Did Pride month go well for all of you? I’m still finishing up some of my reads for the month. But I think I did a pretty good job when it came to reading. One of my favorite books from the month was The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton. This book is a sapphic space adventure that delivers the perfect mix of serious and fun.
Synopsis
Cleo has spent her life wanting to go to space. Some issues at home had lead her to believe that if she gets far enough away they will be solved. Cleo was also raised in the shadow of a new space program. The Providence was supposed to be the first faster than light ship from Earth. Set to colonize Proxima Centari B. There was a kink in the works though when all of the crew disappeared on launch day.
Nineteen years later Cleo and her friends have convinced themselves that they can solve the mystery. She and her three friends, all scientists in their own right break in to the spaceship on the anniversary of the disappearance.
They plan to just look around but when Cleo touches the mysterious dark matter engine things escalate quickly. The ship is launched into space like it was supposed to be nineteen years earlier. The friend group is quickly in over their heads. They try to figure out how to turn the ship around or to get back home.
The quartet of friends is helped by the holographic double of the captain from the original mission. Captain Wilhelmina Lucas, or Billy as she likes to be called is a smart mouthed hologram. She’s slowly regaining her memories and starts to interact with the crew trying to help them in their mission.
But there are gaps missing in her memory. As the quartet starts to develop strange powers, everything from temperature manipulation to moving between places in space. It is clear there is something strange going on. And it is all surrounding the dark matter engine.
Will Billy and the group be able to figure out what is going on before it is too late? Will they be able to make it back home? And what is going on with the tension between Cleo and Billy that seems to grow more with every day.
Review
This is a wonderful romp. It is clear that Hamilton is a geek or at least appreciates geek culture. There are numerous sci-fi references throughout the piece and it is easy to see the bits of Star Trek that inspired some of the characters. This is not to say that the book is derivative. It is delightfully fresh and the interaction between Cleo and Billy kept me turning the pages.
Cleo and Billy are a great couple, the pining alone is worth reading the book for. And the way Hamilton resolves the issue of them being together physically is genius. The book talks a lot about family and how people can make their own families. The theme of queer found family is strong with the quartet. I appreciated the diversity of the characters when it came to race, sexuality and gender identity.
In the book there is the main sapphic pairing, a trans woman, and an aro character. And while romance is important their friendships are also very rich and highlighted as well. I’d happily give this five stars. I’d love to read more from Hamilton as they have a unique narrative voice.
Rose's Book Garden 