Calling The Space Between the Stars science fiction feels a bit of a misnomer to me. Yes, the book involves space travel and colonizing other planets and a killer virus wiping out almost all of humanity regardless of how far-flung throughout the cosmos, but the focus of the book, the real impact, is the (oftentimes dystopian) reflections on what we do, how we interact and what we believe and value. This focus gets dialed up to 11 because of the premise of humanity’s near extinction.

I love me some sci-fi, but trust me, you go into this thinking it’s another action-packed dystopia survival in space, you will be disappointed. Totally recommend it for readers who enjoy a philosophical bent to their fiction, or who like to muse on how we would handle one of the worst crises ever (which, full confession, I also love me some navel-gazing novels). Which is not to say that The Space Between the Stars isn’t an esoteric reflection on the inevitability of death and the struggle of survival. Corlett’s writing is really accessible and none too flowery even with the philosophy. I found the book to be a refreshing break from most post-apocalyptic survival fiction. Instead of focusing on warring factions or the daily grind of survival, Corlett examines the mental stresses, fears and hopes driving the survivors.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and will probably reread it to reflect again on the thoughts Corlett raises.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of the book in exchange for a review.

5/5 Ribbons

Imagine you're the only person left on your planet. What would you do? Who would you try to contact? Where would you go?
Follow Jaime on her journey through space and the time after a virus has turned almost all humans to dust, at least that's what the statistics say.
This story is a story of humanity, of coping with big changes. There is some romance in the story but I'd say it's about 2% of the whole story, so there are a few mentions about people here and there but nothing major. I loved that it has a sci-fi touch wasn't really too strong because I tend to find sci-fy books interesting but more often than not, the authors just don't pull it off and at some point, things are not believable anymore. That really wasn't the case here. Corlett did a great job building her world and especially the characters.

Especially Jaime is extremely deep, well-developed, strong and independent. I really liked her a lot and the other characters, too. Together they face all kinds of hardships. It was amazing how Corlett managed to show what humans truly are.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to try out something new without leaving their fantasy comfort-zone ;)

* I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an ok, 3 star read for me. The premise was interesting and the potential was there for a great story. Ultimately, however, the plot was weak and the characters were never really fully developed.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital review copy of this book.

This is the perfect gentle space opera.The story begins with a plague that has wiped out most of the humans in the universe, there are only a few random survivors on scattered worlds. The story gathers a few survivors as they try to get back to earth. The characters are all flawed and just trying to make sense of what is happening.It is a beautiful story of people interacting under a whole new set of circumstances.The author handles their dilemma with sensitivity and grace focusing on their internal battles and their hopes for a future.
It was an excellent read.

The Space Between the Stars is quite the compelling read. The premise is excellent combining a dystopian storyline with romance, adventure, and mystery. It's a very psychological take on the situation as we're with the main character as she journeys from alone to having to survive with other people. It was quite thought-provoking as I wondered how I would be in Jamie's shoes. There are a lot of excellent scenes. The writing is both vivid and gripping. Readers of all kinds of fictions will want to check The Space Between the Stars out! You won't regret it.

This novel was nothing what I expected, and yet it is now stuck in my mind like an idea that just won’t go away. It’s one of those books that’s so breathtaking, so gorgeous, it becomes unforgettable. Fair warning, scifi fans: this is not hard scifi, this is not a space opera: it is something different, something more.

The virus hits, and humanity as we know it is gone. Less than a dozen or so survivors per planet. The virus has consumed so entirely that the dead are nothing but dust in sunbeams. Jamie is one of the survivors, seemingly alone on a frontier planet, so she finds hope by clinging to one idea: she needs to find her ex-husband on Earth, as they promised they would do so long ago. She’s not alone: soon, she finds a religious man with a troubled past; a woman slowly losing her mind; a pilot with a cold exterior, and his engineer; a young prostitute, and a mentally challenged boy. Strays. Stragglers. Survivors. Together, they decide to head to Earth.

The surprising thing about this novel is just how… calm it is. Not so say that the plot isn’t gripping, it’s just that you can almost feel the voices snuffed out. The author juxtaposes small, personal loses (or quite large ones) with the wide scale loss of your entire species. Jamie’s loss of her siamese twin, then unborn child, then the crumbling of her relationship with Daniel are poignant pains that are still valid in front of the collapse of mankind.

It’s really a book about philosophies, and personal beliefs around hope and religion. Some turn towards a god in this apocalypse; others turn away. And some try to take god’s place. Although some might try to take control, believing they know best, the truth is, all in all, there is no right answer to dealing with loss and grief. There’s no one sobbing in the street and mourning the dead – since this is a massive, collective loss, the hundred or so left might remain in shock forever.

I found that the plot was predictable, BUT, it was the philosophies that kept me hooked. Yes, the ‘twist’ at the end (or big reveal) is evident from about half way through, but I didn’t mind that since the rest of the book was so beautiful. It was very odd that out of the survivors (A little over a hundred out of the billions the human race used to be made up of) the protagonist knew or was related to two of them. The coincidences did feel heavy handed.

The novel really did manage to speak about today, about how our fear of ‘others’ can destroy us all. We hear bits and pieces about the forced emigration when Earth became over crowded; about the protest ships; about the echelons that make up our future society, where our fingers are branded with our class. I would have loved to know more about that, even if that world is now gone.

For fans of Station Eleven and Firefly, this seems to be the perfect combination of ‘ragtag space team’ and the burden of loss and survival. It’s an exploration of grief and hope, and, above all, belief. It’s an exploration of our humanity, what it means to be human when humankind is lost.

And it’s gorgeous.

Imagine a horrible virus that kills almost everyone not just on Earth but the satellite planets as well.
0.0001% of the people affected will make it and one of those is Jamie. She is on a satellite planet working as a vet after leaving her family and her longtime boyfriend back on Earth. This is her story and that of the few survivors left. It is a brave new world that greets this rag-tag group of survivors as they shuttle from planet to planet looking for answers and others on their way back to Earth. For an apocalyptic novel set in space, there is a sweetness to it that will make you think about what it means to be human long after you finish the book. Anne Corlett captures the frailty, fear and faith that it takes to deal with extreme loss and loneliness beautifully. It was a treat to read and what should have been a horror story became so much more. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I’ve been sitting on this one for a while because I wasn’t sure quite how I wanted to write it up. I’m still not sure but I figure if I start, maybe I’ll be able to edit my way into a decent review. Anyway, let’s start off with the Trigger/Content Warnings, shall we? There might be more but these are the ones I noticed.

• Still Birth
• Attempted Rape
• Nonconsensual Sex

The main character, Jamie, was developed well enough that I felt like I might know her? Maybe? Question mark? I spent most of the book honestly believing she was asexual, if not aromantic asexual, because of the thoughts she had regarding Daniel, the guy she had been dating for years, as well as sex and childbirth. On multiple occasions, she implied that she was only dating him and having sex with him because that’s what was projected onto her as “normal.” The one scene where they do actually have sex, it isn’t consensual on her part and the whole time her thoughts are “this is normal, right?”

But then she started spending more time with Callan and she starts feeling both romantic and sexual feelings for him. Now, this could be a good demi rep? But honestly I still don’t know enough about that topic to say so. I’m researching and learning but still… I don’t know. In regards to this book, it was difficult for me to transition from believing Jamie was ace or aroace to finding out she might be demi. That might just be her journey? I don’t know. I would absolutely love to hear a demi person’s opinion on this so if you know someone who is and has reviewed this book, please let me know so I can go read it and possibly link it in this review.

As for the other characters, some of them felt developed and some of them didn’t. Daniel was not really developed much at all outside Jamie’s thoughts about him when he isn’t there. The crew and passengers of the ship was pretty well developed and I feel like I know them well enough to have gotten through the story.

I loved, loved, LOVED the development of Finn. Oh my gosh, Finn. He is my smol son and if you hurt him I will destroy you. There isn’t ever a specification made as to Finn’s neuro-diversity, but he is neuro diverse. He’s also touch averse, which I love and relate to so hard. He’s probably my favorite character in the entire story. Without the probably. I also really liked how everyone simply accepted him for who he was. It was beautiful because that doesn’t always happen in real life.

The world was a bit difficult to grasp because of how vast space is so a map would have come in handy. However, the space of the ship and buildings or outside spaces on the actual planets is built up beautifully and I was able to at least partially visualize the spaces. The only place I think I might have wanted more world building from would be Soltaire, the planet the story starts out on. In my mind, it’s a desert wasteland with scattered animal farms because there wasn’t enough for me to visualize otherwise.

The story itself started off pretty slow but picked up around Chapter 5. There are a few plot twists, but most of them are fairly predictable. The large twist at the end I didn’t completely see coming, but I had a feeling it had to do with that specific character. It was still fun to read a post-apocalyptic multi-planetary story and I think overall the plot moved fairly well. There were a few slower parts, but otherwise I stayed interested in reading it through to the end. At the same time, I’m hoping there’s a sequel because I still have questions.

This book was your standard-fare post-apocalyptic novel with a bit of space adventure thrown in. Jamie is dealing with a profound personal loss that occurred before a virus wiped out most of humanity. She's hard to get to know--it's who she is, but it did make things feel sloggy. Secondary characters were hit or miss, kind of cliché and underdeveloped. I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories, though, so I did like the escape this read provided.

In a universe where there is nothing but space, what does coming together mean? When the world has ended, who makes the rules? Can humanity leave its baggage behind and create something new?

Corlett's The Space Between the Stars has many things in common with your average post-apocalyptic, "we have to hit the road and go on an important journey" type novel: a ragtag band of characters; dangerous situations; a faith challenged; mysterious coincidences that could be their salvation or their ruin.

However, I think that the questions presented to us by The Space Between the Stars also prompt us to examine what it means to be human, and what it means to make your own choices, for better or for worse.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, both for the exciting space journey and the larger, quieter issues it presents. I would absolutely recommend this novel to science fiction readers, or anyone who likes stories where the journey is more than the sum of its parts.

The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett is a dystopian novel that follows a few survivors after most of humanity (throughout the universe, no less) has been wiped out by a deadly virus.

Although the novel begins on a settled planet, moves to another planet, and then finally, to our planet earth, there is little science fiction. You have to take for granted elements of space travel and space colonies; they just happen, and truthfully, they are not really important. The whole thing could have taken place on earth without losing a thing.

Some interesting characters, some romance, some existential and theological ponderings. I think mainly this is a novel about Dorothy in Oz clicking those red shoes and saying--well, you know what she says. And home is not just a place, is it?

The Space Between the Stars wasn't what I expected, but it was entertaining. Did I find it "breathtakingly vivid"-- no, but since this is a debut novel, it might be interesting to see what Corlett comes up with next.

Read in February. Review scheduled for May 19.

NetGalley/Berkley Publishing

Dystopian. June 13, 2017. Print length: 368 pages.

I loved this psychologically-focused take on the future apocalypse. The question of how people respond emotionally and spiritually to 'the end of the world' is an interesting one and is explored well here. And there was still enough current, what's-going-to-happen action to keep the plot moving, with complicated characters driving that action.

A lovely book, interesting characters, a great premise with loads to think about. Not your usual dystopian story with a great reveal at the end. Wonderful.

The Space Between the Stars is a well-written story about a future where there is no future. Humans are in short supply and Jamie wonders if she is alive when she wakes. Her thirst tells her that she is not a ghost. Unfortunately, all other humans are gone, turned to dust. She is a vet living on another planet, a colony of the earth. The animals are still there, so she turns them loose, gets on a horse and goes to the nearest town to look for other survivors. It was predicted that a virus would wipe out ninety nine point nine nine nine nine percent of the population. Which means that zero point zero zero zero one percent may still be alive. Where are they?

Over time, she finds a few others, and they all want to go back to earth. They want to find loved ones, but it does not appear they will find them. It seems the prediction was right. A space ship lands looking for fuel and the travelers embark for a trip around other colony planets, not sure they will get to earth.

The Space Between the Stars is where God lives. Why did he do this to man? This is a dramatic story of one future we hopefully do not face.

The Space Between the Stars will take you on a journey of heart and faith. This isn’t your average “end of the world” type story. The human population wasn’t killed by a “zombie” virus, a war, or a normal apocalypse situation. The human population was almost wiped out from a flu-like virus that spread like wild fire. This story isn’t about people trying to survive because there are limited resources or because there are zombies or evil men trying to kill them. This story is about what’s left of the human population trying to decide whether they want to live alone, together, or exhaust themselves trying to rebuild the human race.
Though I feel like this book was well written, and the characters were well developed, I have mixed feelings about the message in the story line. I am a very open person and I respect religious freedom and the differences in others’ beliefs, but I feel annoyed when I find characters who stay strong in their faith in the end of the world type situations. In this story, 99% of the population died from a virus that was spread like the flu (i.e. close contact), and many cases of the virus were spread in situations where non-infected people went to comfort their infected loved ones. I feel like ALL the characters should have been focused on settling in an area and making a living for themselves, and instead, some of them were focused on what God’s plan was and trying to decide if they wanted to help the government repopulate the world. Though this point makes this book unique from other “end of the world” type books, it also irked my nerves a little. I could not relate to the faith aspect of the book, but I could relate to the human aspect.
Our main character, Jamie, spent the first few days of the story completely isolated and alone. She truly missed human contact and the touch of another, and yet also started to feel detachment from the world and what was left of the population. Throughout the story she struggles with her need for human interaction and her new-found admiration of the thought of making it on her own. Her struggle made her character feel real and relatable. I feel like I related to her better than the rest of the characters, especially in her disagreements with Rena.
Rena’s character was my least favorite. This is where the faith aspect came in the strongest. After everything that happened in the world and through all the struggles faced in the story, Rena holds on to her faith and claims that God chose to wipe out the human race in an effort to cleanse the world of the unworthy so the worthy could rebuild. We even find out some angering details about her life before the virus wiped out the human population and I came to hate her. Unfortunately, we had to put up with her character to be able to live with Lowry’s.
Lowry is a good man and a loveable character. He stayed with Rena long after it was time to leave her behind. He helped others every chance he got and he always seemed like he was there to listen to the others when needed. Though he was a man of faith from before the virus, he held the good, moral aspects of faith and those shined through until the end.
Callan and Grace were not as well developed as I would have liked. Though they were necessary to the story and added some interesting details, I feel like we could have learned more about their backgrounds. I am happy with the turn of events involving Callan though.
Finn was my favorite character. He represented innocence and held a lack of understanding of what was truly happening in the world around him. Though the author did not say it outright, I came to understand that he suffered from a form of autism because of his mood swings, his freak out moments when someone touched him, his unusual intelligence, and his admiration for puzzles. Finn possessed the ability to bring out the true human kindness in some of our characters (Jamie and Callan), to love unconditionally (Mila) and brought out the immoral, religious fanatic characteristic in Rena.
Mila was an interesting character. I struggled with how I felt about her because I wholeheartedly disapprove of what she was (a prostitute), and yet she had a good heart and was brave and intelligent. She took care of Finn until the rest of the crew found them and she showed a huge act of bravery later in the story, but she had no qualms about her profession and even stated that she would most likely not change her profession. She was definitely hated by Rena, and even though she had an immoral job, she carried more morals and heart than Rena.
The more I think about this book, the more I like it. I am unable to relate to Rena’s faith and the idea that people can still believe in a “good” higher being after the end of the world, but I can relate to wanting to carry the ideals of love, morals, and the human connection with me no matter what happens. This story shows the emotional response to the end of the world and the good that can still exist beyond that.

The Review for this book will go live on it's release date at http://dewonthekudzu.com.

The writer has a good grasp on story structure, but needs to work on the plot and character development. There was no balance show and tell, there was too much attention paid to being philosophical without first providing a strong foundation to build upon.