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Lost Cargo
When Parker signed up for the new colony world, they said the journey would be easy; just a nice, long stasis nap, followed by a smooth descent in landing pods.
They were wrong.
When an asteroid impact damages their pod, Parker and her fellow passengers are prematurely launched and left stranded on a wild, uninhabited moon–the remnant of a failed terra forming experiment.
With no way to call for help, the group must race against a rapidly-closing window of time to reach
an abandoned camp before their slim chance at rescue is gone forever.
Their journey will be far from easy as the dangers of this new alien landscape reveal themselves at every turn.
The only one who can lead them through it is Parker.
But she has her own priorities-
Survival may not be one of them.
They were wrong.
When an asteroid impact damages their pod, Parker and her fellow passengers are prematurely launched and left stranded on a wild, uninhabited moon–the remnant of a failed terra forming experiment.
With no way to call for help, the group must race against a rapidly-closing window of time to reach
an abandoned camp before their slim chance at rescue is gone forever.
Their journey will be far from easy as the dangers of this new alien landscape reveal themselves at every turn.
The only one who can lead them through it is Parker.
But she has her own priorities-
Survival may not be one of them.
- GenresScience Fiction
Kindle Edition
Published September 7, 2022
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
P.A. Cornell
40 books32 followersP.A. Cornell is a Chilean-Canadian speculative fiction writer. A graduate of the Odyssey workshop, her stories have been published in over fifty magazines and anthologies, including Lightspeed, Apex, and three “Best of” anthologies. In addition to becoming the first Chilean Nebula finalist in 2024, Cornell has been a finalist for the Aurora and World Fantasy Awards, was longlisted for the BSFA Awards, and won Canada’s Short Works Prize. When not writing, she can be found assembling intricate Lego builds or drinking ridiculous quantities of tea. Sometimes both. For more on the author and her work, visit her website pacornell.com.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 20, 2023
Review originally on
JamReads
Lost Cargo is an adventurous sci-fi novella, written by P.A. Cornell, which we are reading as part of the SFINCS. A story that explores the complexities of surviving in a difficult situation while being with a group of complete strangers, each one having to deal with their own problems and traumas.
After an asteroid impacts the pod where Parker and other passengers were in stasis travelling to a new colony, they are suddenly reanimated and instead of a new colony world, they find themselves detached from the rest of the ship, left in a wild and unhabited moon, which seems to be the result of a failed terraforming.
While the situation is kinda catastrophic, there's still hope, as there's a small window of time which would allow them to establish contact with the company. However, they need to reach an old building, a journey that will prove to not be easy after their first encounters with the alien fauna; and inside a group of many people, tension will rise.
Cornell has written an interesting story about dealing with an adverse situation; outside of our main character Parker, we have a relatively big group of passengers, each one different and that are reacting in different way to the traumas attached to this accidental landing: from the mother who has lost her children, to those that have almost nothing to lose.
Pacing wise, we have a fast novella, but which alternates action scenes with some introspective moments, balancing it quite well.
Personally, I think this story could have benefitted from being slightly longer, as the ending feels a bit abrupt; while it closes the story, it is rushed. It's not a big deal, as overall we have a quite complete novella.
If you like adventurous sci-fi, Lost Cargo can be a good election for you; a standalone story which explores a classic trope focusing greatly on the characters.
Disclaimer: This novella has been read as part of the SFINCS. This review/rating only represents my personal opinion and it might differ with what the team decides.
Lost Cargo is an adventurous sci-fi novella, written by P.A. Cornell, which we are reading as part of the SFINCS. A story that explores the complexities of surviving in a difficult situation while being with a group of complete strangers, each one having to deal with their own problems and traumas.
After an asteroid impacts the pod where Parker and other passengers were in stasis travelling to a new colony, they are suddenly reanimated and instead of a new colony world, they find themselves detached from the rest of the ship, left in a wild and unhabited moon, which seems to be the result of a failed terraforming.
While the situation is kinda catastrophic, there's still hope, as there's a small window of time which would allow them to establish contact with the company. However, they need to reach an old building, a journey that will prove to not be easy after their first encounters with the alien fauna; and inside a group of many people, tension will rise.
Cornell has written an interesting story about dealing with an adverse situation; outside of our main character Parker, we have a relatively big group of passengers, each one different and that are reacting in different way to the traumas attached to this accidental landing: from the mother who has lost her children, to those that have almost nothing to lose.
Pacing wise, we have a fast novella, but which alternates action scenes with some introspective moments, balancing it quite well.
Personally, I think this story could have benefitted from being slightly longer, as the ending feels a bit abrupt; while it closes the story, it is rushed. It's not a big deal, as overall we have a quite complete novella.
If you like adventurous sci-fi, Lost Cargo can be a good election for you; a standalone story which explores a classic trope focusing greatly on the characters.
Disclaimer: This novella has been read as part of the SFINCS. This review/rating only represents my personal opinion and it might differ with what the team decides.
August 26, 2024
Science fiction novella with terraformed moon, monsters, and being marooned. Lost Cargo is a quick read.
Initially, the manuscript's language lacks complication - more tell than show, and that keeps it from being a great read. The author has several anthologies publications, so I feel like this should have been better - her developmental / line editor should have pushed her harder. On the other hand learning to write long, with the initial setup of a large cast of characters (relative to what a short story requires) takes time too and this is the author's first novella length work. The "tell" is second level tells; the author has mastered keeping the worst of the tell away, but needs to work on the next level.
Midway through, once the marooned individuals start traversing the murder-moon's flora and fauna, the book really kicks off and is a good science fiction read. If you like watching an author grow, pick up this first novella length manuscript and start following the author.
The next bit (listed as a spoiler) are only for those interested in editing type stuff
Book bought directly from publisher - Mocha Memoirs Press - while I attended ConGregate 2024 in Charlotte NC.
Initially, the manuscript's language lacks complication - more tell than show, and that keeps it from being a great read. The author has several anthologies publications, so I feel like this should have been better - her developmental / line editor should have pushed her harder. On the other hand learning to write long, with the initial setup of a large cast of characters (relative to what a short story requires) takes time too and this is the author's first novella length work. The "tell" is second level tells; the author has mastered keeping the worst of the tell away, but needs to work on the next level.
Midway through, once the marooned individuals start traversing the murder-moon's flora and fauna, the book really kicks off and is a good science fiction read. If you like watching an author grow, pick up this first novella length manuscript and start following the author.
The next bit (listed as a spoiler) are only for those interested in editing type stuff
Book bought directly from publisher - Mocha Memoirs Press - while I attended ConGregate 2024 in Charlotte NC.
November 23, 2023
Lost Cargo is the story of a group of settlers trapped on the wrong planet after a meteor hits their space ship. It's also the story of a woman grieving the loss of her prematurely born daughter.
It's a tale of survival, of working together, and of how stressful situations can bring out the worst, or best, in us.
The SciFi aspect is interesting, but it's the different characters and the interactions between them that make the story shine. Each has their own flaws and issues, and their reactions feel real and believable – an impressive feat in a novella with six different characters.
Throughout the story, it's implied quite clearly that Parker, the main character, is considering suicide. This can be a touchy subject, but I felt it was well handled. It's very much a part of her and her story, but it's not all there is to it, and there is room for other things as well.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I found it well-written and easy to read.
Disclaimer: I read this book as part of the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship where I’m part of Team Jamreads. This review contains my own thoughts and may not reflect the opinion or final rating of the team.
It's a tale of survival, of working together, and of how stressful situations can bring out the worst, or best, in us.
The SciFi aspect is interesting, but it's the different characters and the interactions between them that make the story shine. Each has their own flaws and issues, and their reactions feel real and believable – an impressive feat in a novella with six different characters.
Throughout the story, it's implied quite clearly that Parker, the main character, is considering suicide. This can be a touchy subject, but I felt it was well handled. It's very much a part of her and her story, but it's not all there is to it, and there is room for other things as well.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I found it well-written and easy to read.
Disclaimer: I read this book as part of the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship where I’m part of Team Jamreads. This review contains my own thoughts and may not reflect the opinion or final rating of the team.
October 28, 2022
A thoroughly enjoyable sci-fi adventure of a group of people that don’t know each other crash landing on an abandoned moon. They learn things about each other that makes trust difficult, but have to work together to survive and fine some hope for survival and eventual rescue. The main character Parker has a of grief she is managing while also keeping herself a strong person for the group that has found themselves stranded and dealing with an alien moon with monsters all around. The story tied up nicely without a promised happy ever after but a possibility of one.
August 2, 2023
Great characters and realistic reactions to the trauma of the situation had me rooting for our accidental adventurers through the whole book. I really enjoyed this and read it in two sittings. The strange biology of the world provided a great backdrop to a story of survival and healing, and I really enjoyed the way it finished.
October 23, 2022
This was very good! I did really enjoy it! I really liked everything, the selection of characters & the story ideas, the plot & the over all style and feel of the writing! Great adventure, I can't wait to read the next part! I do recommend! A good fun read!
September 24, 2023
Travel to a distant moon, alien monsters—what’s not to like? This is a fun novel! P.A. Cornell's work is worth the read.
August 26, 2024
Quick, with good pacing. Reads a bit more like YA than I was expecting. Nice adventure, imaginative.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews