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Axiom
The Alien Stars: And Other Novellas
The first novella collection set in the world of Pratt's popular Axiom space opera trilogy.In this collection of previously unpublished novellas, Hugo Award-winner Tim Pratt returns to the acclaimed sci-fi universe of his Axiom trilogy.Each of these three stories takes fans and new readers alike deeper into the rich world of the Axiom than ever before, revisiting the crewmembers of the White Raven as they strike out on new and enthralling adventures.Delilah Mears joins the crew of the Golden Spider, as its cyborg captain Ashok leads them deep into space to investigate a mysterious cosmic anomaly, leading to an encounter with a truly unusual band of space pirates; AI (and Trans-Neptunian Alliance President) Shall receives a strange summons from a past version of himself to help defeat an existential threat to the entire universe; And intrepid alien truth-teller Lantern journeys home to confront the monsters of her past, and the deepest secrets of her heart (or the closest thing she has in her circulatory system to a heart).File Expanded Universe | Kickstars | Axiomatic |Supernov(ell)ae
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2021
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December 31, 2021
3.5 Stars
As a fan of the original Axion trilogy, I was very excited to learn that the author had published three novellas set in this universe. Each story focuses on a specific character providing more development and side story.
In terms of plot, these novellas do not add much to the main storyline, but simply expand on the worldbuilding and give us readers more time with some beloved characters. I wish the stories had been longer or simply had a bit more significance to the larger scope of the series.
Note, this book spoils the original trilogy so you must finish The Forbidden Stars before jumping into these novellas!
The Augmented Stars… I loved reading more about Ashok in a unique perspective I did not expect.
The Artificial Stars… This was my favourite of the three novellas. I thought the first person perspective was an excellent choice. I also always like stories involving artificial intelligence.
The Alien Stars… I was very happy to have a story from Lantern and learn more about the Liars. However, I personally dislike stories written in letters which slightly lessened my enjoyment.
I would recommend this collection to other fans of the Axiom trilogy who want to spend more time in this future universe.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Angry Robot Books.
As a fan of the original Axion trilogy, I was very excited to learn that the author had published three novellas set in this universe. Each story focuses on a specific character providing more development and side story.
In terms of plot, these novellas do not add much to the main storyline, but simply expand on the worldbuilding and give us readers more time with some beloved characters. I wish the stories had been longer or simply had a bit more significance to the larger scope of the series.
Note, this book spoils the original trilogy so you must finish The Forbidden Stars before jumping into these novellas!
The Augmented Stars… I loved reading more about Ashok in a unique perspective I did not expect.
The Artificial Stars… This was my favourite of the three novellas. I thought the first person perspective was an excellent choice. I also always like stories involving artificial intelligence.
The Alien Stars… I was very happy to have a story from Lantern and learn more about the Liars. However, I personally dislike stories written in letters which slightly lessened my enjoyment.
I would recommend this collection to other fans of the Axiom trilogy who want to spend more time in this future universe.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Angry Robot Books.
May 19, 2021
Thank you so much to Angry Robot for the early digital copy of The Alien Stars: And Other Novellas! This is AR’s first novella collection, and seeing as I had recently read and enjoyed Doors of Sleep by the same author, I was definitely interested!
Pratt’s Axiom trilogy wrapped up in 2019 and there were a few side characters that he wanted to spend a little more time with, so these novellas (also readable as standalones) are a re entry into that world.
I always find it really hard to talk about novellas, but I enjoyed reading these. It is definitely not necessary to read the Axiom trilogy, although I wonder if it will provide series spoilers (who lives, who dies, who marries who, etc) to those who decide to read the books. I added them to my TBR; it’s hard not to be drawn into the world of these characters with their dynamic personalities, taste for adventure, and snarky banter.
Each novella has a clear starting point, action filled middle, and clear ending. A good novella contains an entire story in fewer pages and Pratt definitely did that.
The AI ethics and societal implications were my favorite part. Ashok and Shall are both really interesting characters and explore my favorite sci-fi topic, Robots/AI autonomy! I didn’t like the third story as much as the others because it’s heavily character based, and I just don’t know the characters well enough to care about their background together.
The space pirates and rebel clone in the first two novellas were great reads though, and the final novella did have some wonderfully clueless aliens going for it.
Totally recommend for fans of sci-fi, banter for days, and short fiction!
Pratt’s Axiom trilogy wrapped up in 2019 and there were a few side characters that he wanted to spend a little more time with, so these novellas (also readable as standalones) are a re entry into that world.
I always find it really hard to talk about novellas, but I enjoyed reading these. It is definitely not necessary to read the Axiom trilogy, although I wonder if it will provide series spoilers (who lives, who dies, who marries who, etc) to those who decide to read the books. I added them to my TBR; it’s hard not to be drawn into the world of these characters with their dynamic personalities, taste for adventure, and snarky banter.
Each novella has a clear starting point, action filled middle, and clear ending. A good novella contains an entire story in fewer pages and Pratt definitely did that.
The AI ethics and societal implications were my favorite part. Ashok and Shall are both really interesting characters and explore my favorite sci-fi topic, Robots/AI autonomy! I didn’t like the third story as much as the others because it’s heavily character based, and I just don’t know the characters well enough to care about their background together.
The space pirates and rebel clone in the first two novellas were great reads though, and the final novella did have some wonderfully clueless aliens going for it.
Totally recommend for fans of sci-fi, banter for days, and short fiction!
April 29, 2021
The nitty-gritty: Tim Pratt brings his readers three stories that focus on the side characters from his Axiom series, and while I enjoyed the stories overall, I really loved the last one in particular.
Tim Pratt mentions in his forward to The Alien Stars that he wanted to revisit some of his favorite characters from his Axiom series, characters that didn’t get as much page time as he wanted. The Alien Stars is a collection of three novellas that focus on those characters, and for the most part I had a good time with these stories. I always love the idea of delving deeper into side characters and I think Pratt's love of his world really shows. My only reservation is that I have not read the Axiom series, and I think this hindered my enjoyment a bit. Here is a quick breakdown of each novella:
THE AUGMENTED STARS
This story focuses on Ashok, a ship’s AI who is captain of the Golden Spider. He is on a mission to a far off Axiom facility, one of the last remaining ones, after Captain Callie Machedo destroyed the rest. The Axiom are a destructive alien race whose plan to obliterate every sentient life form they discovered was mostly successful, and the human race could have been destroyed as well, but Callie prevented that from happening. However, she sent a fleet of ships to that last facility in the hopes of destroying it as well, but the fleet was lost and never returned. Now Ashok wants to figure out what happened to them and rescue them if he can.
Delilah Mears has just been hired as an engineer on the Golden Spider and will make the trip with Ashok to help out. But when they arrive, they discover a weird object that can reverse entropy—something that should be impossible—and they find themselves trapped in an anomaly with the missing fleet. Luckily Ashok has a hidden weapon that might help all of them escape.
I found this story a bit confusing, because the author expects you to understand a lot of the worldbuilding from the series. There’s quite a bit of information to take in if you’re new to this world: who the Axiom are, unfamiliar technology and of course, the backstories and relationships between the characters. The Augmented Stars has a wacky section where the crew run into a pirate ship that seems very familiar to them. It’s familiar because it’s the pirate ship from the popular TV show Hyperion’s Revenge! This novella in particular had more of a lighthearted, humorous feeling to it and reminded me a bit of Pratt’s Doors of Sleep. 3/5 stars.
THE ARTIFICIAL STARS
In this novella we meet Shall, another AI character from the series. Shall is able to split off parts of himself and send them off to other locations, and five years before, he sent one of these pieces on a mission to save the life of Callie. After the rescue was successful, Shall shut down that consciousness and deleted it—or so he thought. But one day Shall gets a message from Will, the part of himself that he had deleted. Will is still “alive” on a far off planet and needs Shall’s help.
According to Will, the bridges that connect worlds are starting to break down, and if something isn’t done soon, the universe will be destroyed. Shall agrees to meet with Will and takes along an engineer named Uzoma to help out. They arrive and discover the reason for the collapsing bridges, but as you might expect, Will has another reason entirely for luring Shall away from his home.
I liked this story, although I was pretty confused in the beginning. Pratt fills in a lot of the missing pieces from the series, including important events that happened and affect these characters. He also goes into technical details about the bridges and the “crawlspace of the universe,” which was pretty interesting. I also really loved the lighthearted humor and the fantastic dialog, both elements that Pratt excels at. However, this is another story that might appeal more to readers who are already familiar with the series. 3.5/5 stars.
THE ALIEN STARS
This was by far my favorite of the three stories and in my opinion the most accessible for new readers. Full of heart and depth, The Alien Stars is told by Lantern, a member of a species called the Free, who were created by the destructive race of aliens known as the Axiom. The Free were used by the Axiom in their diabolical plan to eradicate all forms of sentient life in the universe, but Lantern ended up falling in love with a human woman named Elena and has convinced the higher ups in the council that she is acting as a double agent, living among humans in order to learn their defense secrets. Of course this is a lie, but Lantern knows the council will kill her if they find out the truth.
The story is formatted as Lantern writing a letter to Elena, knowing that she is embarking on a dangerous mission and may never return. Lantern has received an invitation from Free elder Vandor to visit a distant planet—through means of an Axiom technology called a bridge—but once there, Lantern realizes she’s fallen into a terrible trap. Vandor wants to gather all the Free, scattered throughout the galaxy, by convincing them that he has “found” their long lost ancestral home. He wants Lantern to be the ambassador and spread the word, urging them to come “home.” But Vandor has an ulterior motive, of course, and when Lantern realizes what it is, she knows she must escape at all costs.
Lantern is a wonderful, sweet character who broke my heart. The plight of the Free is also heartbreaking, and Pratt’s themes of oppression and slavery brought to mind some examples from our own tainted history. The Free were coerced and used by the Axiom to kill off millions of living creatures, but fortunately the human race is so spread out that they don’t have the resources to destroy them—yet, anyway. Lantern’s unrequited love for Elena is poignant, especially because Elena is married to a woman named Callie (one of the main characters in the books). But that love is what keeps Lantern “human” and willing to sacrifice herself in order to save the human race. The ending was simply heartwarming and gave me chills! 5/5 stars.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection, although the last novella is the best and worth the price of admission. I do think readers who are already familiar with Pratt’s Axiom series will enjoy this more than newbies, but I will say that these stories have piqued my interest in the series, and at some point I’d love to go back and start from the beginning.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Tim Pratt mentions in his forward to The Alien Stars that he wanted to revisit some of his favorite characters from his Axiom series, characters that didn’t get as much page time as he wanted. The Alien Stars is a collection of three novellas that focus on those characters, and for the most part I had a good time with these stories. I always love the idea of delving deeper into side characters and I think Pratt's love of his world really shows. My only reservation is that I have not read the Axiom series, and I think this hindered my enjoyment a bit. Here is a quick breakdown of each novella:
THE AUGMENTED STARS
This story focuses on Ashok, a ship’s AI who is captain of the Golden Spider. He is on a mission to a far off Axiom facility, one of the last remaining ones, after Captain Callie Machedo destroyed the rest. The Axiom are a destructive alien race whose plan to obliterate every sentient life form they discovered was mostly successful, and the human race could have been destroyed as well, but Callie prevented that from happening. However, she sent a fleet of ships to that last facility in the hopes of destroying it as well, but the fleet was lost and never returned. Now Ashok wants to figure out what happened to them and rescue them if he can.
Delilah Mears has just been hired as an engineer on the Golden Spider and will make the trip with Ashok to help out. But when they arrive, they discover a weird object that can reverse entropy—something that should be impossible—and they find themselves trapped in an anomaly with the missing fleet. Luckily Ashok has a hidden weapon that might help all of them escape.
I found this story a bit confusing, because the author expects you to understand a lot of the worldbuilding from the series. There’s quite a bit of information to take in if you’re new to this world: who the Axiom are, unfamiliar technology and of course, the backstories and relationships between the characters. The Augmented Stars has a wacky section where the crew run into a pirate ship that seems very familiar to them. It’s familiar because it’s the pirate ship from the popular TV show Hyperion’s Revenge! This novella in particular had more of a lighthearted, humorous feeling to it and reminded me a bit of Pratt’s Doors of Sleep. 3/5 stars.
THE ARTIFICIAL STARS
In this novella we meet Shall, another AI character from the series. Shall is able to split off parts of himself and send them off to other locations, and five years before, he sent one of these pieces on a mission to save the life of Callie. After the rescue was successful, Shall shut down that consciousness and deleted it—or so he thought. But one day Shall gets a message from Will, the part of himself that he had deleted. Will is still “alive” on a far off planet and needs Shall’s help.
According to Will, the bridges that connect worlds are starting to break down, and if something isn’t done soon, the universe will be destroyed. Shall agrees to meet with Will and takes along an engineer named Uzoma to help out. They arrive and discover the reason for the collapsing bridges, but as you might expect, Will has another reason entirely for luring Shall away from his home.
I liked this story, although I was pretty confused in the beginning. Pratt fills in a lot of the missing pieces from the series, including important events that happened and affect these characters. He also goes into technical details about the bridges and the “crawlspace of the universe,” which was pretty interesting. I also really loved the lighthearted humor and the fantastic dialog, both elements that Pratt excels at. However, this is another story that might appeal more to readers who are already familiar with the series. 3.5/5 stars.
THE ALIEN STARS
This was by far my favorite of the three stories and in my opinion the most accessible for new readers. Full of heart and depth, The Alien Stars is told by Lantern, a member of a species called the Free, who were created by the destructive race of aliens known as the Axiom. The Free were used by the Axiom in their diabolical plan to eradicate all forms of sentient life in the universe, but Lantern ended up falling in love with a human woman named Elena and has convinced the higher ups in the council that she is acting as a double agent, living among humans in order to learn their defense secrets. Of course this is a lie, but Lantern knows the council will kill her if they find out the truth.
The story is formatted as Lantern writing a letter to Elena, knowing that she is embarking on a dangerous mission and may never return. Lantern has received an invitation from Free elder Vandor to visit a distant planet—through means of an Axiom technology called a bridge—but once there, Lantern realizes she’s fallen into a terrible trap. Vandor wants to gather all the Free, scattered throughout the galaxy, by convincing them that he has “found” their long lost ancestral home. He wants Lantern to be the ambassador and spread the word, urging them to come “home.” But Vandor has an ulterior motive, of course, and when Lantern realizes what it is, she knows she must escape at all costs.
Lantern is a wonderful, sweet character who broke my heart. The plight of the Free is also heartbreaking, and Pratt’s themes of oppression and slavery brought to mind some examples from our own tainted history. The Free were coerced and used by the Axiom to kill off millions of living creatures, but fortunately the human race is so spread out that they don’t have the resources to destroy them—yet, anyway. Lantern’s unrequited love for Elena is poignant, especially because Elena is married to a woman named Callie (one of the main characters in the books). But that love is what keeps Lantern “human” and willing to sacrifice herself in order to save the human race. The ending was simply heartwarming and gave me chills! 5/5 stars.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection, although the last novella is the best and worth the price of admission. I do think readers who are already familiar with Pratt’s Axiom series will enjoy this more than newbies, but I will say that these stories have piqued my interest in the series, and at some point I’d love to go back and start from the beginning.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
April 27, 2021
Fresh off my first Pratt novel Doors of Sleep, I decided to give his Axiom universe a go. This omnibus collects three novellas all set in said universe, and presents a debatably good intro to the series itself. Or does it?
The Augmented Stars
Delilah Mears joins the crew of the Golden Spider, a scout vessel on a hush-hush mission out onto the fringes of known space. To her, the Axiom are nothing more than a myth: a race of pseudo-Reapers that haunt the galaxy, laying waste to any civilization they come across. So when it turns out that the mission itself is to investigate a cosmic anomaly—one that may or may not be an Axiom death trap—she’s caught a bit off guard. But upon setting out, the mission parameters aren’t the only surprise in store for Mears. Space pirates, rogue A.I.s, and myths come to life feature in this action-packed novella.
…which was generally interesting—and served as a good intro to the Axiom universe, even though I’m told it contains spoilers for the books. The novella starts off on the right foot; an adventure to the edge of space, a mysterious captain with quite a sense of humor, an interesting new galaxy to explore. From here, we go to the equally mysterious anomaly, get boarded by space pirates—enough to tie off any adventure nicely. The ending was a bit of a letdown, and I do think Pratt could’ve drawn out the suspense (and length of the novella) a bit more, but all in all it was an enjoyable adventure told in a bite-size portion.
3.5 / 5 ✪
The Artificial Stars
A.I. and Trans-Neptunian Alliance President Shall receives a strange message from a past version of himself that he thought had been re-absorbed into his consciousness and destroyed. The request: come to the edge of the universe to see something important—if he doesn’t, the universe will be destroyed. So Shall convenes his cabinet to decide how to handle the threat before ultimately setting out to meet it.
I just could never take this one seriously. From the outset, it runs like a cheesy scifi series one-off. An AI splits his personality and it eventually gets away from him and decides that it is the real consciousness and he the copy, so we get the gang together and set out on a harebrained adventure to stop it. But first, the presidential cabinet rehashes some of their past adventures together, like a full-on knockoff of the A-Team. From there everything carries on predictably. This is something that fans of the series will ultimately probably enjoy, but I found it ridiculous, cheesy, and stupid.
1.0 / 5 ✪
The Alien Stars
Lantern, an important figure among the aliens known as “the Free” or “the Liars”, recounts a harrowing personal journey she undertook to confront her ghosts from her past, nightmares from the present, and specters that only the future could hold. The story is told via a number of letters sent to her star-crossed love and human friend, as she goes up against a threat to the galaxy—one that she is uniquely designed to fight, one that she fully expects to claim her life.
It’s actually quite touching, this one. Again, I felt like Pratt could’ve really drawn it out a bit more: heightened the tension, atmosphere, mystery—and that the story would’ve been better for it. As it is, the Alien Stars reads reasonably well, and ends much better than either of the others before it, but not before tugging a bit on the heartstrings on the way out. This one I found had the slowest build, but ultimately the best conclusion.
4.25 / 5 ✪
All in all, I would like to reassess my previous statement that this omnibus would be a good jumping-off point for the Axiom universe. The novellas all contain spoilers for the main series, so it’s probably not a good place to start if you think you’d like to read the Axiom trilogy. Also, while there’s a bit of hand-holding, this is more the type of thing that existing fans will enjoy more than newcomers. But for a newcomer like myself: one decent read, one good read, and one dud. I suppose it’d not bad, but if you’re really interested you should probably start with the Wrong Stars.
The Augmented Stars
Delilah Mears joins the crew of the Golden Spider, a scout vessel on a hush-hush mission out onto the fringes of known space. To her, the Axiom are nothing more than a myth: a race of pseudo-Reapers that haunt the galaxy, laying waste to any civilization they come across. So when it turns out that the mission itself is to investigate a cosmic anomaly—one that may or may not be an Axiom death trap—she’s caught a bit off guard. But upon setting out, the mission parameters aren’t the only surprise in store for Mears. Space pirates, rogue A.I.s, and myths come to life feature in this action-packed novella.
…which was generally interesting—and served as a good intro to the Axiom universe, even though I’m told it contains spoilers for the books. The novella starts off on the right foot; an adventure to the edge of space, a mysterious captain with quite a sense of humor, an interesting new galaxy to explore. From here, we go to the equally mysterious anomaly, get boarded by space pirates—enough to tie off any adventure nicely. The ending was a bit of a letdown, and I do think Pratt could’ve drawn out the suspense (and length of the novella) a bit more, but all in all it was an enjoyable adventure told in a bite-size portion.
3.5 / 5 ✪
The Artificial Stars
A.I. and Trans-Neptunian Alliance President Shall receives a strange message from a past version of himself that he thought had been re-absorbed into his consciousness and destroyed. The request: come to the edge of the universe to see something important—if he doesn’t, the universe will be destroyed. So Shall convenes his cabinet to decide how to handle the threat before ultimately setting out to meet it.
I just could never take this one seriously. From the outset, it runs like a cheesy scifi series one-off. An AI splits his personality and it eventually gets away from him and decides that it is the real consciousness and he the copy, so we get the gang together and set out on a harebrained adventure to stop it. But first, the presidential cabinet rehashes some of their past adventures together, like a full-on knockoff of the A-Team. From there everything carries on predictably. This is something that fans of the series will ultimately probably enjoy, but I found it ridiculous, cheesy, and stupid.
1.0 / 5 ✪
The Alien Stars
Lantern, an important figure among the aliens known as “the Free” or “the Liars”, recounts a harrowing personal journey she undertook to confront her ghosts from her past, nightmares from the present, and specters that only the future could hold. The story is told via a number of letters sent to her star-crossed love and human friend, as she goes up against a threat to the galaxy—one that she is uniquely designed to fight, one that she fully expects to claim her life.
It’s actually quite touching, this one. Again, I felt like Pratt could’ve really drawn it out a bit more: heightened the tension, atmosphere, mystery—and that the story would’ve been better for it. As it is, the Alien Stars reads reasonably well, and ends much better than either of the others before it, but not before tugging a bit on the heartstrings on the way out. This one I found had the slowest build, but ultimately the best conclusion.
4.25 / 5 ✪
All in all, I would like to reassess my previous statement that this omnibus would be a good jumping-off point for the Axiom universe. The novellas all contain spoilers for the main series, so it’s probably not a good place to start if you think you’d like to read the Axiom trilogy. Also, while there’s a bit of hand-holding, this is more the type of thing that existing fans will enjoy more than newcomers. But for a newcomer like myself: one decent read, one good read, and one dud. I suppose it’d not bad, but if you’re really interested you should probably start with the Wrong Stars.
February 3, 2022
I loved Tim Pratt’s Axiom trilogy, a classic space opera style science fiction series set in the far future. It seemed like it wrapped up at the end of book 3, but in the introduction to this collection of novellas, Tim Pratt says he wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to it, so he wrote the three new novellas in this book, each touching on different side characters from the trilogy. I too was not ready to say goodbye to the universe Pratt had created in those books, so I was very happy to read this and get three different glimpses into what some of the old characters (and new ones too) were up to in different corners of the universe, and about what had happened in that universe after the trilogy wrapped up. I even shed a tear on the last page!
I would not recommend reading this as a stand-alone; however, if you love science fiction, I highly recommend going back to the first book in the series, The Wrong Stars, and starting there! This series is a bit obscure and I actually can’t remember how it originally came to my attention, but I’m so glad it did!
I would not recommend reading this as a stand-alone; however, if you love science fiction, I highly recommend going back to the first book in the series, The Wrong Stars, and starting there! This series is a bit obscure and I actually can’t remember how it originally came to my attention, but I’m so glad it did!
January 28, 2021
I am so glad I did the Kickstarter for this so I don't have to wait until the end of April! I've got to read it at just the time I needed something to make me feel better.
Now, you probably know that these three novellas take place after the Axiom series. I am sure you could enjoy these without having read those, but I urge you to go read those novels first so you can avoid both spoilers and, more importantly, gain the full emotional impact of these tales. It was wonderful to spend time with these characters again even when things are tense... (oh man, that last story with Lantern!)
I try really hard not to be spoilery if I don't have to so I'm just going to say that every one of these stories was excellent and they all had places to lift my heart. The last page of the book made me tear up in all the right ways, though!
Now, you probably know that these three novellas take place after the Axiom series. I am sure you could enjoy these without having read those, but I urge you to go read those novels first so you can avoid both spoilers and, more importantly, gain the full emotional impact of these tales. It was wonderful to spend time with these characters again even when things are tense... (oh man, that last story with Lantern!)
I try really hard not to be spoilery if I don't have to so I'm just going to say that every one of these stories was excellent and they all had places to lift my heart. The last page of the book made me tear up in all the right ways, though!
May 8, 2021
This book is three previously unpublished novellas set in Tim Pratt's Axiom universe. These three novellas follow up on the lives of three different crew members of the White Raven. These stories take place after the events in the Axiom trilogy.
In the first novella, "The Augmented Stars", Ashok gathers a crew together for his ship, theGolden Spider. He is going out to investigate the disappearance of another ship that was investigating a possible Axiom artifact in deep space. They will soon find out that it is a trap set long ago by the now mostly extinct Axiom empire.
In the second novella, The Artificial Stars", the AI Shall, who is now the president of the Trans-Neptunian Alliance, receives a cryptic message from a part of himself he thought long dead. He too assembles a crew to investigate and will also find himself and said crew caught in a trap.
In the third novella, "The Alien Stars", Lantern is going to investigate the possibility of the survival of some members of the central council, who were responsible for the destruction of the original Meditreme Station. What she finds will horrify her and she will have to go against her very beliefs if she is to save humankind.
This book is a great addition to the original Axiom trilogy.
In the first novella, "The Augmented Stars", Ashok gathers a crew together for his ship, theGolden Spider. He is going out to investigate the disappearance of another ship that was investigating a possible Axiom artifact in deep space. They will soon find out that it is a trap set long ago by the now mostly extinct Axiom empire.
In the second novella, The Artificial Stars", the AI Shall, who is now the president of the Trans-Neptunian Alliance, receives a cryptic message from a part of himself he thought long dead. He too assembles a crew to investigate and will also find himself and said crew caught in a trap.
In the third novella, "The Alien Stars", Lantern is going to investigate the possibility of the survival of some members of the central council, who were responsible for the destruction of the original Meditreme Station. What she finds will horrify her and she will have to go against her very beliefs if she is to save humankind.
This book is a great addition to the original Axiom trilogy.
August 24, 2024
Rec. by: Previous work; Village Books in Bellingham, WA
Rec. for: Folks who just wanna sit around and get caught up
Turns out two out of three really ain't bad, at least in this case... I've read the first two books of Tim Pratt's Axiom trilogy of newfangled old-fashioned space operas (The Wrong Stars and The Dreaming Stars, both back in 2018), and even though I haven't yet read the third, I think the ones I did read have made me well-prepared to enjoy The Alien Stars. Pratt's collection of three interstitial novellas is set in the same scintillating space-opera universe, after all, so when I ran across a copy this summer quite by chance in a lovely multi-level bookstore called Village Books, in the Fairhaven district of Bellingham, Washington, I snapped it up right away.
The dynamic central character of the Axiom novels is Kalea ("Callie") Machedo, intrepid Captain of the starship White Raven. But Callie, and her lover Elena Oh, do not appear onstage in these short takes—and that's intentional. Pratt's Introduction admits that Callie "has a way of taking over any story you let her wander into, you see."
Instead, these novellas focus on characters who had only minor roles in the trilogy. This is a very good concept—after all, everyone is the protagonist of their own story, so arguably there are no "minor characters" anyway.
Pratt ably teases out these three individuals' tales:
Fresh-faced Delilah Mears is the star of "The Augmented Stars"... and when Delilah walks (well, "walks"—it's a simulation) into an interview with the augmented individual Ashok Ranganathan, who used to be crew on the White Raven with Captain Machedo, they discover a lot of common interests.
The sentient starship Shall is at the helm of "The Artificial Stars"—a darker and more gruesome tale, but in a way I found this story more plausible because of that. This one goes into questions of identity as old as Theseus' ship, and it has a satisfying ending that I did not see coming.
Pratt saves his best for last, though—in "The Alien Stars," we get the perspective of a literal alien, one of the Free (formerly known to humanity as Liars) whose species served the inimical Axiom as technicians and acolytes. The Free individual called Lantern must venture into the heart of—well, call it a generational conflict, with the Elders of Lantern's race who are neither Liars nor Free.
The epistolary style works well for this one. Lantern composes letters to Elena Oh that reveal events in satisfying discrete chunks. And while I didn't really understand how Lantern, as a member of a species that reproduces by budding off "kindlings," could express love for Elena so romantically, maybe that's just an effect of translating Lantern's feelings into human language... and I do think that Lantern's regard for Elena, across so many barriers of space and time and species, is an integral part of what makes this kind of SF so comforting.
And it is. These vignettes differ in viewpoint, but they're all hopeful glimpses into a future where warmth and inclusivity and friendship across barriers are exactly those factors that help the good guys (whatever their shapes, substrates and identities) ultimately triumph. That's the kind of future I wouldn't mind living in.
Your (interstellar) mileage may vary, but I for one enjoyed the heck out of these extra insights into Pratt's rich and rewarding SF universe.
Rec. for: Folks who just wanna sit around and get caught up
Turns out two out of three really ain't bad, at least in this case... I've read the first two books of Tim Pratt's Axiom trilogy of newfangled old-fashioned space operas (The Wrong Stars and The Dreaming Stars, both back in 2018), and even though I haven't yet read the third, I think the ones I did read have made me well-prepared to enjoy The Alien Stars. Pratt's collection of three interstitial novellas is set in the same scintillating space-opera universe, after all, so when I ran across a copy this summer quite by chance in a lovely multi-level bookstore called Village Books, in the Fairhaven district of Bellingham, Washington, I snapped it up right away.
The dynamic central character of the Axiom novels is Kalea ("Callie") Machedo, intrepid Captain of the starship White Raven. But Callie, and her lover Elena Oh, do not appear onstage in these short takes—and that's intentional. Pratt's Introduction admits that Callie "has a way of taking over any story you let her wander into, you see."
Instead, these novellas focus on characters who had only minor roles in the trilogy. This is a very good concept—after all, everyone is the protagonist of their own story, so arguably there are no "minor characters" anyway.
Pratt ably teases out these three individuals' tales:
Fresh-faced Delilah Mears is the star of "The Augmented Stars"... and when Delilah walks (well, "walks"—it's a simulation) into an interview with the augmented individual Ashok Ranganathan, who used to be crew on the White Raven with Captain Machedo, they discover a lot of common interests.
"You had the job as soon as you told me why you wanted it."And while the super-science MacGuffin in "The Augmented Stars" seemed like questionable physics at best, it's still cool.
—p.19
The sentient starship Shall is at the helm of "The Artificial Stars"—a darker and more gruesome tale, but in a way I found this story more plausible because of that. This one goes into questions of identity as old as Theseus' ship, and it has a satisfying ending that I did not see coming.
Pratt saves his best for last, though—in "The Alien Stars," we get the perspective of a literal alien, one of the Free (formerly known to humanity as Liars) whose species served the inimical Axiom as technicians and acolytes. The Free individual called Lantern must venture into the heart of—well, call it a generational conflict, with the Elders of Lantern's race who are neither Liars nor Free.
The epistolary style works well for this one. Lantern composes letters to Elena Oh that reveal events in satisfying discrete chunks. And while I didn't really understand how Lantern, as a member of a species that reproduces by budding off "kindlings," could express love for Elena so romantically, maybe that's just an effect of translating Lantern's feelings into human language... and I do think that Lantern's regard for Elena, across so many barriers of space and time and species, is an integral part of what makes this kind of SF so comforting.
And it is. These vignettes differ in viewpoint, but they're all hopeful glimpses into a future where warmth and inclusivity and friendship across barriers are exactly those factors that help the good guys (whatever their shapes, substrates and identities) ultimately triumph. That's the kind of future I wouldn't mind living in.
Your (interstellar) mileage may vary, but I for one enjoyed the heck out of these extra insights into Pratt's rich and rewarding SF universe.
May 5, 2022
It took me a while to get around to buying and reading this book, which is strange because... I really liked the Axiom Trilogy. It's a very solid example of modern space opera, and even though it's been a few years, I can remember most of it. Reading these three follow-up novellas didn't confuse me at all.
The first novella is "The Augmented Stars." It focuses on Ashok's new ship heading out to investigate a dangerous Axiom construct. It's told through the lens of a brand new character who hops aboard the ship. It takes a weird dive into a TV-show inspired pirate adventure, but it's alright. It's exciting and it's a good continuation to Ashiok's rebuilt character... even if it feels a bit too YA.
"The Artificial Stars" is probably the cheapest of the bunch. Told from Shall's perspective and featuring... whats-their-face... he investigates a transmission from an old copy of himself. Does it go right? Does it go wrong? Is the copy corrupted? What's the universe-ending threat? Well, even more so than the others stories, it feels a bit like a Doctor Who Big Finish Short Trip... a 'big story' wrapped into a small package without much substance.
At least the last is the best. "The Alien Stars" - our title story - shows us where Lantern is at. It's a good yarn about her wrapping up a Liar plot thread that does get a bit big for its britches but doesn't feel too cheap. It's told in a letter format, which I don't mind. I minded its hopeless love plot a little, but it ended pretty well with a pinch of wonder. It was cool, and made the middle story worth it.
The best part about this book? It followed up on the Axiom Trilogy. It's an extended universe, and I eat that stuff up. Maybe the original trilogy was written a bit like young adult fiction, too, but... this seemed worse, maybe because they're shorter tales. But that doesn't stop good storytelling, and Tim Pratt does tell a good story. Read this is you enjoyed the original trilogy.
The first novella is "The Augmented Stars." It focuses on Ashok's new ship heading out to investigate a dangerous Axiom construct. It's told through the lens of a brand new character who hops aboard the ship. It takes a weird dive into a TV-show inspired pirate adventure, but it's alright. It's exciting and it's a good continuation to Ashiok's rebuilt character... even if it feels a bit too YA.
"The Artificial Stars" is probably the cheapest of the bunch. Told from Shall's perspective and featuring... whats-their-face... he investigates a transmission from an old copy of himself. Does it go right? Does it go wrong? Is the copy corrupted? What's the universe-ending threat? Well, even more so than the others stories, it feels a bit like a Doctor Who Big Finish Short Trip... a 'big story' wrapped into a small package without much substance.
At least the last is the best. "The Alien Stars" - our title story - shows us where Lantern is at. It's a good yarn about her wrapping up a Liar plot thread that does get a bit big for its britches but doesn't feel too cheap. It's told in a letter format, which I don't mind. I minded its hopeless love plot a little, but it ended pretty well with a pinch of wonder. It was cool, and made the middle story worth it.
The best part about this book? It followed up on the Axiom Trilogy. It's an extended universe, and I eat that stuff up. Maybe the original trilogy was written a bit like young adult fiction, too, but... this seemed worse, maybe because they're shorter tales. But that doesn't stop good storytelling, and Tim Pratt does tell a good story. Read this is you enjoyed the original trilogy.
May 9, 2021
Tim Pratt wrote three novellas about three minor characters of the Axiom Series. The first novella follows Delilah Mears and the cyborg captain of the Golden Spider Ashok, to investigate a cosmic mystery. The second novella centers around an AI named Shall that sends a copy of itself to investigate a past version of himself. The last novella is about an alien named Lantern that travels to confront some of his people and their evil plans.
The first story was my favorite of the collection while the second story had some interesting subjects. The end of the third story is what makes this collection great. It was a great ending to this collection and the Axiom series. Tim Pratt has a great imagination, and he has great characters that the reader can get invested in. I highly recommend this collection and the Axiom Trilogy.
The first story was my favorite of the collection while the second story had some interesting subjects. The end of the third story is what makes this collection great. It was a great ending to this collection and the Axiom series. Tim Pratt has a great imagination, and he has great characters that the reader can get invested in. I highly recommend this collection and the Axiom Trilogy.
April 23, 2022
Pratt, Tim. The Alien Stars: And Other Novellas. Axiom No. 4. Angry Robot, 2021.
The Alien Stars presents three novellas in Tim Pratt’s Axiom universe. Each highlights a secondary character that he felt the original trilogy did not fully develop. Shall, the AI, is now president of the Trans-Neptunian Alliance, and he must deal with a troublesome twin. Cyborg Ashok now has his own ship that can generate wormholes. Lantern, the truth-telling Liar, has to save humanity from his own species. Yes, it is a lot like the Expanse series, but it has a lighter touch, and the Liars are fascinatingly original. 4 stars.
The Alien Stars presents three novellas in Tim Pratt’s Axiom universe. Each highlights a secondary character that he felt the original trilogy did not fully develop. Shall, the AI, is now president of the Trans-Neptunian Alliance, and he must deal with a troublesome twin. Cyborg Ashok now has his own ship that can generate wormholes. Lantern, the truth-telling Liar, has to save humanity from his own species. Yes, it is a lot like the Expanse series, but it has a lighter touch, and the Liars are fascinatingly original. 4 stars.
September 22, 2021
This book contains three novellas set in the same universe as the Axiom series by Pratt. They carry on after the events of that trilogy and help wrap up some of the loose ends. You could jump in and just start with this one, but you will appreciate a lot more of the back story of each of the characters if you read the others first. Start with The Wrong Stars. In fact, if you like The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers, then you will get a similar vibe from all four of these books.
December 17, 2021
Is 'cosy' science fiction a new sub-genre?
This reminds me very much of the Becky Chambers' books that I've read. While the characters experience danger, it feels to me that they will automatically find a way out. So this book is nowhere near as grim as it could be for a given situation. Interesting and a little bit fluffy.
This reminds me very much of the Becky Chambers' books that I've read. While the characters experience danger, it feels to me that they will automatically find a way out. So this book is nowhere near as grim as it could be for a given situation. Interesting and a little bit fluffy.
December 23, 2021
3 novellas to tie up some loose ends in the Axiom trilogy containing everything that made the Axiom books so fun. I really like Tim Pratt as a writer since he manages to write exiting adventure stories that are inclusive and progressive without being preachy. And these 3 novellas contain all that. Very fun, positive stories. Maybe the last one is a little bit darker but still has a hopeful ending.
A very nice ending for this very nice space opera.
A very nice ending for this very nice space opera.
March 30, 2021
The three novellas in Tim Pratt's The Alien Stars concern the Axiom Universe. I am not familiar with Mr. Pratt's work but based on this sampling it now tops my space operas to read list. There is an obvious amount of work on world building. The characters are fully developed and there's plenty of action. Mr. Pratt has a lot of work out there so it will be fun catching up.
July 2, 2022
On the one hand, it's fun to spend more time with these characters and advance the world beyond the story already concluded, particularly as the focus in these novellas is on a quartet of characters who weren't the main focus of the trilogy. On the other hand, the plots feel rushed and holey (as though these were three seeds that couldn't grow into full-length novels).
February 13, 2024
Please read Goodreads summary above,
Three novellas that occur in a timeline after the last book in the Axiom Series, "The Forbidden Stars".
Time to catch up with some familiar personas from the "White Raven", along with their abiding friend among the Free, Lantern.
Just as entertaining as the books of the trilogy!
Three novellas that occur in a timeline after the last book in the Axiom Series, "The Forbidden Stars".
Time to catch up with some familiar personas from the "White Raven", along with their abiding friend among the Free, Lantern.
Just as entertaining as the books of the trilogy!
December 30, 2020
Really nice to return to the world of the Axiom and these characters. 3 novellas, focusing on Ashok, Shall and Lantern in turn. I think the Shall one probably worked best, but all 3 were good value and if you liked the main series (which is one of my favourite space operas of recent years) absolutely pick this up.
January 3, 2021
As a fan of the original trilogy it was such a blast to return to this universe and catch up with some of the “lesser” characters. These stories add so much to the world. I don’t know if Tim Pratt will ever write about this world again but if he does I will be along for the ride.
June 21, 2021
Recent Reads: The Alien Stars. Tim Pratt returns to the universe of his Axiom trilogy in this set of linked novellas that put the focus on secondary characters. The result? A good fast space opera that expands the story beyond the original arc. What happens after you win the war?
July 27, 2021
I'm new to Axiom world but I consider this book a good introduction.
Tim Pratt is a master storyteller, and the story are engrossing and entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Tim Pratt is a master storyteller, and the story are engrossing and entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
November 16, 2021
The three novellas in The Alien Stars are a wonderful and fun way to re-visit the world of The Axiom series, and some of my favorite characters in those books. I hope Mr. Pratt chooses to return to that universe soon!
January 16, 2022
I really enjoyed the main trilogy in this series so going back and revisiting the secondary characters was very fun.
I think Ashok’s story was my favorite, but is was nice to spend time with all of them.
I think Ashok’s story was my favorite, but is was nice to spend time with all of them.
February 17, 2022
A lighter more whimsical tone. Not as good without the whole family being together. AI Ashok is basically Shall 2.0 - it was better when he had a unique physicality and POV. Still, I like these characters and this world and I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on these adventures.
April 26, 2023
3.5 stars On the one hand, as novellas - I didn't become as engrossed with these as the main books. On the other hand, I felt they gave me a sense of closure for the series in a way that the final book of the trilogy did not.
August 6, 2023
The last story in this collection is actually good. Which begs the question: if the writer was capable of writing that, why wasn't the rest of this series better? Anyway, I'm glad there was something good in all these pages at least.
January 10, 2021
The Axiom is one of my top three favorite sci-fi series of all time, and I loved the novelettes in this collection. It was a lot of fun to revisit this world and these great characters as a coda to the trilogy. I really hope there will be more stories in this series in the future.
I snagged a digital copy early as a backer of the Kickstarter that financed its publication. If you're a fan of these books then do not hesitate to pre-order this title for when it releases in April 2021.
I snagged a digital copy early as a backer of the Kickstarter that financed its publication. If you're a fan of these books then do not hesitate to pre-order this title for when it releases in April 2021.
May 17, 2021
Absolutely outstanding!
June 14, 2021
3.5/5 Stars
July 5, 2021
If you've read and liked Tim Pratt Axiom trilogy then you really need to read this trio of stories that adds to the series. It was fun to go back to these characters & settings again. 4.5 stars
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