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The Vela #1
The Vela
In the fading light of a dying star, a soldier for hire searches for a missing refugee ship and uncovers a universe-shattering secret.
Orphan, refugee, and soldier-for-hire Asala Sikou doesn't think too much about the end of civilization. Her system's star is dying, and the only person she can afford to look out for is herself.
When a ship called The Vela vanishes during what was supposed to be a flashy rescue mission, a reluctant Asala is hired to team up with Niko, the child of a wealthy inner planet's president, to find it and the outer system refugees on board.
But this is no ordinary rescue mission; The Vela holds a secret that places the fate of the universe in the balance, and forces Asala to decide—in a dying world where good and evil are far from black and white, who deserves to survive?
Orphan, refugee, and soldier-for-hire Asala Sikou doesn't think too much about the end of civilization. Her system's star is dying, and the only person she can afford to look out for is herself.
When a ship called The Vela vanishes during what was supposed to be a flashy rescue mission, a reluctant Asala is hired to team up with Niko, the child of a wealthy inner planet's president, to find it and the outer system refugees on board.
But this is no ordinary rescue mission; The Vela holds a secret that places the fate of the universe in the balance, and forces Asala to decide—in a dying world where good and evil are far from black and white, who deserves to survive?
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2019
232 people are currently reading
4751 people want to read
About the author
Yoon Ha Lee
208 books2,074 followersYoon Ha Lee is an American science fiction writer born on January 26, 1979 in Houston, Texas. His first published story, “The Hundredth Question,” appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1999; since then, over two dozen further stories have appeared. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
February 4, 2019
Where would you go if the only planet you've ever known became uninhabitable? Who would you save if you were in a position to do so? Would you see some people as more deserving of life, or grant everyone the same chance at survival?
I was curious and little ambivalent when I first read about this book. The idea of 4 authors writing a book in episodes sounded rather iffy. I mean, how could they possibly write the story in a fluid way, when there are 4 different authors with 4 different writing styles? Would it seem more like a bunch of short stories thrown together into one longer one? Would it seem like a jigsaw puzzle with ill-fitting pieces? Or would the authors work together in such a way as to make you feel as though you're reading just one book by one author?
Much to my delight, I found the latter to be the case. The Vela's episodes blend together seamlessly and flawlessly! It flows from one writer to the next.
I did notice a bit of a difference between the first and second episodes but it wasn't a pronounced difference, and it certainly wasn't enough to make this book put-downable! Ok, Ok, I know, so what's it about?, you're wondering?
The story takes place in another star system where the planets are all inhabited. Unfortunately for the inhabitants, the star is dying, its energy having been consumed and wasted by the rich inner planets. The citizens of the outer planets find their planets quickly becoming uninhabitable as the warmth and energy of their sun lessens. When they can scrounge up enough money, residents flee to the inner planets, hoping they will take them in and not turn them away. Our main character Asala is one such immigrant. She was able to get to the inner-most planet and make a life for herself, working under the president of this planet. When a refugee ship called The Vela suddenly goes missing, the president recruits Asala to find it. However, as she gets deeper and deeper into the mission, she discovers that things are not quite as she'd been told. Is her mission truly a humanitarian one -- or one with a more sinister purpose? Not knowing whom to trust and finding herself in ever more peril, Asala continues her search... for the truth, for the missing ship, and for the sister she left behind years ago.
This book is full of twists and turns and constant action and adventure. It's what I call Sci-Fi Lite, not hard science fiction. It is a fun and entertaining read, keeping you guessing and making it difficult to put the book down. Highly recommend to sci-fi fans who like a fast and action-filled trip through space!
I was invited to read The Vela by the publisher and given a free eARC. Thank you to all of the authors and to Serial Box for the opportunity to read this fantastic book; in return, this is my honest and unbiased review.
February 11, 2019
When the chance came up to read a story co-written by such amazing SF writers as S.L. Huang, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and Yoon Ha Lee, I think I reacted the way any sane person would — jumping at the opportunity with an overexcited shriek. A very reserved and distinguished shriek, of course.
I have no regrets. I loved the bones of this one.
The Vela is a story put together by the above writers (seriously, how insane is that cast?) and the people over at Serial Box. For those unfamiliar with Serial Box, they publish their stories like episodes of a TV Show: releasing new “episodes” on a regular schedule, which are grouped together into “seasons”. For The Vela, each successive episode is written by a different author.
In a nutshell, The Vela is about a decades-long refugee crisis in a dying solar system. The inner planets have mined the sun for hydrogen, and now that the star is dying, the outer-system planets are paying the price. Their people try to flee to the more resource-rich inner planets to survive, but rather than admit responsibility, these planets are shutting their borders. With the exception of a few politically-motivated publicity stunts, of course.
And that’s where Asala and Niko come in. One is a outer-ring sniper, and the other the child of an inner planet’s president. Together, they’re tasked with finding a ship that has gone missing following a rescue mission. Of course, they stumble into a whole lot of complications and conspiracies along the way.
The Serial Box format wasn’t something I’d tried before, but it was really interesting getting so many different perspectives on the same characters. Each of the authors brought something different to the table, resulting in a story that’s almost like a cocktail of tragedy, hope, and injustice.
Admittedly, it was slightly jarring at first to jump from style to style. Seeing the same characters written in slightlydifferent ways felt a little Uncanny Valley at times, but this was something that I quickly got used to, and even grew to like. Having such a range of perspectives made me feel like I knew the characters in a deeper and more nuanced way.
I loved Asala and Niko. Their strength, their vulnerabilities, their rage at the injustices of their world…
I always relate to Becky Chambers’ characters on a visceral level, but in The Vela it’s almost as though this improbably talented band of authors has weaponised that relatability. They made me smile, made me nervous, made me rage…
Made me cry.
I love SF stories that have parallels to our own world, and this definitely falls into that category. It’s easy to dismiss some stories as “just fiction“, but here the parallels are too vivid to be ignored. It’s powerful stuff, and it’s worrying. As it should be.
The Vela touches on so many things: loss of culture, duty of help, greed over collective good, resource hoarding, isolationism, the excuses we make to avoid helping the people who need it… There’s too many for me to list. This is an extremely relevant story, with some of the best representation I’ve ever seen. There are disabled, LGBT+, and non-binary characters, and none of them need to make excuses for their existence.
I wish I had been a fly on the wall when this was being written. I hope the authors get together to do a podcast interview or something, because I’d really love to hear their thoughts on this world they’ve all been a part of.
I adored this story. It’s not perfect, and maybe the pacing is a little rough at some points, but I loved it. And by the looks of the ending, there might just be a second season. I can’t wait.
If you’re looking for a story with awesome, badass, wholesome, and relatable characters exploring an injust world, then this is the story you’ve been waiting for.
I have no regrets. I loved the bones of this one.
The Vela is a story put together by the above writers (seriously, how insane is that cast?) and the people over at Serial Box. For those unfamiliar with Serial Box, they publish their stories like episodes of a TV Show: releasing new “episodes” on a regular schedule, which are grouped together into “seasons”. For The Vela, each successive episode is written by a different author.
In a nutshell, The Vela is about a decades-long refugee crisis in a dying solar system. The inner planets have mined the sun for hydrogen, and now that the star is dying, the outer-system planets are paying the price. Their people try to flee to the more resource-rich inner planets to survive, but rather than admit responsibility, these planets are shutting their borders. With the exception of a few politically-motivated publicity stunts, of course.
And that’s where Asala and Niko come in. One is a outer-ring sniper, and the other the child of an inner planet’s president. Together, they’re tasked with finding a ship that has gone missing following a rescue mission. Of course, they stumble into a whole lot of complications and conspiracies along the way.
The Serial Box format wasn’t something I’d tried before, but it was really interesting getting so many different perspectives on the same characters. Each of the authors brought something different to the table, resulting in a story that’s almost like a cocktail of tragedy, hope, and injustice.
Admittedly, it was slightly jarring at first to jump from style to style. Seeing the same characters written in slightlydifferent ways felt a little Uncanny Valley at times, but this was something that I quickly got used to, and even grew to like. Having such a range of perspectives made me feel like I knew the characters in a deeper and more nuanced way.
I loved Asala and Niko. Their strength, their vulnerabilities, their rage at the injustices of their world…
I always relate to Becky Chambers’ characters on a visceral level, but in The Vela it’s almost as though this improbably talented band of authors has weaponised that relatability. They made me smile, made me nervous, made me rage…
Made me cry.
I love SF stories that have parallels to our own world, and this definitely falls into that category. It’s easy to dismiss some stories as “just fiction“, but here the parallels are too vivid to be ignored. It’s powerful stuff, and it’s worrying. As it should be.
The Vela touches on so many things: loss of culture, duty of help, greed over collective good, resource hoarding, isolationism, the excuses we make to avoid helping the people who need it… There’s too many for me to list. This is an extremely relevant story, with some of the best representation I’ve ever seen. There are disabled, LGBT+, and non-binary characters, and none of them need to make excuses for their existence.
I wish I had been a fly on the wall when this was being written. I hope the authors get together to do a podcast interview or something, because I’d really love to hear their thoughts on this world they’ve all been a part of.
I adored this story. It’s not perfect, and maybe the pacing is a little rough at some points, but I loved it. And by the looks of the ending, there might just be a second season. I can’t wait.
If you’re looking for a story with awesome, badass, wholesome, and relatable characters exploring an injust world, then this is the story you’ve been waiting for.
March 2, 2019
When I first heard of this book through the offer of an ARC, researching it made me a bit worried. It's a serial of a single story with contributions from several rising-star authors.
That, alone, should have been enough for me, and it was. I just didn't put TOO many expectations on the tale.
And now that I've finished reading it? Maybe I shouldn't have worried so much. This Space Opera was FUN!
On a straight story-level, I loved the focus on refugees. Several layers of refugees-related themes permeate this novel. I really enjoyed the explorations here. Plus there's a big selection of non-standard character choices. Non-binary being the big one that hits the page a bit stronger than anything else. But more than all the rest, it's just fun storytelling.
The star is dying and a lot of genocidal considerations are on the table. Hackers, battles, and new tech are all a big part of the rest.
Did all of these authors pull off a seamless tale? I think so. I mean, you can tell that they all add their own style to the individual sections, but in no ways do any of them get in the way of the tale. :)
Definitely worth checking out.
That, alone, should have been enough for me, and it was. I just didn't put TOO many expectations on the tale.
And now that I've finished reading it? Maybe I shouldn't have worried so much. This Space Opera was FUN!
On a straight story-level, I loved the focus on refugees. Several layers of refugees-related themes permeate this novel. I really enjoyed the explorations here. Plus there's a big selection of non-standard character choices. Non-binary being the big one that hits the page a bit stronger than anything else. But more than all the rest, it's just fun storytelling.
The star is dying and a lot of genocidal considerations are on the table. Hackers, battles, and new tech are all a big part of the rest.
Did all of these authors pull off a seamless tale? I think so. I mean, you can tell that they all add their own style to the individual sections, but in no ways do any of them get in the way of the tale. :)
Definitely worth checking out.
March 1, 2019
I had HUGE expectations for The Vela. But guess what? THEY WERE EXCEEDED. Now, I'm going to write a REALLY long review about
The Vela,
because I LOVED it, but for those who don't have much time to read today,
here are the main points:
- The Vela is incredibly diverse, both in terms of race, culture, gender, queerness, disability and, well, pretty much EVERYTHING
- the women kick ass basically without exception
- and it's pretty much just the women and the queer characters that kick ass, men take a back seat
- non-binary in the center stage!!!
- there's some real adventure, and the pace can be wild
- and yet, it's written so well
- it's about a refugee crisis, so a lot of tough moral questions and points of view are tackled
- it's gritty and real, and it will not cease to surprise you (yes, I mean twists. Smart ones.)
- it's the book we've been waiting for for a long time now
- or rather, it's the book women, queer people, disabled people and any allies have been waiting for for a loooooooong time
The Vela is huge – conceptually. It encompasses refugee problems, moral dilemmas of who gets to live and who has to die, the ideas of loyalty, love, original family vs found family, and many more. And all of this – in the background of incredible diversity and empowerment. This is the novel we've all needed in scifi for YEARS.
Read the full review here.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.
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- The Vela is incredibly diverse, both in terms of race, culture, gender, queerness, disability and, well, pretty much EVERYTHING
- the women kick ass basically without exception
- and it's pretty much just the women and the queer characters that kick ass, men take a back seat
- non-binary in the center stage!!!
- there's some real adventure, and the pace can be wild
- and yet, it's written so well
- it's about a refugee crisis, so a lot of tough moral questions and points of view are tackled
- it's gritty and real, and it will not cease to surprise you (yes, I mean twists. Smart ones.)
- it's the book we've been waiting for for a long time now
- or rather, it's the book women, queer people, disabled people and any allies have been waiting for for a loooooooong time
The Vela is huge – conceptually. It encompasses refugee problems, moral dilemmas of who gets to live and who has to die, the ideas of loyalty, love, original family vs found family, and many more. And all of this – in the background of incredible diversity and empowerment. This is the novel we've all needed in scifi for YEARS.
Read the full review here.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.
Read Post On My Blog | Themed Bookstagram | Quick Update Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
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March 6, 2019As I pointed out in a Goodreads review of Elizabeth Bear’s new space opera, Ancestral Night, space opera is back, and at least in the hands of some female writers, it is not even remotely retrogressive in the ways that were standard some thirty years ago.
Four authors banded together to create the new Serial Box Serial The Vela
For me to get hooked, space opera has to hit at least some of the following elements:
Larger than life characters with interesting explorations of gender and identity
The Vela scores pretty high here.
There has clearly been a conscious effort to offer a diverse cast of characters. Most of the speaking parts, protagonists, antagonists, and very complex characters who don’t plump squarely in either camp, the narrative voice identifies as female. A few don’t have gender sepecified (which is signified by “they/them” which unfortunately I have trouble reading as not-plural, but that seems to be the trend rather than various non-standard pronouns that have been floated, such as zir, etc)
What I liked is that the characters’ gender is not made an Issue, and thus doesn’t get in the way of a cracking good story that starts with a bang and keeps running. It just is a part of a world that feels lived-in, with its cultural islands and outlooks, that is doomed.
Asala, who is one of our main pair, is a tough fighter as well as a campaigner: the story opens with her lying on a rooftop with her sniper rifle, having turned off her hearing aid as she functions better as a sniper in silence.
Niko, our secondary character, is a young hacker, offspring of President Ekrem, a career politician with all that implies. Niko is sometimes like a pup, and sometimes seems to want you to believe that puppy-like, adorable fumbling brightness. Niko gets the “they/them” that sometimes distracted old me into rereading sentences to realize it was one person, not a mob doing the action.
Asala and Niko leave to find a refugee ship that has somehow disappeared. . . bringing me to:
Interesting space ships that go beyond sprockets and rockets
The space ships are well thought out, but the focus is on a star system whose sun is dying after being basically used up by the rich inner planets. Everyone is trying to flee to the warmer inner planets before the cold kills them.
And we all know how well desperate immigrants are treated by the richer denizens. The Vela vanished, and both Asala and Niko care what happened to those refugees. President Ekrem, who secretly sent them, also cares, but not for the same reasons.
Emotional complexity
This is where my admiration really set in: four writers working together blended their styles and storytelling well enough to furnish complex characters as the story keeps widening out in . . .
Layered or polysemous surprises
Oh yeah. Right around the time we start catching up with The Vela the story takes yet another turn, into the seriously cool.
Serial Box’s 2019 is off to a terrific start with this serial.
Review copy provided by Serial Box.
March 9, 2019
ARC received from the publisher (Serial Box) in exchange for an honest review.
I pounced at the opportunity to read this barely holding back the squeeing. You mean a story written by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, S.L. Huang, and Rivers Solomon? YES PLEASE
I haven't read any serials before (I have been planning to poke into Tremontaine, but, well, Mt. TBR), but just from the line-up, this was bound to be good. And it was! As I hoped, this turned out to be exactly the sort of sci-fi I love the most - character-focused, with a side of social commentary. Honestly, I can't wait for the sequel.
The sun is dying thanks to overzealous hydrogen mining, making the outer planets quickly become uninhabitable thanks to the cold and creating waves of refugees. One refugee ship in particular, the titular Vela, is especially significant - and it has gone missing.
Enter our two protagonists: Asala is a refugee herself, a mercenary more concerned with her own survival than anything else. Niko is the idealistic, somewhat naive youngest child of the Khayyami president who has a talent for hacking and cares deeply about refugees and environmental issues, but has lived a very sheltered life. They reminded me a bit of an overeager puppy at the beginning, desperate to prove themself, but it's clear that they're no idiot. Of course, both go through a lot of growth and development over the course of the story because no mission is as simple as it seems.
I have to say I was a bit worried how a story where each chapter was written by a different author would work, but it turned out to be a non-issue. Each author was played to their strengths (those strategic Becky Chambers feels...) and I didn't notice any gaping differences in style or characters between them. Not enough to bother me. It's heavy on the themes, and very relevant as well, but to me, that makes it all the more worth reading. It's a story of an imperfect world, of people trying to do their best, and despite the setting being somewhat of a dystopia, there's hope. I also appreciated how queer, disabled, and/or PoC characters are not only there as they/we are here in real life, but they actively take the spotlight.
If I had any issues, they're mostly minor quibbles of a personal nature. I hate when characters are put into awkward and potentially embarrassing situations and Niko's initial naiveté provided a couple too many opportunities like this. Later on, there was also what I thought was a jarringly out of character moment...but a more detailed breakdown would quickly stray into spoilers, so I'll end it here.
Regardless, it's a wonderful serial asking some tough questions and I'd highly recommend it.
Enjoyment: 4/5
Execution: 4/5
Recommended to: fans of any of the above authors, those looking for representation, those who prefer soft sci-fi
Not recommended to: fans of hard sci-fi, those looking for a lighter/fluffier read, those who prefer a clear right and wrong side
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
I pounced at the opportunity to read this barely holding back the squeeing. You mean a story written by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, S.L. Huang, and Rivers Solomon? YES PLEASE
I haven't read any serials before (I have been planning to poke into Tremontaine, but, well, Mt. TBR), but just from the line-up, this was bound to be good. And it was! As I hoped, this turned out to be exactly the sort of sci-fi I love the most - character-focused, with a side of social commentary. Honestly, I can't wait for the sequel.The sun is dying thanks to overzealous hydrogen mining, making the outer planets quickly become uninhabitable thanks to the cold and creating waves of refugees. One refugee ship in particular, the titular Vela, is especially significant - and it has gone missing.
Enter our two protagonists: Asala is a refugee herself, a mercenary more concerned with her own survival than anything else. Niko is the idealistic, somewhat naive youngest child of the Khayyami president who has a talent for hacking and cares deeply about refugees and environmental issues, but has lived a very sheltered life. They reminded me a bit of an overeager puppy at the beginning, desperate to prove themself, but it's clear that they're no idiot. Of course, both go through a lot of growth and development over the course of the story because no mission is as simple as it seems.
I have to say I was a bit worried how a story where each chapter was written by a different author would work, but it turned out to be a non-issue. Each author was played to their strengths (those strategic Becky Chambers feels...) and I didn't notice any gaping differences in style or characters between them. Not enough to bother me. It's heavy on the themes, and very relevant as well, but to me, that makes it all the more worth reading. It's a story of an imperfect world, of people trying to do their best, and despite the setting being somewhat of a dystopia, there's hope. I also appreciated how queer, disabled, and/or PoC characters are not only there as they/we are here in real life, but they actively take the spotlight.
If I had any issues, they're mostly minor quibbles of a personal nature. I hate when characters are put into awkward and potentially embarrassing situations and Niko's initial naiveté provided a couple too many opportunities like this. Later on, there was also what I thought was a jarringly out of character moment...but a more detailed breakdown would quickly stray into spoilers, so I'll end it here.
Regardless, it's a wonderful serial asking some tough questions and I'd highly recommend it.
Enjoyment: 4/5
Execution: 4/5
Recommended to: fans of any of the above authors, those looking for representation, those who prefer soft sci-fi
Not recommended to: fans of hard sci-fi, those looking for a lighter/fluffier read, those who prefer a clear right and wrong side
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
August 25, 2020
What a lineup of authors! This, and the format of a serial space opera where every author wrote a chapter a week in a round robin fashion, drew me in. Serialbox publishes books like a streaming series: one season consists of ten episodes, and the second season of Vela takes off right now.
The star of a solar system is at the very end of its lifespan, outer planets are freezing and a refugee crisis hits the inner planets. Spaceship Vela is one of the refugee transporters, but it's gone lost.
The series starts with a loud bang - a visiting General is threatened to get assassinated and has to be rescued. The main protagonists, sniper Asala and hacker kid Niko get introduced and shine in their heroic roles.
After this short interlude, they get the real mission to find The Vela again and lead it to rescue. A journey through the solar system starts with many twists and turns, a prison break-in, a whole war and mysterious technology.
I'm no stranger to serial narrations, as I've been invested for several years into the longest running SF serial Perry Rhodan which produces 64 pages each and every week since 1961. Those guys know how to evolve a tension arc over several issues and separate work between authors. I have a certain expectation with this format.
And it wasn't met, sadly. First of all, each of the ten episodes tells a conclusive story, and I found them to be equally fine. The setting is interesting, though I had to scratch my head somewhat over the idea of harvesting a star leading to bleed it out of energy within the next hundred years. The topic of refugee migration is relevant in our days, and the thriller oriented plot is interesting with its twists and turns. Having a non-binary character with Niko in a prominent role is to be expected with theses authors, and feels like a must these days.
But some elements annoyed me seriously - first of all the tension arc: Every chapter needed its own micro arc and used a cliffhanger for more tension. This doesn't turn out well in the novel form that I read. A natural tension arc with relaxation in between wasn't installed and the read was bumping heavily through the whole season.
Secondly, some chapters had continuity problems - the previous chapter left me in an unresolved state and I wasn't picked up by the next chapter at that place but found a strange jump in time and space.
Also, the planetary settings don't get enough visual impression, they feel abstract and and lack a sense of being there.
Lastly, that hacker kid Niko, a real Mary Sue / Gary Stu - hacking each and everything, starting from prison A.I.s up to planetary defense systems within minutes, conveniently surpassing every obstacle. Surely, people in a highly advanced civilization plastered with A.I.s will have passwords like Dog1234. The whole hacking explanations where just ridiculous bad.
After three chapters, I started skimming through the text, and the book didn't draw me back to slow reading, which is always a bad sign.
So sorry to be the party pooper here, but this format didn't meet my expectations and the quality of the authors. I rather read single stories or novels from them and won't continue the next season.
The star of a solar system is at the very end of its lifespan, outer planets are freezing and a refugee crisis hits the inner planets. Spaceship Vela is one of the refugee transporters, but it's gone lost.
The series starts with a loud bang - a visiting General is threatened to get assassinated and has to be rescued. The main protagonists, sniper Asala and hacker kid Niko get introduced and shine in their heroic roles.
After this short interlude, they get the real mission to find The Vela again and lead it to rescue. A journey through the solar system starts with many twists and turns, a prison break-in, a whole war and mysterious technology.
I'm no stranger to serial narrations, as I've been invested for several years into the longest running SF serial Perry Rhodan which produces 64 pages each and every week since 1961. Those guys know how to evolve a tension arc over several issues and separate work between authors. I have a certain expectation with this format.
And it wasn't met, sadly. First of all, each of the ten episodes tells a conclusive story, and I found them to be equally fine. The setting is interesting, though I had to scratch my head somewhat over the idea of harvesting a star leading to bleed it out of energy within the next hundred years. The topic of refugee migration is relevant in our days, and the thriller oriented plot is interesting with its twists and turns. Having a non-binary character with Niko in a prominent role is to be expected with theses authors, and feels like a must these days.
But some elements annoyed me seriously - first of all the tension arc: Every chapter needed its own micro arc and used a cliffhanger for more tension. This doesn't turn out well in the novel form that I read. A natural tension arc with relaxation in between wasn't installed and the read was bumping heavily through the whole season.
Secondly, some chapters had continuity problems - the previous chapter left me in an unresolved state and I wasn't picked up by the next chapter at that place but found a strange jump in time and space.
Also, the planetary settings don't get enough visual impression, they feel abstract and and lack a sense of being there.
Lastly, that hacker kid Niko, a real Mary Sue / Gary Stu - hacking each and everything, starting from prison A.I.s up to planetary defense systems within minutes, conveniently surpassing every obstacle. Surely, people in a highly advanced civilization plastered with A.I.s will have passwords like Dog1234. The whole hacking explanations where just ridiculous bad.
After three chapters, I started skimming through the text, and the book didn't draw me back to slow reading, which is always a bad sign.
So sorry to be the party pooper here, but this format didn't meet my expectations and the quality of the authors. I rather read single stories or novels from them and won't continue the next season.
February 25, 2020
This just... felt soulless to me. I like the books of three out of four of these authors individually - one of them is my favorite author - but nothing about this stood out in any way. Everything that made these authors' books feel unique wasn't there, but the weakness shone through very clearly.
January 29, 2019
The Vela is a scrappy, heartfelt space opera with a lot to say. It's set against a stark environmental backdrop -a solar system doomed by encroaching cold from the over-mining of their own sun - and this in turn creates an interplanetary refugee crisis that fuels the plot and provides most of the book's contemporary parallels.
Although the book dips into the heads of several characters - rounding out some people who could otherwise have been two-dimensional villains in the process - we spend most of it with two protagonists: Asala, an ex-military operative trying to avoid her own refugee past; and Niko, a hacker from a privileged background who's trying to take a stand against the social injustices perpetuated by their home planet. Both are sharply- and sympathetically-written, and although they have a suitably mismatched working relationship, the book takes far more interest in their individual journeys.
There's a lot to like here - a fast-paced plot, well-rounded antagonists, convincing world-building and a powerful central message - but it's impossible to avoid the feature that's both this book's most intriguing feature and its greatest weakness: the fact it's been written by four different writers, each taking turns to deliver alternating chapters. Each of the four has their own distinct strengths, but these don't always align, meaning that rapid no-nonsense prose in one chapter can give way to quirkier character moments in the next. It's never so jarring as to undermine the book, but it does create some odd inconsistencies in how people talk and react. Some of the writers' individual weaknesses come to the surface as well - one or two scenes lapse into cliche and only serve to drive the plot forward.
The Vela is published by Serial Box, and it's clearly meant to be read episodically rather than the continuous manuscript I've been given. In many ways its strengths and weaknesses are closer to those of a TV series, where characters are more often inconsistent week-to-week but the overall story pulls them through - and the overall story here is still well worth reading. It's messy, yes, but also compelling and very human.
eARC received from Serial Box in exchange for an honest review.
Although the book dips into the heads of several characters - rounding out some people who could otherwise have been two-dimensional villains in the process - we spend most of it with two protagonists: Asala, an ex-military operative trying to avoid her own refugee past; and Niko, a hacker from a privileged background who's trying to take a stand against the social injustices perpetuated by their home planet. Both are sharply- and sympathetically-written, and although they have a suitably mismatched working relationship, the book takes far more interest in their individual journeys.
There's a lot to like here - a fast-paced plot, well-rounded antagonists, convincing world-building and a powerful central message - but it's impossible to avoid the feature that's both this book's most intriguing feature and its greatest weakness: the fact it's been written by four different writers, each taking turns to deliver alternating chapters. Each of the four has their own distinct strengths, but these don't always align, meaning that rapid no-nonsense prose in one chapter can give way to quirkier character moments in the next. It's never so jarring as to undermine the book, but it does create some odd inconsistencies in how people talk and react. Some of the writers' individual weaknesses come to the surface as well - one or two scenes lapse into cliche and only serve to drive the plot forward.
The Vela is published by Serial Box, and it's clearly meant to be read episodically rather than the continuous manuscript I've been given. In many ways its strengths and weaknesses are closer to those of a TV series, where characters are more often inconsistent week-to-week but the overall story pulls them through - and the overall story here is still well worth reading. It's messy, yes, but also compelling and very human.
eARC received from Serial Box in exchange for an honest review.
April 1, 2019
When the people at Serial Box asked if I'd be interested in trying this story out, it was the authors that had me saying an immediate yes. Becky Chambers and Rivers Solomon were both authors I had read and loved; they collaborated on this serial project along with Yoon Ha Lee and S.L. Huang, authors I haven't read yet but will try now.
Serial Box releases chapters the way some tv shows release episodes - and you can pay for access to an episode or a season, or wait for them to be published as a standalone book.
The setting of this story is a dying star and the people on its planets trying to find a way to survive. The outer planets have been forced into refugee status and the inner planets are not feeling very generous. Asala travels to a far planet on a quest, somewhere with a history that is threatening. Her travel companion seems inexperienced and their motives are questionable. I enjoyed it but I was glad not to have to wait for each "episode." One thing I've learned is that when I'm into a story, I want to have access to all of it! So I would be more of a buy the complete project type of reader.
Serial Box releases chapters the way some tv shows release episodes - and you can pay for access to an episode or a season, or wait for them to be published as a standalone book.
The setting of this story is a dying star and the people on its planets trying to find a way to survive. The outer planets have been forced into refugee status and the inner planets are not feeling very generous. Asala travels to a far planet on a quest, somewhere with a history that is threatening. Her travel companion seems inexperienced and their motives are questionable. I enjoyed it but I was glad not to have to wait for each "episode." One thing I've learned is that when I'm into a story, I want to have access to all of it! So I would be more of a buy the complete project type of reader.
February 22, 2019
Okay, first of all, big thanks to Serial Box for giving me an ARC of this, because I've been excited to read The Vela since I first heard about it. And... I'm happy to say that it lived up to all my expectations!
This is a fascinating story that combines politics, space adventures, and some huge moral and ethical questions - all things I love encountering in fiction. The setting is fascinating and I think very well thought out, although it would have been nice to get to know a little more about the different worlds and cultures of this universe. I did love how casually queer the whole universe was. I also felt that the authors handled the complexity of the moral and political situation very well. The characters were compelling and believable, even if Niko occasionally felt a little young. And they did a great job of navigating how to structure the story within the serial format (although I was VERY glad that I had all of the episodes already as I got toward the end).
I received a free ARC from the publisher.
This is a fascinating story that combines politics, space adventures, and some huge moral and ethical questions - all things I love encountering in fiction. The setting is fascinating and I think very well thought out, although it would have been nice to get to know a little more about the different worlds and cultures of this universe. I did love how casually queer the whole universe was. I also felt that the authors handled the complexity of the moral and political situation very well. The characters were compelling and believable, even if Niko occasionally felt a little young. And they did a great job of navigating how to structure the story within the serial format (although I was VERY glad that I had all of the episodes already as I got toward the end).
I received a free ARC from the publisher.
February 25, 2019
“You think this is all some big heroic quest. Some moral-of-the-story. You need to get over that shit right now.”
True words.
It started off as a discouraging face palm of confectionary millennial science fiction. But the characters and plot grew in depth.
This was a desperate, selfish, struggle for life featuring the worst of humanity. Every character, no matter how seemingly noble, is only out for themselves and what they consider their people.
What began as dystopia, continued as dystopia, and surprise!, ended as dystopia.
On the plus side, this was the best I’ve read from Becky Chambers. It gives me hope for her future works of Solarpunk.
February 9, 2019
I was sent an early copy of this book from the publisher.
I've heard good things about Serial Box--and had friends work with them--but I had yet to read any of their serialized novels. I admit to some skepticism. In the case of The Vela I've read and loved three of the four authors in the project, and they have unique styles. How would a book flow together? Would it feel disjointed?
To my delight, yes, the book flowed together, and to my surprise, no, it didn't feel disjointed or like related short stories. It worked--and very well at that, as these are among the best science fiction writers out there right now. Their individual approaches were noticeable if the reader is familiar with their works (S.L. Huang writes breathless action; Becky Chambers has a knack for subtle, emotional touches) but they flowed together seamlessly.
The Vela is action-packed and visceral, full of emotions, insight, and punch-to-the-gut revelations. The sun is dying, the planetary system with it. The worlds closest to the sun struggle onward as the outer planets succumb to frigid temperatures. Asala is a child refugee from a dying world, grown to become a skilled assassin and bodyguard. When the president of a privileged planet tasks her finding a lost refugee ship, she balks. She has no desire to revisit the dark memories and places of her past. The fact that the president is including his meddlesome hacker child in the mission makes it even more unappealing. However, an uneasy partnership is struck, and Asala soon finds that the search for the Vela will uncover secrets that could save--or destroy--the entire system.
Every character in this is complex and real. Asala has a grittiness to her that is still relatable. Niko, the nonbinary hacker, is idealistic to a fault; I want to add that it's fantastic to see a nonbinary lead character, and it fully showed how gender wasn't necessary to define who Niko was or how they behaved. The pacing of the book is extraordinary, especially in light of the alternating chapters by different authors. This is a space opera that really has it all--intense action, near-death scrapes, and tear-inducing scenes. I came to love these characters, and the dramatic conclusion left me in awe.
I'm adding this book to my shortlist for best novel nominees for this year. It's that good.
I've heard good things about Serial Box--and had friends work with them--but I had yet to read any of their serialized novels. I admit to some skepticism. In the case of The Vela I've read and loved three of the four authors in the project, and they have unique styles. How would a book flow together? Would it feel disjointed?
To my delight, yes, the book flowed together, and to my surprise, no, it didn't feel disjointed or like related short stories. It worked--and very well at that, as these are among the best science fiction writers out there right now. Their individual approaches were noticeable if the reader is familiar with their works (S.L. Huang writes breathless action; Becky Chambers has a knack for subtle, emotional touches) but they flowed together seamlessly.
The Vela is action-packed and visceral, full of emotions, insight, and punch-to-the-gut revelations. The sun is dying, the planetary system with it. The worlds closest to the sun struggle onward as the outer planets succumb to frigid temperatures. Asala is a child refugee from a dying world, grown to become a skilled assassin and bodyguard. When the president of a privileged planet tasks her finding a lost refugee ship, she balks. She has no desire to revisit the dark memories and places of her past. The fact that the president is including his meddlesome hacker child in the mission makes it even more unappealing. However, an uneasy partnership is struck, and Asala soon finds that the search for the Vela will uncover secrets that could save--or destroy--the entire system.
Every character in this is complex and real. Asala has a grittiness to her that is still relatable. Niko, the nonbinary hacker, is idealistic to a fault; I want to add that it's fantastic to see a nonbinary lead character, and it fully showed how gender wasn't necessary to define who Niko was or how they behaved. The pacing of the book is extraordinary, especially in light of the alternating chapters by different authors. This is a space opera that really has it all--intense action, near-death scrapes, and tear-inducing scenes. I came to love these characters, and the dramatic conclusion left me in awe.
I'm adding this book to my shortlist for best novel nominees for this year. It's that good.
March 6, 2019
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from Serial Box in exchange for an honest review. Here be me honest musings. . .
Well mateys, do I have some absolute treasure to share with the crew. Settle down because I have a yarn to spin. Ye see I have been avidly reading everything Becky Chambers writes because she be awesome (new novella coming in 2019!). And recently I read some of Yoon Ha Lee’s work and he be awesome. Book one of his machineries of the empire series is on me 19 for 2019 list. S.L. Huang’s novel zero sum game has been glitterin’ in the hold waiting to be read at the first spare moment. Plus I have me eye set on Rivers Solomon’s lovely looking novella about denizens of the deep coming out later this year. This be a talented bunch o’ scribblers.
So shiver me timbers was I was extremely surprised when a company called Serial Box contacted this salty Captain to ask if I would be willing to read the vela. I wasn’t sure exactly what Serial Box was but took one look at the list of authors and immediately said “Aye!” Oh ye scalawags, rascals, and reprobates why didn’t any of ye tell me about Serial Box sooner? Me spy network apparently needs a shakedown but, luckily fer ye, Serial Box be savvy enough to approach yer Captain first! For those of ye knuckleheads that still don’t know by now, Serial Box nicely informed me that:
"Serial Box brings everything that’s awesome about TV (easily digestible episodes, team written, new content every week) to what was already cool about books (well-crafted stories, talented authors, enjoyable anywhere).
Like TV, we release a new episode of our serials every week and serials typically run for seasons of 10-16 weeks. Easy to pick up, episodes are enjoyable on their own but build over the course of the season to tell a bigger story. Each episode is available in ebook and audio and takes about 40 minutes to enjoy."
Serial Box was generous in their terms and offered me the entire series of the vela in one go. Seriously how sublime is that? So I stole some time and settled in for a whopping good tale.
The Vela is a missing spaceship filled with refugees from a dying planet. Asala Sekou is a soldier-for-hire who has been tasked with finding the missing ship in the name of politics. However Asala wants nothing to do with this assignment or to be saddled with the President’s youngest child in tow. Asala knows the life of the refugee and that dying planet all too well. She has put that past behind her in the name of survival and has no wish to return to said planet in person or in memory.
But of course she gets sucked into the madness. I absolutely loved Asala and her toughness, intelligence, and tactics. She really floats me boat and I would be happy to have her on me crew any day. Even the President’s kid Niko managed to get some sea . . . er space legs and grew on me in time. But while the characters are fantastic, the plot be even better. It seemed like every single person’s plans went sideways at every opportunity. And what a debacle and fun it be! Seriously by the end I didn’t really know what was gonna happen or who to cheer for besides Asala. And her choices were awful and worse. The plot kept me guessing and the writing by four authors was practically seamless. I was just hangin’ on fer the ride and grinnin’ like a madwoman. I refuse to spoil it by giving more details but I want more seasons of what happens next! Avast ye swashbucklers! Go out and listen to this fantasic tale.
So me hearties, I raise me grog in toast to Serial Box and this fantastic season. May we continue to savour this truly wonderful partnership. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Serial Box!
Side note: I read the ebook version of the vela but am certainly going to look into their back catalog of audio books beginning with Sarah Gailey’s the fisher of bones. Have ye read her hippo westerns yet? Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
Well mateys, do I have some absolute treasure to share with the crew. Settle down because I have a yarn to spin. Ye see I have been avidly reading everything Becky Chambers writes because she be awesome (new novella coming in 2019!). And recently I read some of Yoon Ha Lee’s work and he be awesome. Book one of his machineries of the empire series is on me 19 for 2019 list. S.L. Huang’s novel zero sum game has been glitterin’ in the hold waiting to be read at the first spare moment. Plus I have me eye set on Rivers Solomon’s lovely looking novella about denizens of the deep coming out later this year. This be a talented bunch o’ scribblers.
So shiver me timbers was I was extremely surprised when a company called Serial Box contacted this salty Captain to ask if I would be willing to read the vela. I wasn’t sure exactly what Serial Box was but took one look at the list of authors and immediately said “Aye!” Oh ye scalawags, rascals, and reprobates why didn’t any of ye tell me about Serial Box sooner? Me spy network apparently needs a shakedown but, luckily fer ye, Serial Box be savvy enough to approach yer Captain first! For those of ye knuckleheads that still don’t know by now, Serial Box nicely informed me that:
"Serial Box brings everything that’s awesome about TV (easily digestible episodes, team written, new content every week) to what was already cool about books (well-crafted stories, talented authors, enjoyable anywhere).
Like TV, we release a new episode of our serials every week and serials typically run for seasons of 10-16 weeks. Easy to pick up, episodes are enjoyable on their own but build over the course of the season to tell a bigger story. Each episode is available in ebook and audio and takes about 40 minutes to enjoy."
Serial Box was generous in their terms and offered me the entire series of the vela in one go. Seriously how sublime is that? So I stole some time and settled in for a whopping good tale.
The Vela is a missing spaceship filled with refugees from a dying planet. Asala Sekou is a soldier-for-hire who has been tasked with finding the missing ship in the name of politics. However Asala wants nothing to do with this assignment or to be saddled with the President’s youngest child in tow. Asala knows the life of the refugee and that dying planet all too well. She has put that past behind her in the name of survival and has no wish to return to said planet in person or in memory.
But of course she gets sucked into the madness. I absolutely loved Asala and her toughness, intelligence, and tactics. She really floats me boat and I would be happy to have her on me crew any day. Even the President’s kid Niko managed to get some sea . . . er space legs and grew on me in time. But while the characters are fantastic, the plot be even better. It seemed like every single person’s plans went sideways at every opportunity. And what a debacle and fun it be! Seriously by the end I didn’t really know what was gonna happen or who to cheer for besides Asala. And her choices were awful and worse. The plot kept me guessing and the writing by four authors was practically seamless. I was just hangin’ on fer the ride and grinnin’ like a madwoman. I refuse to spoil it by giving more details but I want more seasons of what happens next! Avast ye swashbucklers! Go out and listen to this fantasic tale.
So me hearties, I raise me grog in toast to Serial Box and this fantastic season. May we continue to savour this truly wonderful partnership. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Serial Box!
Side note: I read the ebook version of the vela but am certainly going to look into their back catalog of audio books beginning with Sarah Gailey’s the fisher of bones. Have ye read her hippo westerns yet? Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
March 4, 2019
So this was something new. The publisher was kind enough to provide me with a free copy (which in no way influenced my rating), otherwise I might not even have heard about this.
It's more or less one story (same characters and setting) but different authors have written the various parts (episodes), forming the whole book. The reason I agreed to read this was that I know and quite like some of the authors who have contributed.
We are in a foreign solar system. The people there are living on several planets, all not too friendly towards one another. The reason is that the energy used for everything here is harvested hydrogen from the system’s sun - and they have harvested too much. The sun is dying, the outer planets dead or dying and the people on them too.
In this mess, a mercenary from one of those outer worlds and the son of one of the inner planets' leaders team up to find the ship called Vela. Supposedly, it’s about preventing bad publicity as the ship had carried refugees but it soon becomes clear that there must be another reason.
There’s also a rebellion brewing amongst some of these refugees as not all people are willing to share the comforts of their planets despite knowing that their time is running out as well.
But is there a way for at least some of these people to survive despite what’s happening to the entire solar system?
A few things have crossed my mind while reading this serial:
Maybe hacking is different from what I imagine or maybe it has to do with the state of this solar system, but a planet known for its AIs and robotics has its defenses evaded with such relative ease (I’m not saying no hacker could be good enough, but Niko worked incredibly fast)? Riiiight.
I’ve also been very suspicious of all the contacts this kid had throughout the solar system. I mean ?! I get that Niko was quite good with electronics, that they were taught by intelligence officers, but they were a mere apprentice and for them to always find a way and so fast, that made the journey alltogether too easy and let the professional (Asala) look a bit like a fish out of water which is not very realistic (even considering that she lacked information, such people are trained specifically to deal with such situations and obtain information - without the help of an idealistic kid).
In general, too many things were just too convenient.
Moreover, what really got on my nerves was everybody’s constant self-loathing guilt-trip. *rolls eyes*
Yes, scientists had harvested too much of the sun, thus dooming the entire solar system; yes, the inner planets were still well off while the outers were either already gone or dying rapidly. However, the people who killed themselves with the aforementioned self-loathing and guilt had done NOTHING in this scheme. Niko was born on an inner planet, true, but nobody is responsible for where they are born. And Asala acting as if she had left her sister behind … she was what? 4 years old when her mother had packed her onto a refugee ship? That notion of her having left anyone is ridiculous!
What surprised me pleasantly was how well the single chapters / episodes fit together despite having been written by different authors. I could see some differences in the writing styles or characterizations but it worked well as a whole.
Nevertheless, there weren’t really any surprises right up until and including the ending. I had fun but it was nothing groundbreaking.
Still, I'm glad I got the chance to read this so thank you to the publisher for this opportunity.
It's more or less one story (same characters and setting) but different authors have written the various parts (episodes), forming the whole book. The reason I agreed to read this was that I know and quite like some of the authors who have contributed.
We are in a foreign solar system. The people there are living on several planets, all not too friendly towards one another. The reason is that the energy used for everything here is harvested hydrogen from the system’s sun - and they have harvested too much. The sun is dying, the outer planets dead or dying and the people on them too.
In this mess, a mercenary from one of those outer worlds and the son of one of the inner planets' leaders team up to find the ship called Vela. Supposedly, it’s about preventing bad publicity as the ship had carried refugees but it soon becomes clear that there must be another reason.
There’s also a rebellion brewing amongst some of these refugees as not all people are willing to share the comforts of their planets despite knowing that their time is running out as well.
But is there a way for at least some of these people to survive despite what’s happening to the entire solar system?
A few things have crossed my mind while reading this serial:
Maybe hacking is different from what I imagine or maybe it has to do with the state of this solar system, but a planet known for its AIs and robotics has its defenses evaded with such relative ease (I’m not saying no hacker could be good enough, but Niko worked incredibly fast)? Riiiight.
I’ve also been very suspicious of all the contacts this kid had throughout the solar system. I mean ?! I get that Niko was quite good with electronics, that they were taught by intelligence officers, but they were a mere apprentice and for them to always find a way and so fast, that made the journey alltogether too easy and let the professional (Asala) look a bit like a fish out of water which is not very realistic (even considering that she lacked information, such people are trained specifically to deal with such situations and obtain information - without the help of an idealistic kid).
In general, too many things were just too convenient.
Moreover, what really got on my nerves was everybody’s constant self-loathing guilt-trip. *rolls eyes*
Yes, scientists had harvested too much of the sun, thus dooming the entire solar system; yes, the inner planets were still well off while the outers were either already gone or dying rapidly. However, the people who killed themselves with the aforementioned self-loathing and guilt had done NOTHING in this scheme. Niko was born on an inner planet, true, but nobody is responsible for where they are born. And Asala acting as if she had left her sister behind … she was what? 4 years old when her mother had packed her onto a refugee ship? That notion of her having left anyone is ridiculous!
What surprised me pleasantly was how well the single chapters / episodes fit together despite having been written by different authors. I could see some differences in the writing styles or characterizations but it worked well as a whole.
Nevertheless, there weren’t really any surprises right up until and including the ending. I had fun but it was nothing groundbreaking.
Still, I'm glad I got the chance to read this so thank you to the publisher for this opportunity.
April 9, 2019
I received an ARC of this serial from Serial Box in exchange for my honest review.
I believe that I received a sort of earlier version as there were some inconsistencies that seemed like editing errors more than anything else, so I anticipate those will have been remedied before each episode comes out for general consumption. Overall, it was a fun story of environmentalism, the dangers of bigotry, and wormholes.
CONTENT WARNING: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics)
Things to love:
-The authors involved. If you enjoy the writing of Becky Chambers, Yoon Ha Lee, Rivers Solomon, and SL Huang, you're going to be a happy camper. They each add so much of their own flavor to their episodes--Huang's were tense and action packed, Chambers' filled me with a combo of joy and dread, Lee's were funny and filled with tons of bright moments with complex characters, and Solomon's were full of allegory.
-The messages. You really don't have to dig too deeply. This is about a dying planet and other planets overlooking their own imminent demise. It's about how we choose who's "worth" saving, what allyship is and isn't, and how love changes all of us.
-The inclusion. As you might imagine from a creative team like this, there's all sorts of people with all sorts of gender identities, orientations and so on, and none of it changes the respect they are given.
-The emotional notes. All of the authors take their own time in their own way to frame something for us, and it's really neat to see what calls to them.
Things that detracted:
-Inherent format issues. Naturally, when you're all writing from scratch, consistency in tone and what information we've received is a bit bouncier than any one author would do at once. This is something I notice in every sort of episodic structure, so it's not like these authors handled it poorly or anything, just remember what you're signing up for--a story told consecutively by different people. I will say I think they all found their groove in their second installments, so it gets better as it goes. I also had difficulty with some of the discrepancies, which I'm assuming won't be there later. I particular did not like the slur used in the first half and was glad that that changed--I'd hope someone realized they were using a real life slur (accidentally, I'm sure!) and fixed it.
-Could have used a bit more action. I know this can't be easy, and it was an enjoyable story, but some episodes felt a little more direct than others. I'd have liked each episode to have felt a bit more like a TV episode, where we progress the story arc but something internal to the episode is resolved. I didn't quite get that.
3.5 stars rounded up because I haven't read Becky Chambers' books yet (though they've been on the list) and this made me need to push them a little closer to the front. I think this is fun--if you like space operas and any of these authors, I think it's definitely worth checking out.
I believe that I received a sort of earlier version as there were some inconsistencies that seemed like editing errors more than anything else, so I anticipate those will have been remedied before each episode comes out for general consumption. Overall, it was a fun story of environmentalism, the dangers of bigotry, and wormholes.
CONTENT WARNING: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics)
Things to love:
-The authors involved. If you enjoy the writing of Becky Chambers, Yoon Ha Lee, Rivers Solomon, and SL Huang, you're going to be a happy camper. They each add so much of their own flavor to their episodes--Huang's were tense and action packed, Chambers' filled me with a combo of joy and dread, Lee's were funny and filled with tons of bright moments with complex characters, and Solomon's were full of allegory.
-The messages. You really don't have to dig too deeply. This is about a dying planet and other planets overlooking their own imminent demise. It's about how we choose who's "worth" saving, what allyship is and isn't, and how love changes all of us.
-The inclusion. As you might imagine from a creative team like this, there's all sorts of people with all sorts of gender identities, orientations and so on, and none of it changes the respect they are given.
-The emotional notes. All of the authors take their own time in their own way to frame something for us, and it's really neat to see what calls to them.
Things that detracted:
-Inherent format issues. Naturally, when you're all writing from scratch, consistency in tone and what information we've received is a bit bouncier than any one author would do at once. This is something I notice in every sort of episodic structure, so it's not like these authors handled it poorly or anything, just remember what you're signing up for--a story told consecutively by different people. I will say I think they all found their groove in their second installments, so it gets better as it goes. I also had difficulty with some of the discrepancies, which I'm assuming won't be there later. I particular did not like the slur used in the first half and was glad that that changed--I'd hope someone realized they were using a real life slur (accidentally, I'm sure!) and fixed it.
-Could have used a bit more action. I know this can't be easy, and it was an enjoyable story, but some episodes felt a little more direct than others. I'd have liked each episode to have felt a bit more like a TV episode, where we progress the story arc but something internal to the episode is resolved. I didn't quite get that.
3.5 stars rounded up because I haven't read Becky Chambers' books yet (though they've been on the list) and this made me need to push them a little closer to the front. I think this is fun--if you like space operas and any of these authors, I think it's definitely worth checking out.
February 18, 2019
Collaborative work is not easy. On the other hand, reading such a work comes with an expectation, whether the (co)writing is a smooth blend of styles with a flowing story that draw us readers into the world, going deeper with the characters, ultimately ending the journey feeling fulfilled.
The Vela is one of those works. Sure, you could see the different narrative styles and characterizations. I've never read anything from Solomon and Huang (still in my wish list, no worries), but I quite enjoyed their parts, even though I sliiightly prefer the ones from more familiar writers (to me), i.e. Lee and Chambers. Speaking of which, holy hell, what a combination!
Fans of space opera would enjoy this serial - it has everything from space battles, political intrigues, warring planets, but sprinkled with refugee crisis, a dying system, and most of all, complex and diverse main and supporting characters with varied motivations. This last part was my favorite, since it was endearing to read how people, despite being in the same side (more or less), always have different motivations, unique for them, generated by either life experience, morality, political view and ambition.
Thank you Serial Box for this review opportunity, and the authors for doing a great and enjoyable collaboration. If you all consider to do another one, I'll be here :D
The Vela will be launched on March 6, 2019, via serialbox.com. For more information, visit serialbox.com/how-it-works
The Vela is one of those works. Sure, you could see the different narrative styles and characterizations. I've never read anything from Solomon and Huang (still in my wish list, no worries), but I quite enjoyed their parts, even though I sliiightly prefer the ones from more familiar writers (to me), i.e. Lee and Chambers. Speaking of which, holy hell, what a combination!
Fans of space opera would enjoy this serial - it has everything from space battles, political intrigues, warring planets, but sprinkled with refugee crisis, a dying system, and most of all, complex and diverse main and supporting characters with varied motivations. This last part was my favorite, since it was endearing to read how people, despite being in the same side (more or less), always have different motivations, unique for them, generated by either life experience, morality, political view and ambition.
Thank you Serial Box for this review opportunity, and the authors for doing a great and enjoyable collaboration. If you all consider to do another one, I'll be here :D
The Vela will be launched on March 6, 2019, via serialbox.com. For more information, visit serialbox.com/how-it-works
February 28, 2019
Thank you to Serial Box for an ARC to this story, in exchange for an honest review.
Background on the Vela's political situation: The rich Inner planets in some far off planetary system have been mining hydrogen from their sun for a long time, and this has caused a severe cooling of all the Outer planets, to the extent that most have become or are becoming uninhabitable. (I had a hard time understanding how humans could affect a star so quickly, as stars are HUGE and old and can burn for billions of years. Once I decided to just let my science questions slide, though, I could sit back and enjoy this tale.)
There is entrenched discrimination by the Inner planets peoples against those of the Outer planets. Those who could escape their dying planets went in-system, and ran headlong into that discrimination. For a while, some were allowed to immigrate to Inner planets, but eventually immigration was closed, and refugees eventually ended up in a refugee camp of sorts above the most anti-immigration planet, Gan de.
At the story's open, Asala Sikou is tasked with protecting a visiting dignitary (and military general) from Gan de, to Khayyam. She’s also convinced by the President of Khayyam to find a missing spaceship, The Vela, that disappeared while at her home planet, Hypatia. This request brings up bad memories, as Asala was sent away by her family from Hypatia, to save her life. The more Asala digs into the disappearance of the Vela, the more messy the answers become. To further complicate her mission, she's saddled with the President's adult child, Niko.
On one level, The Vela can be read as a straight-up space opera with spaceships and planet-hopping, coupled with plenty of peril and flight for its main characters. The Vela is an action-adventure tale, but it’s also a story with interesting characters, and a setting that raises many questions, not just within the context of the story, but of the geopolitical situation of today. There is a lot to like in this story:
-The two main characters, Asala and Niko, are from Hypatia (Outer) and Khayyam (Inner). Both are well drawn.
-Asala is a damned good sniper, and just general badass. Asala's quietly competent at what she does, not flashy, and Niko admires her and even hero worships her a little. Asala’s quiet hides a LOT of pain. She’s been cut off from her family for most of her life, and though she understands why they sent her away so she could live, she’s never stopped missing them, especially considering how important family and clan are to people of Hypatia. Asala's perpetual outsider status makes for some interesting interpersonal dynamics between her and every other character in this story.
-Niko initially comes across as both painfully naive and idealistic, but as the story progresses, they reveal all sorts of interesting talents and views.
-There's a third character whom I found really interesting, Soraya, who is the chief administrator of the refugee camp. She's overworked and incredibly dedicated and I liked her as soon as I met her.
-The story action is pretty much constant as there are fights, murder attempts, and space battles aplenty. The main characters are constantly on the move and in peril, with the tension picking up pretty early in the story, and not letting up.
It's impossible not to draw parallels between this story and a number of things happening around us: resource extraction leading to environmental destruction and climate change, wealth concentrated in a few, who we allow to immigrate to our countries, discrimination, and how we treat refugees. While the Vela has a number of darker elements, it also entertains the heck out of you. The Vela was a lot of fun to read, and with its ending, had me hoping for more installments in this fast-moving story.
Background on the Vela's political situation: The rich Inner planets in some far off planetary system have been mining hydrogen from their sun for a long time, and this has caused a severe cooling of all the Outer planets, to the extent that most have become or are becoming uninhabitable. (I had a hard time understanding how humans could affect a star so quickly, as stars are HUGE and old and can burn for billions of years. Once I decided to just let my science questions slide, though, I could sit back and enjoy this tale.)
There is entrenched discrimination by the Inner planets peoples against those of the Outer planets. Those who could escape their dying planets went in-system, and ran headlong into that discrimination. For a while, some were allowed to immigrate to Inner planets, but eventually immigration was closed, and refugees eventually ended up in a refugee camp of sorts above the most anti-immigration planet, Gan de.
At the story's open, Asala Sikou is tasked with protecting a visiting dignitary (and military general) from Gan de, to Khayyam. She’s also convinced by the President of Khayyam to find a missing spaceship, The Vela, that disappeared while at her home planet, Hypatia. This request brings up bad memories, as Asala was sent away by her family from Hypatia, to save her life. The more Asala digs into the disappearance of the Vela, the more messy the answers become. To further complicate her mission, she's saddled with the President's adult child, Niko.
On one level, The Vela can be read as a straight-up space opera with spaceships and planet-hopping, coupled with plenty of peril and flight for its main characters. The Vela is an action-adventure tale, but it’s also a story with interesting characters, and a setting that raises many questions, not just within the context of the story, but of the geopolitical situation of today. There is a lot to like in this story:
-The two main characters, Asala and Niko, are from Hypatia (Outer) and Khayyam (Inner). Both are well drawn.
-Asala is a damned good sniper, and just general badass. Asala's quietly competent at what she does, not flashy, and Niko admires her and even hero worships her a little. Asala’s quiet hides a LOT of pain. She’s been cut off from her family for most of her life, and though she understands why they sent her away so she could live, she’s never stopped missing them, especially considering how important family and clan are to people of Hypatia. Asala's perpetual outsider status makes for some interesting interpersonal dynamics between her and every other character in this story.
-Niko initially comes across as both painfully naive and idealistic, but as the story progresses, they reveal all sorts of interesting talents and views.
-There's a third character whom I found really interesting, Soraya, who is the chief administrator of the refugee camp. She's overworked and incredibly dedicated and I liked her as soon as I met her.
-The story action is pretty much constant as there are fights, murder attempts, and space battles aplenty. The main characters are constantly on the move and in peril, with the tension picking up pretty early in the story, and not letting up.
It's impossible not to draw parallels between this story and a number of things happening around us: resource extraction leading to environmental destruction and climate change, wealth concentrated in a few, who we allow to immigrate to our countries, discrimination, and how we treat refugees. While the Vela has a number of darker elements, it also entertains the heck out of you. The Vela was a lot of fun to read, and with its ending, had me hoping for more installments in this fast-moving story.
November 1, 2020
A novel written as a cooperation of several authors sounds like a phenomenal idea until you discover that you’ll only like it if you connect to all of the different writing and storytelling styles.
To begin with, this didn’t turn out to be my kind of plot. It’s a space adventure where action and revelations are the center of the story, and, while I’m biased, it didn’t seem like a very original telling of such a story, even if bringing the refugee issue into science fiction sounds interesting and relevant. My actual problems, however, were the characters: they were “on the nose” stereotypes. I could get to like Asala, former refugee finding a place in society while trying to suppress her past, even if with the “getting things done” attitude there wasn’t much place for original characteristics, but I was so annoyed every time one of the authors beat the reader with the hammer on the head about how privileged and sheltered but well-meaning Niko is. I get it without whole paragraphs about it every chapter.
The authors styles were very different, but not in the way it would pull you out of the story if you liked them all. As for me, there were massive differences in my enjoyment. I only knew Becky Chambers before reading this, and hers were my favorite chapters: more character and feeling driven, bringing in neat ideas beyond what is expected from the plot and avoiding the more annoying aspects of the main characters, unfortunately still not managing to make me like them. The only new-to-me author I would try something else by was Rivers Solomon, since the writing was very engaging, and I also feel the characters were budding heads less in these chapters. Yoon Ha Lee I don’t really have an opinion on: it was fine for the content given but it didn’t stick out to me. Lastly, I´m sorry to say that I did not enjoy SL Huang´s parts: They were the most blatant concerning characterization, the writing was much to designed for action to be for me and all of my problems with the book were so much more emphasized here.
While I didn’t like this book, if you are a fan of most of these authors you should check it out. It probably wont be your favorite book by any of them, since the story and characters aren’t that strong, but you’ll get a fun collaboration and can experience how they handle the same content differently from each other, which is probably the most exiting part if you are into the art of writing.
*I have received an arc via netgalley for a free and honest review*
To begin with, this didn’t turn out to be my kind of plot. It’s a space adventure where action and revelations are the center of the story, and, while I’m biased, it didn’t seem like a very original telling of such a story, even if bringing the refugee issue into science fiction sounds interesting and relevant. My actual problems, however, were the characters: they were “on the nose” stereotypes. I could get to like Asala, former refugee finding a place in society while trying to suppress her past, even if with the “getting things done” attitude there wasn’t much place for original characteristics, but I was so annoyed every time one of the authors beat the reader with the hammer on the head about how privileged and sheltered but well-meaning Niko is. I get it without whole paragraphs about it every chapter.
The authors styles were very different, but not in the way it would pull you out of the story if you liked them all. As for me, there were massive differences in my enjoyment. I only knew Becky Chambers before reading this, and hers were my favorite chapters: more character and feeling driven, bringing in neat ideas beyond what is expected from the plot and avoiding the more annoying aspects of the main characters, unfortunately still not managing to make me like them. The only new-to-me author I would try something else by was Rivers Solomon, since the writing was very engaging, and I also feel the characters were budding heads less in these chapters. Yoon Ha Lee I don’t really have an opinion on: it was fine for the content given but it didn’t stick out to me. Lastly, I´m sorry to say that I did not enjoy SL Huang´s parts: They were the most blatant concerning characterization, the writing was much to designed for action to be for me and all of my problems with the book were so much more emphasized here.
While I didn’t like this book, if you are a fan of most of these authors you should check it out. It probably wont be your favorite book by any of them, since the story and characters aren’t that strong, but you’ll get a fun collaboration and can experience how they handle the same content differently from each other, which is probably the most exiting part if you are into the art of writing.
*I have received an arc via netgalley for a free and honest review*
May 12, 2021
Maybe someday a poet would write a tragedy about this day. In it, she would be a villain.
3.5 stars. I have mixed feelings about this book, but most of those feelings are good? As it often is whenever I come back to scifi after a long break from it, this reminded me powerfully of all of the things I love about the genre; the space opera, the worldbuilding and all the potential in it, and this in particular had so many meaningful real world parallels that I adored. My mind was whirring all while reading this, and I was never not fully engaged.
I actually went in pretty much blind, which I found really enjoyable, though not everyone would. The broad stroke are: the story takes place in a system on the brink of death. Years of mining have taken a toll on the sun, and it's about 100 years away from dying. The planets on the outer rings are suffering, literally freezing to death, while the planets on the inners rings who are responsible for the mining continue to profit from it. The situation has created a refugee crisis, with thousands upon thousands fleeing the dying worlds, and most of the inner worlds being ambivalent or downright hostile to them. The main character, Asala, is a refugee, having been sent off world by her family more than 30 years ago, and she's eked out a life as a soldier/sniper in the inner rings.
The plot starts with the micro and grows in scale to encompass the whole system in fascinating and surprising ways. It's been a while since I've read deeply involved scifi like this, but the worldbuilding and characters didn't take very long for me to grasp at all. It's just really great to take these huge, universe-altering plots and put them in the hands of normal people, and see how things spin out from there. It worked really well in the beginning, where I just devoured all the political workings, all the gradual reveals. Coming down to the end, as the scope of everything just got bigger and bigger, it started to feel like things are were happening out of control, and all the big reveals and revelations were coming too fast; so fast they stopped really having an impact, no matter how shocking they were. The authors wanted to do a lot, and near the end, the narrative started suffering for it imo.
Speaking of the authors! This was really masterfully written and crafted by all of them; I've only ever read Solomon before this, but they're all obviously juggernauts of scifi and they know what they're doing. This was serialised; 10 episodes in all, shared up amongst the four writers. I thought that each writer would be handling a different set of characters, but that wasn't the case. Asala was the main POV (along with a few important secondary POVs) and they all wrote her. This didn't work super well for me? The first episode was written by Huang, and I absolutely loved it, and loved Asala as written by her. And since that was my first experience with Asala, every other writer's interpretation of her felt... slightly off? Not by much, not anything that's terribly noticeable, but I did notice, and it made the story feel a bit disjointed. Unavoidable, with a work that's been serialised like this, but I thought I'd mention it, as it did curb my enjoyment some.
But there is undoubtedly a LOT to enjoy here. I was super impressed with all the culture here; all the stories and nuances about the different worlds. The was an emphasis of written and oral history as told by plays and poetry that reminded me very favourably of A Memory Called Empire. I really loved our main characters, especially Niko; they were so freaking brave, and I understood every decision they made, even if I didn't always agree. This shines a spotlight on humanity at its worst, but also its finest. And the ways authors do that through scifi is always very rewarding to me.
I definitely enjoyed this a lot, even if that enjoyment waned coming down to the very end. I don't know if I'll read the next season, but it's definitely intriguing enough for me to want to give it a try.
Content warnings:
☆ Review copy provided via NetGalley.
April 17, 2019
Well this was freaking amazing.
I got an ARC of this in exchange for a review, and when I saw the names involved I jumped on it. I've only read Becky Chambers previously, though I've kinda chomping at the bit to try out Yoon Ha Lee for a while, and I'd at least heard of everyone else.
As far as I can tell, they took it in turns to write chapters, and the result is wonderful. Each author has their own particular flavor, but the characters stay true throughout (which is something I was worried about). The overall effect was kind of like movies like Ocean's Eleven or The Royal Tanenbaums or The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - the kind of movie with an excessively A-list cast that is obviously having fun as much as anything else.
That being said, this book is excellent, but it is NOT fun. It talks about a star dying a slow but irreversible death, thanks to short-sighted actions taken by the rich inner planets in a quest for wealth and prosperity. But despite the damage being done by the wealthy, it's the poor, cold, outer planets that feel the effects first - the inner planets are both closer to the sun (and thus warmer) and have the wealth to mitigate the effects of the sun's slow death (though the clock is ticking and they know it whenever they pull their heads out of the sand). So meanwhile the poor are suffering, refugees are desperately trying to reach the inner planets, and the wealthy planets don't really want to spend any resources to help these filthy inbred hicks who are just coming to steal jobs and suck up welfare.... As an American, you might begin to see why this made me feel kind of squirmy.
It's a very well-done mystery story as much as anything else, as one outer planet mercenary is sent by the government of one of the inner planets to find the last refugee ship from the outermost, now dead, world. What's so important about the Vela - because the players involved did NOT suddenly become humanitarians - is the question at the heart of this book.
The ending is wholly unexpected, and I've been chewing it over for days. Part of me NEEDS a sequel for this. Part of me hopes one is never written. Time will tell.
I got an ARC of this in exchange for a review, and when I saw the names involved I jumped on it. I've only read Becky Chambers previously, though I've kinda chomping at the bit to try out Yoon Ha Lee for a while, and I'd at least heard of everyone else.
As far as I can tell, they took it in turns to write chapters, and the result is wonderful. Each author has their own particular flavor, but the characters stay true throughout (which is something I was worried about). The overall effect was kind of like movies like Ocean's Eleven or The Royal Tanenbaums or The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - the kind of movie with an excessively A-list cast that is obviously having fun as much as anything else.
That being said, this book is excellent, but it is NOT fun. It talks about a star dying a slow but irreversible death, thanks to short-sighted actions taken by the rich inner planets in a quest for wealth and prosperity. But despite the damage being done by the wealthy, it's the poor, cold, outer planets that feel the effects first - the inner planets are both closer to the sun (and thus warmer) and have the wealth to mitigate the effects of the sun's slow death (though the clock is ticking and they know it whenever they pull their heads out of the sand). So meanwhile the poor are suffering, refugees are desperately trying to reach the inner planets, and the wealthy planets don't really want to spend any resources to help these filthy inbred hicks who are just coming to steal jobs and suck up welfare.... As an American, you might begin to see why this made me feel kind of squirmy.
It's a very well-done mystery story as much as anything else, as one outer planet mercenary is sent by the government of one of the inner planets to find the last refugee ship from the outermost, now dead, world. What's so important about the Vela - because the players involved did NOT suddenly become humanitarians - is the question at the heart of this book.
The ending is wholly unexpected, and I've been chewing it over for days. Part of me NEEDS a sequel for this. Part of me hopes one is never written. Time will tell.
January 24, 2023
Actual Rating: 4.5/5
This is such an interesting project. It was like listening to a tv show, where different authors are in charge of writing episodes but the characters are consistent from episode to episode. I listened to the podcast production where Robin Miles is the narrator and I am biased and always love her acting, so that for sure elevated the piece for me but also I get on with all four of these authors in their own works. That said I could not tell you which episode was which author, that is how well they blended their styles together. So a potential negative is that to accomplish this project there is less of an authorial voice but then there is the concept and character archetypes that are in this work that I just eat up. This story is focusing on refugee crisis in a galactic system after they siphon off too much of the Sun's energy. We follow our sniper mercenary MC, who is a refugee, go on a mission to save a lost spacecraft. She is a grump who is paired with our sunshine Nico, who just wants to save the world. I love their dynamics, I loved how the pacing worked and exploring this world and was pleasantly surprised that this engaging adventure science fiction touched on these heavier themes the way it did. Even though its a different author team for season 2 I am excited to see where things go for these characters, especially since it is still going to be narrated by Robin Miles!
This is such an interesting project. It was like listening to a tv show, where different authors are in charge of writing episodes but the characters are consistent from episode to episode. I listened to the podcast production where Robin Miles is the narrator and I am biased and always love her acting, so that for sure elevated the piece for me but also I get on with all four of these authors in their own works. That said I could not tell you which episode was which author, that is how well they blended their styles together. So a potential negative is that to accomplish this project there is less of an authorial voice but then there is the concept and character archetypes that are in this work that I just eat up. This story is focusing on refugee crisis in a galactic system after they siphon off too much of the Sun's energy. We follow our sniper mercenary MC, who is a refugee, go on a mission to save a lost spacecraft. She is a grump who is paired with our sunshine Nico, who just wants to save the world. I love their dynamics, I loved how the pacing worked and exploring this world and was pleasantly surprised that this engaging adventure science fiction touched on these heavier themes the way it did. Even though its a different author team for season 2 I am excited to see where things go for these characters, especially since it is still going to be narrated by Robin Miles!
November 16, 2020
I often find myself wishing that a novella was actually a full length novel, but I actually wished The Vela was a novella. It's a really impactful and thought-provoking science fiction novel that is full of great representation, and that focusses on a refugee crisis that greatly mirrors our own, but at times it really dragged on, and with the amount of world building and character interaction that we got, I think it would've worked better as a novella. Regardless, I did enjoy it a lot (it wasn't super heavy on the science-y, technology side) and I am looking forward to reading the sequel!
Thanks to Netgalley and Serial Box for an eARC copy of this in return for an honest review
Thanks to Netgalley and Serial Box for an eARC copy of this in return for an honest review
February 20, 2019
"All any of them had wanted was a tiny corner of the universe to live their lives. The universe had decided that was too much to ask."
TW: racism
First thing first, thank you very much to the publisher for sending me a e-ARC of this book. I was truly touched by the offer.
The Sun is dead. What to do now? Where to go now?
This is the dooming setting in which this adventure took place.
And, honestly? That was glorious.
With a setting like that, the authors (and, damn, that was an amazing cast of authors, if I say so myself) had and seized the chance to create wonderful and timely discussions: refugee crisis, immigration, environmental crisis and global warming.
And boy oh boy, that was spectacular! I was in awe.
Insightful, thought-provoking, interesting, true, raw, damn.
It was just devastatingly good.
It was so pleasing and amazing to read about serious problems that are effecting the world right this moment.
It is so important to know and think and understand these problems, and meeting them in a book - tackled in a delicate and respectful way - made my heart sing.
Moreover, the cast of characters was charming and diverse.
Yup, you’ve read that right.
The main character, Asala, is a deaf (she uses hearring implants), lesbian, dark skinned refugee/migrant, who has become a mercenary and now has to find a lost ship…and her sister.
Her sidekick (if we can call them only that...) was Niko, a non-binary (uses they/them pronouns) young, sometimes a bit naive, hacker who wants to prove their value to their father and has to face how bad the world can be.
Their dynamics were fresh and fun, easy and smooth. They dealt with challenging and morally ambiguous topics and that was fantastic.
And also, just to give another spectacular news: there’s no romance in The Vela and, holy hell, that was like taking a breath of fresh air.
I also enjoyed how survival guilt was a thing that was addressed and mentioned. These two characters had to deal with a lot of bad/sad/unsettling stuff, and it only felt natural that they also had to face some psychological issues.
Another thing that I particularly enjoyed was the fact that even if, as I previously mentioned, there were different authors co-writing this book, the story did not feel choppy or disjointed, but it flowed rather smoothly.
But now, let's face the pink elephant in the room.
I’ve written a lot of good things, right? So why is this a mere three stars? I can hear y’all saying: “Giulia, what’s the point of this Rather Random Review™️ and its rating?”
Well, overall I’d say that the world building was lacking.
I would have loved for the different cultures and different planets to be more developed and flashed out.
Moreover, I don’t know why but I was never fully pulled in the story. I was not completely engrossed and I honestly thought that this book was a bit too long for its own good, since it also dragged majestically in the middle :/
The plot was not bad, though. It was full of twists and turns and action and battles.
That's why I was baffled. I just honestly don't know what was lacking to fully and totally grasp my attention. It had amazing potential, and that potential was developed! It just did not completely work for me, unfortunately.
Overall, though, please don’t think this average rating indicates a bad book, because The Vela is anything but a bad book. Honestly? Quite the opposite.
The messages tackled were truly wonderful and I’m so happy that a sci-fi is touching on timely and important (sometimes devastating) topics.
I also adored the briefly mentioned morally ambiguous problems. Behind those questions there was a stellar discussion about what is the sensible thing to do? What is the right thing to do? And what if the right thing is not the human thing? What if it is selfish? What if other people are going to suffer or die? What’s mercy’s place in all this? What about responsibility?
That is some good shit 👀👌🏻
Everything was on point. God only knows how much I love these discussions, and seeing them mixed in with climate change and refugee crisis… It was good, man. Let’s just keep it short and sweet. It was good. I wouldn't be able to find the words to properly describe how happy it made me to see these topics handled, so I'm not even gonna try because I just wouldn't do it justice.
Interesting and diverse characters. Timely and phenomenal topics. Great writing style from different authors.
The Vela is a winning sci-fi that I’m incredibly glad I got to read.
"There is no making sense of a world treating entire planets of people as expendable"
TW: racism
First thing first, thank you very much to the publisher for sending me a e-ARC of this book. I was truly touched by the offer.
The Sun is dead. What to do now? Where to go now?
This is the dooming setting in which this adventure took place.
And, honestly? That was glorious.
With a setting like that, the authors (and, damn, that was an amazing cast of authors, if I say so myself) had and seized the chance to create wonderful and timely discussions: refugee crisis, immigration, environmental crisis and global warming.
And boy oh boy, that was spectacular! I was in awe.
Insightful, thought-provoking, interesting, true, raw, damn.
It was just devastatingly good.
It was so pleasing and amazing to read about serious problems that are effecting the world right this moment.
It is so important to know and think and understand these problems, and meeting them in a book - tackled in a delicate and respectful way - made my heart sing.
Moreover, the cast of characters was charming and diverse.
Yup, you’ve read that right.
The main character, Asala, is a deaf (she uses hearring implants), lesbian, dark skinned refugee/migrant, who has become a mercenary and now has to find a lost ship…and her sister.
Her sidekick (if we can call them only that...) was Niko, a non-binary (uses they/them pronouns) young, sometimes a bit naive, hacker who wants to prove their value to their father and has to face how bad the world can be.
Their dynamics were fresh and fun, easy and smooth. They dealt with challenging and morally ambiguous topics and that was fantastic.
And also, just to give another spectacular news: there’s no romance in The Vela and, holy hell, that was like taking a breath of fresh air.
I also enjoyed how survival guilt was a thing that was addressed and mentioned. These two characters had to deal with a lot of bad/sad/unsettling stuff, and it only felt natural that they also had to face some psychological issues.
Another thing that I particularly enjoyed was the fact that even if, as I previously mentioned, there were different authors co-writing this book, the story did not feel choppy or disjointed, but it flowed rather smoothly.
But now, let's face the pink elephant in the room.
I’ve written a lot of good things, right? So why is this a mere three stars? I can hear y’all saying: “Giulia, what’s the point of this Rather Random Review™️ and its rating?”
Well, overall I’d say that the world building was lacking.
I would have loved for the different cultures and different planets to be more developed and flashed out.
Moreover, I don’t know why but I was never fully pulled in the story. I was not completely engrossed and I honestly thought that this book was a bit too long for its own good, since it also dragged majestically in the middle :/
The plot was not bad, though. It was full of twists and turns and action and battles.
That's why I was baffled. I just honestly don't know what was lacking to fully and totally grasp my attention. It had amazing potential, and that potential was developed! It just did not completely work for me, unfortunately.
Overall, though, please don’t think this average rating indicates a bad book, because The Vela is anything but a bad book. Honestly? Quite the opposite.
The messages tackled were truly wonderful and I’m so happy that a sci-fi is touching on timely and important (sometimes devastating) topics.
I also adored the briefly mentioned morally ambiguous problems. Behind those questions there was a stellar discussion about what is the sensible thing to do? What is the right thing to do? And what if the right thing is not the human thing? What if it is selfish? What if other people are going to suffer or die? What’s mercy’s place in all this? What about responsibility?
That is some good shit 👀👌🏻
Everything was on point. God only knows how much I love these discussions, and seeing them mixed in with climate change and refugee crisis… It was good, man. Let’s just keep it short and sweet. It was good. I wouldn't be able to find the words to properly describe how happy it made me to see these topics handled, so I'm not even gonna try because I just wouldn't do it justice.
Interesting and diverse characters. Timely and phenomenal topics. Great writing style from different authors.
The Vela is a winning sci-fi that I’m incredibly glad I got to read.
"There is no making sense of a world treating entire planets of people as expendable"
March 7, 2019
I’ve been dying to read this new sci-fi story from Serial Box every since I saw the author line-up. Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, S.L. Huang, and Rivers Solomon? It’s a dream-team of queer science fiction, and the four of them absolutely deliver with The Vela. The best comparison I can think of is The Expanse meets Battlestar Galactica but 100% queerer.
The Vela is set in the far future, where an isolated solar system is watching their sun slowly lose energy. The planets at the outer edges of the system begin to freeze, and the inner planets are largely hostile to the resulting refugees. Asala Sikou is a sharpshooter who tries her best to forget the devastated planet she left behind. Then the president of a wealthy, innermost planet gives her a job: return to her homeworld to find a missing refugee ship, the Vela. Accompanying her is Niko, the adult child of the president who is determined to prove themself. Along the way, they’ll discover some secrets of epic proportions.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the Serial Box format, Serial Box stories bring in a team of authors to write them together. The stories are divided into episodes and seasons, sort of like a TV show. The episodes are divided up among authors. In the case of The Vela, you can think of episodes as chapters and the season as the first book in a series. If you’re worried about it being disjointed because of multiple authors, don’t be. The narrative flows smoothly.
With Asala and Niko we’ve got the classic case of two very different people having to work together in an unlikely partnership. Asala is an older, battle-worn mercenary from a hard background. She’s cynical and focused on the life she’s made for herself, not her past as a refugee and the family she’s lost. Niko’s the privileged kid whose idealism and naivete counterbalance Asala. They are opposites in so many ways, and Niko has goals of their own…
The Vela presents an intriguing sci-fi world. What do you do when the sun is slowly dying, and your entire society is essentially doomed to a quick or slow death? Those with power are the inner planets, who are determined to keep resources to themselves for as long as possible, leaving the refugees from the outer planets out in the cold. Of course, it was the inner planets that started mining the sun for hydrogen in the first place… It raises a lot of ethical questions and moral dilemmas.
The Vela has notable representation, queer or otherwise. Asala is trans, attracted to women, and deaf. She’s got implants that can let her hear, but she turns them off sometimes as they can be uncomfortable. Niko is nonbinary. The cast is racially diverse as well, and cultural references aren’t all based on the West.
The plot slowly built up steam until it reached an explosive ending that left me desperate for the next season. If you’re a fan of compelling science fiction, I highly recommend The Vela!
I received an ARC with the expectation of a fair and honest review.
Review from The Illustrated Page.
The Vela is set in the far future, where an isolated solar system is watching their sun slowly lose energy. The planets at the outer edges of the system begin to freeze, and the inner planets are largely hostile to the resulting refugees. Asala Sikou is a sharpshooter who tries her best to forget the devastated planet she left behind. Then the president of a wealthy, innermost planet gives her a job: return to her homeworld to find a missing refugee ship, the Vela. Accompanying her is Niko, the adult child of the president who is determined to prove themself. Along the way, they’ll discover some secrets of epic proportions.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the Serial Box format, Serial Box stories bring in a team of authors to write them together. The stories are divided into episodes and seasons, sort of like a TV show. The episodes are divided up among authors. In the case of The Vela, you can think of episodes as chapters and the season as the first book in a series. If you’re worried about it being disjointed because of multiple authors, don’t be. The narrative flows smoothly.
With Asala and Niko we’ve got the classic case of two very different people having to work together in an unlikely partnership. Asala is an older, battle-worn mercenary from a hard background. She’s cynical and focused on the life she’s made for herself, not her past as a refugee and the family she’s lost. Niko’s the privileged kid whose idealism and naivete counterbalance Asala. They are opposites in so many ways, and Niko has goals of their own…
The Vela presents an intriguing sci-fi world. What do you do when the sun is slowly dying, and your entire society is essentially doomed to a quick or slow death? Those with power are the inner planets, who are determined to keep resources to themselves for as long as possible, leaving the refugees from the outer planets out in the cold. Of course, it was the inner planets that started mining the sun for hydrogen in the first place… It raises a lot of ethical questions and moral dilemmas.
The Vela has notable representation, queer or otherwise. Asala is trans, attracted to women, and deaf. She’s got implants that can let her hear, but she turns them off sometimes as they can be uncomfortable. Niko is nonbinary. The cast is racially diverse as well, and cultural references aren’t all based on the West.
The plot slowly built up steam until it reached an explosive ending that left me desperate for the next season. If you’re a fan of compelling science fiction, I highly recommend The Vela!
I received an ARC with the expectation of a fair and honest review.
Review from The Illustrated Page.
March 8, 2021
Set in a solar system with a long dying sun, for decades refugees have been increasingly fleeing the outer planets for the inner system, as the outers become uninhabitable and frozen. A ship overloaded with refugees, The Vela, goes mysteriously missing, but a number of power players in the system are oddly interested in its disappearance. Asala is a skilled mercenary, while Niko is the child of the President, widely viewed as naïve and privileged, but an accomplished hacker in their own right. The two make an unlikely team on a mission to locate the lost ship, searching among the seemingly endless refugees.
Absolutely loved this story! it has a really brilliant Big Dumb Object trope setup, with no idea who or what on the Vela makes it so important, but everyone who is anyone seems to be looking for it. The writing & characterization was surprisingly cohesive given the jumps between authors. I enjoyed the diversity in queer/trans/non-binary characters with no apparent prejudice in world, particularly with a nonbinary protagonist (I would say the main protagonist here) it can be very obvious when an author doesn't commonly use they/them pronouns, but I think most if not all of these authors have experience with this and it shows. The refugee narrative we get is also quite incredible, not only seeing a refugee experience from outside, but also the personal experience of a refugee, the trauma, loss of family and culture. The story also had some major twisty turns, and good god that ending, this is a definite must read for fans of The Expanse or The Collapsing Empire.
I requested and received a copy of this book for honest review, thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and authors.
Absolutely loved this story! it has a really brilliant Big Dumb Object trope setup, with no idea who or what on the Vela makes it so important, but everyone who is anyone seems to be looking for it. The writing & characterization was surprisingly cohesive given the jumps between authors. I enjoyed the diversity in queer/trans/non-binary characters with no apparent prejudice in world, particularly with a nonbinary protagonist (I would say the main protagonist here) it can be very obvious when an author doesn't commonly use they/them pronouns, but I think most if not all of these authors have experience with this and it shows. The refugee narrative we get is also quite incredible, not only seeing a refugee experience from outside, but also the personal experience of a refugee, the trauma, loss of family and culture. The story also had some major twisty turns, and good god that ending, this is a definite must read for fans of The Expanse or The Collapsing Empire.
I requested and received a copy of this book for honest review, thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and authors.
June 23, 2021
This serial has four things I really liked:
1) Great writers collaborating in a cohesive and well done narrative,
2) Well done, many layered, characters,
3) A surprising and fast paced plot that never gets boring and
4) Food for thought of extreme, utmost importance. Many of the questions this story asks could be translated to our current world situation and how we handle world problems like refugees and climate change.
This serial packs a punch. I liked how it made me think about a lot of important things and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get out of their comfort zone while reading a very entertaining science fiction story with fast paced action.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
1) Great writers collaborating in a cohesive and well done narrative,
2) Well done, many layered, characters,
3) A surprising and fast paced plot that never gets boring and
4) Food for thought of extreme, utmost importance. Many of the questions this story asks could be translated to our current world situation and how we handle world problems like refugees and climate change.
This serial packs a punch. I liked how it made me think about a lot of important things and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get out of their comfort zone while reading a very entertaining science fiction story with fast paced action.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2020
Rep: trans lesbian mc, nonbinary mc, other wlw and nonbinary side characters
January 22, 2024
Sadly relevant in so many ways, I think this will stick with me for quite a while.
September 16, 2020
The Vela is a gripping sci fi serial with social commentary on immigration and climate disaster. Harnessing the sun's energy has led to the cooling of the solar system with many fleeing desolate planets as space refugees. They build scrap ships and huddle in the limbo of space, hoping to join a nation through a lottery or military service because planets aren't letting anyone in. Those unaffected by the sudden plunge in temperatures are content to pretend that the solar system-wide catastrophe isn't happening. This book features many LGBTQ+ characters. Asala is trans, Niko is nonbinary, and various side characters are under different parts of the umbrella. In terms of disability representation, Asala is deaf/ hard of hearing and uses a hearing aid. This was a suspenseful read trying to figure out what happened to the Vela and the politics surrounding its disappearance. The Gandesian, Hypatian, and Khayyami cultures were fully realized and intriguing. Asala struggles with losing her heritage and her loyalty to her clan. Niko struggles with their conniving father's lack of scruples. All the characters are caught in turmoil of how to ethically engage with so many unscrupulous nations and power hungry leaders.
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