Seeing Stars

by Reis Asher

As children, Mick and Adrian forged a promise as they looked up at the stars. Time and money pulled them apart with harsh words and bitter regrets, and their wish was cast aside.

Now, space is a haven for the wealthy, who flaunt their riches aboard the opulent Empyrean Station, dining on crab with a spectacular view of Earth and enjoying a permanent vacation in one of Empyrean's many temperate biospheres. The stars are a long-forgotten dream to starship mechanic Mick, who lives in the Old New York shanty town swallowing his remorse as he struggles to meet his basic needs.

Until Adrian returns to him with heart-rending news—he's terminally ill with Miasma, a pollutant-driven, degenerative illness. With Adrian only having months to live, Mick realizes nothing matters except loving him and reaching for their dream together.

Stealing a spaceship, they launch into space to see the stars with their own eyes. Mick and Adrian end up embroiled in miracles and tragedies as they fathom Empyrean's true nature and face down those who would do anything to survive the coming apocalypse—except solve the problem.

ebook

Published February 19, 2023

About the author

Reis Asher lives in rural Pennsylvania with his husband and 3 cats. He is the author of the nonbinary thriller Killing Games, published by NineStar Press, and the Nick Fabian series of transgender detective novels. He is transgender and bisexual, and doing his best in these tough times.

He chose his pen-name based on the main character in Killing Games, and owns the fact that it's probably cringe to name oneself after a fictional character. So of course, he did it twice.

Catch him on Bluesky @landale.bsky.social where he's happy to interact. He's no longer on the Social Media Website Formerly Known as Twitter because he needs to preserve what little sanity he has left.

Reviews

[Kan Arminger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has so much heart! It is just wonderful. It had me tearing up by chapter two, so I thought I was really in for a tearjerker. However, although it deals with tough themes, it's ultimately a story of love and hope that I couldn't put down. It centers on Adrian who is terminally ill and his ex, Mick. As children, they had a dream to hop in a spaceship and go see the space station. Mick's mother had given him a model of it before she died, and it was his most precious treasure. As they got older, the dream never faded, but only felt more and more out of reach. The planet was rapidly dying, and the stability and survival of the working classes had become unsustainable. The most wealthy would soon migrate to the space station leaving everyone and everything else to perish. At the moment of his diagnosis, Adrian loses his job, his health care, his home and even his wardrobe as they are all granted by the goodwill of Valdez Oil, his employer and the reason Mick and Adrian broke up ten years ago. However, Mick still loves Adrian desperately, and is willing to spend the rest of his life in prison if it means he can take care of him in his last days and show him the stars in a stolen ship. Their story is beautifully written, and it delves into the true costs of capitalism from several angles. I loved this book and immediately bought another of Asher's books (Killing Games) that I can't wait to read.
I was very fortunate to receive an advanced copy of "Seeing Stars" in exchange for an honest review.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I’d been in a better mood. The darkness of the story didn’t help my unhappy mood. But it’s certainly a thought-provoking book. Maybe at times a bit heavy handed, but perhaps this is a topic (climate change) that needs to be rough and in your face to get people to think and act more urgently.

It is also a love story, which was touching and heartfelt and what I enjoyed most.

Overall it’s an interesting story that covers a number of important topics; some more obvious than others. Plus, the space aspect was an entertaining approach, though the story could have worked without it, just transferred to somewhere like Davos. 😉 So it would work for those who may not usually choose sci-fi. If you’re expecting heavy sci-fi, scale back your expectations. This is accessible sci-fi.

I received a free copy from Voracious Readers Only and my review is completely my own opinion.

[Melissa Steadman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dark story about Earth’s future if we keep going down the path we are on. A couple find themselves back together and facing a deadly diagnosis with only one thing on their bucket list. They will do anything to live like the rich and famous amongst the stars. Finding out the reality of their childhood dreams is darker than their hearts could ever imagine. I liked the story, it was full of overwhelming love to do what needs to be done for the love of your life, even as the world is ending all around you.