ha muerto. Estaban en una misión a Europa para recoger muestras de agua, en la misión más importante de la humanidad. ¿Qué sucedió? Esas muestras contenían un virus, que pese a la tecnología punta y protocolos de cuarentena consigue escaparse y contagiar a la tripulación. Por tanto, murieron por la infección vírica... ¡PUES NO! La NASA tiene un protocolo muchísimo mejor que consta en infiltrar a un topo entre la tripulación y en el caso de que justo este escenario sucediera, matara a todos para que el virus no volviera a la Tierra. Que a mi me parece una medida un tanto radical, porque a priori la nave se podría dejar estacionada en la Luna (donde ya hay una especie de complejo de dimensiones considerables), pero qué sabré yo que no soy científico de la NASA (aunque técnicamente es más complot malvado por parte del departamento de defensa de EEUU).
A todo esto, nuestra querida May, descubre que está embarazada y toma la decisión más coherente para su situación: tener el bebé. ¿Hola, en serio? Estás en una nave abandonada cerca de Júpiter y tienes que volver a la Tierra. No me parece que sea lo más sensato, y no es por no tener opciones, ya que la nave está llena de píldoras abortivas. Aunque la nave no está vacía de tripulantes porque en realidad aún queda el topo traidor que se había infectado del virus, al igual que May, y ambos son inmunes al parecer (tan malo no sería). May cuando le descubre, a parte de darle casi una paliza, le tortura y le deja morir entre terrible sufrimiento. Y como todo el mundo sabe, torturar y matar si eres el bueno, está bien (spoiler: no).
Por otro lado, en la Tierra, su exmarido Stephen se desvive para iniciar una misión de rescate. Acude a nuestro querido deus ex machina (el exnovio de May) para conseguir una nave que ya le gustaría soñar siquiera a la NASA que puede llegar donde quieras. Una nave que no está terminada (pero te la termino en un par de días que hay prisa) ni se han realizado pruebas (pero eso es solo para la plebe) y que, obviamente, funciona a la perfección, y despegan bajo bombardeo de toda la Marina de EEUU. Finalmente, rescatan a May y reviven su matrimonio. Final feliz.
Personajes:
May: Empieza como una mujer capaz de sacarse las castañas del fuego, capaz de todo, inteligente, hábil, diestra en sus tareas y con un sentido del humor característico. En definitiva, un buen personaje. Cuando avanza la historia y la conocemos a través de los flashbacks, descubrimos que es una persona horrible. Su marido está con ella por conveniencia del guion, porque no se me ocurre ningún otro motivo por el que querría estar con esta persona. Es egoísta, maleducada, le humilla siempre que tiene ocasión (ni más ni menos que cuando se conocen, donde él al parecer cae enamorado), paga con él todas sus frustraciones y le es infiel. Vemos también que no está en este cargo tan importante por méritos propios sino que más bien por dedo, y no solo eso, sino que cuando pierde el empleo la vuelven a colocar gracias a que recurre al deus ex machina (su exnovio) que además es de la competencia (con lo que yo sigo sin entender que clase de influencia tiene en la NASA). Es irresponsable, ya que justo antes de embarcarse en la misión más importante de la humanidad tiene relaciones sexuales con su marido Y con su exnovio (ya que cuando descubre que está embarazada, no sabe de quién de los dos es). Y, finalmente, debido al embarazo termina siendo completamente inútil y se convierte en una dama en apuros que tiene que ser rescatada. Un claro ejemplo de como destruir por completo un personaje.
Stephen: Científico brillante. Gracias a él y a Raj se puede realizar la misión. Raj es el inventor de la nave y Stephen, no queda claro qué es lo que ha hecho (cosa común en este libro donde no te explican la tecnología, reflejado claramente en la nave express del exnovio ya que: propiedad intelectual). Lo que sí sabemos es que ni pincha ni corta en ningún lado porque nadie le hace ni caso y lo ningunean en todas partes. Lo único que termina haciendo realmente es bajarse los pantalones ante el exnovio para ir a rescatar a May.
Raj: Sin importancia. Muere durante la persecución del gobierno hacia Stephen por intentar salvar a May, y no podría importarme menos.
Exnovio: tiene nombre pero no lo recuerdo. Es multimillonario, inteligente, innovador, atractivo, tiene mucha labia, aunque un poco arrogante (por eso le terminó dejando May). Y May, obviamente, es tan irresistible que después de más de 20 años de dejarlo, aún no ha pasado página (secretamente), y por eso se embarca con Stephen en la misión de rescate, para intentar asesinarle y que pareciera un accidente. Que digo yo, ¿no sería más fácil que dejara que el gobierno lo matara? No. Le SALVA de morir a manos del gobierno, para intentar matarle en el espacio. Le sale el tiro por la culata y muere. Otra de esas muerte que te la trae al pairo (a parte de las de la mitad de la tripulación de la súper nave molona). Es nuestro querido deus ex machina: tiene la nave más potente de la historia para salvar a May, salva a Stephen del gobierno, enchufa a May en el puesto de comandante de la misión más importante de la NASA (recordemos que él forma parte de la competencia), entre otras cosas.
Robert: el malo malísimo que se veía desde el principio que era malo porque es malo y ya está, no preguntes.
Y hasta aquí el desahogo, más que reseña, sobre esta obra. Hay otros detallitos que funcionan mal (como el hecho de que la gravedad no funcione como toca en el espacio, véase Stephen saltando de una nave a otra para salvar un hueco en el puente pero como no lleva impulso suficiente cae al vacío... pero si no hay gravedad, ¿por qué cae?) pero no entraré en más detalles.
Si has llegado hasta aquí, mi último mensaje es que no te recomendaría este libro, aunque solo es mi opinión.
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