The Vela is a (fairly) new serial story that can be purchased in seasons from Serial Box or in collections from Amazon. As a concept, the idea of serials is interesting: the book is written and released one chapter at a time. Instead of having a single author, serials are often written by a group, with a different author handling each chapter. We have also actually covered a serial that we really enjoyed called Bookburners – you can find the review here. The Vela: Season One is written by a group of authors composed of Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, SL Huang, and Rivers Solomon. All of these authors are individuals whose work I have previously greatly enjoyed, some of whom appear on our yearly best-of lists. This made it surprising when I didn’t really like The Vela.

The Vela is a science fiction drama that reframes how the rich treat the poor through an interesting futuristic lens. The narrative takes place in an original solar system, but to explain it more easily I am going to use ours analogously. So science has progressed, all of the worlds of the solar system have been colonized, but faster-than-light travel is impossible. Mercury and Venus were terraformed early, and they’re home to the wealthiest individuals. Meanwhile, Uranus and Neptune are more problematic and result in a poorer way of life. Then the wealthy of Mercury start to mine the Sun for Hydrogen. This goes on for a long time without issue, until they realize too late that they are diminishing the power of the sun. By the time they figure it out, the people of the furthest planets have essentially had their death warrants signed by the 1%. The planets are cooling and soon will reach lethal temperatures. Given the limitations of space travel, only a few can escape on refugee trips inward – while most will have to sit and freeze to death. The story focuses on a single refugee ship, The Vela, that somehow gets lost on its way towards safety. Our protagonists set off on a humanitarian mission to find and save it, but they find a lot more than they bargained for.

The story starts strong with some very interesting ideas, and I was extremely invested from page one. One of the best things The Vela does is capture the human condition in these refugees and those who are left to die. It is an impressive glimpse into the minds of people in a truly awful position, and it did a great job of reminding me of refugees in the actual world and how we need to help them and how the actions of a single group can have far-reaching implications that we don’t consider. However, while the premise and atmosphere were both fantastic – the story, characters, and writing didn’t really come together.

First off, the story doesn’t really live up to its grand premise. The pacing is a bit clunky, plot points are fairly predictable, and there is a lot of time spent chasing MacGuffins. Some of my favorite parts of the story are the extremely beautiful moments told through diaries and interviews of people doomed to die. They are deeply touching and crystal clear fragments of human experiences – but they don’t actually push the narrative forward. It results in alack of direction that hampers the investment in what is happening.

Second off, the characters feel a bit flat. We have two major POVs, Asala and Niko, and a smattering of minor POVs. Asala is a mercenary hailing from one of the dying planets on the fringe of the solar system. She is contracted to find the Vela, and through her we are supposed to get a glimpse into the psyche of these poor doomed people. Niko is the privileged child of one of the leaders of an inner planet. They join the mission out of a crushing amount of guilt for what their people have done, and a desire to make the world a better place. These two make an interesting duo, but they don’t feel like they have a lot of depth and personality beyond what I have already listed. I did like some of the secondary characters a lot, like the authoritarian dictator who is pulling together her planet after a brutal civil war, but they just don’t represent enough page space to make up for the momentum lost by the two leads.

Third, the writing of the four authors doesn’t blend together well. In Bookburners, I could barely tell when a different writer swapped in. In The Vela, it was extremely evident who was writing at any given time. The different authors have very different foci and voices, and it builds to this inconsistency in the narrative that pulls the reader out. I really liked each of the writers individually, but the end result was a sum that was less than its parts.

The Vela has a strong premise, and it certainly isn’t terrible, but it fails to meet the high standard I have for the authors who wrote it. Each of the authors is fantastic on their own and does a great job creating these pockets of quality work, but the combined product feels uneven and poorly blended. I am mildly curious to find out what happens next in The Vela, but it would take a strong recommendation from someone I trust to get me to pick up Season Two at this point.

Rating: The Vela: Season One – 5.0/10

This is a me-not-you DNF, as the main reason I didn't complete it is because I'm reminded that I just don't care for military-related sci-fi. The portion I read, though, was very engagingly written, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to the right reader

I got an ARC of this book.

It physically pains me to say that this is not what I wanted it to be. Some of my favorite authors and authors I have been told will be favorite authors got together and wrote this book, each taking a few chapters. What could be better than getting all of my favorites together to tell a sci-fi story about refugees and finding family? It sounded great in theory, but the execution was slightly off.

One of my biggest issues is the ending. Spoilers coming, but nothing too hardcore. There is a huge battle scene (this is the spoiler) and that is where the book ends, just in the middle of that huge battle. What happens? Does the twist that I saw coming from like the very first chapter actually play out to matter? What about the character I loved and then was disappointed by? What about the one character that is probably a good person in the whole book? What about the grandson that likes to dance? The ending left me feeling like I was cheated. It left on such a cliffhanger that the term cliffhanger just isn’t sufficient. It was clear that a second book was planned and so the ending had to create the hype for that. The issue is the second book (or season as they are called) is by authors I don’t know. Why would I trust authors I don’t know when authors I loved had issues?

Positives are everywhere in this book. There is casual queer rep. There is good queer rep. There are characters that are fascinating like a certain leader of a planet that I can’t imagine at a dance recital. There are characters that aren’t good and there are characters that are very bad. There is some nuance with the alignment, but honestly not a lot. So many of the characters were very flat and one sided. It didn’t measure up to what I know these authors are capable of. This I think comes down to the format. How can they do this great character development that I am used to from Chambers when the author switches every chapter? How can there be this incredibly deep emotional well that Solomon is so amazing at if that is not something that another author cultivates? It was so hard to love this book, because all of the things I love about the authors was cut off at the knee by the format of switching authors every chapter. So even the good was not as good as I wanted or expected.

The plot itself was kind of a buddy cop plot. Two characters are forced together, a veteran and a rookie. They go on wild adventures and uncover bigger plots. There are spies. There is possibly chemistry, possibly a bromance. In the end I felt the same about this book as I do those movies, it was boring and I found myself wondering why people loved it. I wanted to love it. It just felt like the authors were hindered by the very idea that drew me in. There was also the issue of the ton and words being so different that by the time I adjusted to one author, that it was time to switch again. I had to devote enough time to get through a whole chapter otherwise I would be lost. Each author had such a different voice that it felt like multiple books instead of one.

Overall, the format sounded cool and I was ready to buy season two when I was barely half a chapter in. The format in the end is what made this book not one I am overjoyed over. Give the whole book to one of these authors and I have no doubt it would have easily been four or five stars, instead of barely squeaking into three.

The Vela is a book I definitely wanted to sink my teeth into for the mere fact that it was written by authors that I recently discovered this year and absolutely loved. First, I am talking bout Rivers Solomon of whom I read the Deep and was completely taken back by their writing and secondly, Becky Chambers who sparked my love of sci-fi books after a long while with her Wayfarer series.

So this book was very promising to me to begin with!

Did it live up to my expectations?

Somehow the styles blended in perfectly (although it took me a while to be honest until I could fully get attached and get with the flow) and from then on I just enjoyed the ride with some awesome crew members and characters! YES!

I would definitely recommend to sci fi lovers out there!

Thank you Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

4,5 stars from me

A highly recommended read for Sci-Fi fans. Seems to be a project where one author writes an episode and then the novel is passed to the next author in line for the next episode. It works incredibly well and all authors are in sync with each other. Solid storyline, few characters ( but the few are very well implemented ) and well written throughout ( Episode 5 needs some work as of time of my read through however. Lots of typos and words missing or added here and there )

All in all a good sci-fi read that's different to the usual fare and manages to use the direct opposite of what is happening to our planet as it's main theme.

Well worth your time!

This was a very unusual ARC for me to receive. Instead of being a traditionally published book that I could buy as a physical or ebook source, this book is available via the website and app called Serial Box. I received an ebook copy to read. The book is published as a season and chapters are called "episodes."

The story is a political science fiction focusing on a sniper called Asala who is called upon to look for a missing refugee ship. She is accompanied by the leader's adult nonbinary offspring named Niko. The solar system is in decline with many planets fighting over limited resources. As they look for this missing ship, they realize there is much more going on than they initially realized. While this is a great story on the surface, there are also important messages about refugee crises, climate change, sexual and gender identity, and racial discrimination layered in the book as well.

It is odd for a book to be authored by four different people but for the most part it worked. Each chapter was written by one author, each of them taking turns. I could somewhat tell the differences within their writing styles but it wasn't distracting enough to take me out of the story. I gave the book 4 stars and have found out that season 2 is in the works now. I will likely read the sequel.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy.

One storyline. Four writers.

Yoon Ha Lee: Ninefox Gambit
Becky Chambers: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
SL Huang: Burning Roses
Rivers Solomon: The Deep

The main character Asala escapes her home planet and the destitute conditions of the refugee camps. She works for her "saviors", the people who took her in and trained her to be a deadly agent. However, these are the same people responsible for the slow, cold death of her home planet.

This books contains strong commentary on the ill treatment and handling of refugees. The inner planets publicly states how awful they feel on behalf of the outer-rim's refugees, but none of the planets want to open their doors to help them. Us versus Them mentality.

Queer friendly. Space Opera. Strong female leads. High action sci-fi adventure.

First I am legitimately shocked that I hadn’t heard of this book before, I’ve been a fan of SL Huang and Yoon Ha Lee for at least a couple of years, this book released in 2019 and it took me this long to read it. Ridiculous! But lucky for me, because I got to read this book for the first time and it was fantastic. I was intrigued by the idea of a group of authors collaborating to write a novel in sections, and was worried that the ‘voice’ of the narrator would be jarringly inconsistent. This was not the case, and the very slight increase in poetic symbolism in the section that Yoon Ha Lee wrote, or the action movie pacing of SL Huang’s sections only served to enhance my enjoyment of the book. If I were familiar with the work of Becky Chambers or Rivers Solomon before reading The Vela there is a chance I would have noticed slight stylistic differences in their sections, but as I was not, I did not.
I loved the way The Vela tackled big issues head-on, and the breakneck pacing of the novel leant itself well to the increasingly urgent need to take action on climate issues, and issues of inequality. From the opening section of the novel, The Vela doesn’t hesitate to tackle issues of racism, xenophobia, inequality, corruption and climate change. Asala was an amazing character, and I loved the way her strength and pragmatism was tempered by compassion. Niko was a perfect foil for Asala, and their expertise in technology contrasted well with their relative inexperience in the world. Their views were extreme at times, though believable in the context of their background. Niko’s tech abilities and Asala’s combat skills did seem slightly unrealistic at times, but definitely not outside the realm of main-character effectiveness.
General Cynwrig was an extremely well-written antagonist, and her character arc was extremely well-done. I loved the way she was humanised without being excused responsibility for her actions, and her interactions with Asala and Niko in particular helped to further the character development of each of them. While Ekrem wasn’t a main character by any means, I enjoyed the way his role and personality were shown to have shaped Niko, and the contrast of the way he viewed Asala vs the way she (out of necessity) viewed him.
While any multi-planet fiction of necessity tends to boil down the culture of a country into one monolithic group, I was glad for the moments of acknowledgement of regional differences, particularly on Hypatia. The technological competition of the varying planets was also a welcome touch of realism, as was the relative dominance of different cultures in varying arenas (the Khayyami at spaceships, the Gandesians at war etc). Without spoiling anything, the motivation for the major players in this novel was also believable, and played well with the themes of the book.
It’s a testament to how incredible The Vela was that it’s taken me this long to mention the incredible representation included in the novel. Gender and sexual minorities are present in and out of the main cast, and Asala lives with a disability that at times improves her life, rather than being presented as an impediment. While Asala is never jumping for joy at her loss of hearing, she strategically uses or doesn’t use her hearing aides to help her concentration, or just to avoid unwanted conversations. What’s not to love?
I also appreciated the way Asala’s backstory is teased out over the course of the novel, and I thought her backstory interwoven with the stories of those on The Vela was very effectively done. While the gritty realities of refugees were presented in full detail in this novel, I really appreciated the lack of sexism, sexual assault, homophobia and transphobia. I really appreciate books that are realistic in presenting problems, without feeling the need to overload a book or a given set of characters with violence and bigotry of every flavour in the name of realism.
The ending of this book was not 100% as satisfying as I would have liked, but I appreciated it nonetheless. I’d love to see this storyline continued, but even if it isn’t I think the book did resolve everything it set out to (and more, in several cases). I was happy with the character arc of Asala, Niko and General Cynwrig, and the in-universe situation as a whole, though there’s certainly fodder for a great sequel or two.
Overall, I’d recommend this book to fans of SL Huang or Yoon Ha Lee’s other works, as well as to people who enjoy a hefty dose of ethics with their space explosions. I was reminded at times of the grim realities of war and xenophobia presented in RF Kuang’s The Poppy War, though that book does contain sexual violence, and is fantasy rather than science fiction. The LGBTAIQ+ representation, and the serious social concerns interspersed with a classic action-heavy setting were also reminiscent of Mira Grant’s Newsflesh series.
The Vela was an incredible read that I enjoyed thoroughly.

The Vela is a bold new series about one dying solar system, and the people struggling (and fighting) to survive. Like many series available on Serial Box (more on that in a moment), it's written by multiple authors. Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and S.L. Huant all helped to bring the first season to life, alongside Robin Miles (narrator).

Asala is a Hypatian refugee, yet she's made a life for herself on her new homeworld. A life that is about to be shaken beyond repair, as she's sent out to find a vital ship that has gone missing. The Vela is a symbol as much as anything, thanks to the people on board. It's also one of the last ships sent out to save those in the outer system.

What is happening to the outer system? It's freezing. Dying. The whole solar system is slowly dying, right alongside the sun. It just happens that those farther away from the sun are feeling the devastating effects that much sooner. But soon, it will be everyone's problem.

Serial Box is a newer platform, one that allows fans to buy season passes to stories they love. They update in episodes (chapters), usually once a week, with the options to read, listen, or both. The whole thing makes for a unique experience.

“Desperate Hypatians still ran from their withering planet every seventeen years, unwilling to die by staying in place.”

Warnings: The Vela is, at it's core, a story about human survival, and how far one is willing to go to get what they think they need. It's also a story about a dying solar system. As such, there are refugees, discussions about the death of planets, politics, limited resources, and everything else that you might imagine. There are examples of racism and genocide, and just generally graphic violence as well. It is not a light read, by any means.

I'm going to be honest with you. I went into The Vela not entirely sure what to expect. I picked it up because I adored many of the authors involved, and that was enough for me. So it really didn't take much to blow me away here. Yet that is exactly what happened.

What I'm trying to say is this: I adored The Vela. I am so extremely happy that I got into the series now, especially since season two is actively updating (yes, I plan on diving right into that later today!).

There's so much to The Vela, it's hard to know where to begin. There are the main characters, Asala and Niko, who are about as different as they can get. And yet I adored them both, and the individual stories they brought with them.

There's the interplanetary strife, which managed to tug at my heartstrings and enrage me at the same time. It was wonderfully done. Then again, considering the authors involved, I'm not terribly surprised by that revelation.

“Oh, you knew exactly what you were saying, Asala thought. And you know what you're saying now.”

I'm going to be honest with you. This is not a series to read/listen to if you're looking for a feel-good story. However, it will make you think. It'll make you feel things, and it will put some talking points into context like never before. The Vela carries with it much impact, yet it wouldn't be the same without those tones. That is the reason why I fell in love with it, and it's the reason why I look forward (and dread) the events in season two.

I came across this title completely by accident on NetGalley. I read Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series recently and absolutely loved it, and decided to do a search to see whether her upcoming book was available for request. I had never heard of this title, nor had I actually heard of Serial Box or had any idea what their serialized digital novels were until I looked them up after reading this book. But wow was I impressed by this book.

The plot of the book follows a mercenary, Asala, who is tasked with finding a missing refugee ship, in an intergalactic world where all of the planets are becoming inhospitable because of the dying sun; but of course, everything isn't as it seems.

I'm always a little sceptical when it comes to co-authored books – books with two authors are tricky enough, never mind four authors writing a chapter each – but somehow, the authors tackled this superbly, such that I found that the writing blended together almost seamlessly. To be fair, I'm only familiar with Chambers' work, and I could certainly see her characteristic well-developed, character-focussed style here, but I easily forgot who had written each chapter and it truly felt like a collaborative project. The characters are consistent and well fleshed out (more on them shortly) and there were no inconsistencies (that I noticed at least) in the world building or plot.

One detail I really liked about the world building here was that a lot of the tech felt very realistic. The computers, AI, coding, and science were all things that exist or we as readers can comprehend, unlike other sci-fi novels where the technology we are presented are quite advanced, far-off things.

While this is very much action-packed, full of chases and bad guys and space fights, it is also packed with political and social themes. It's quite heavy on the metaphors and social commentary, and certainly not subtle about it, but personally, I didn't mind that. There's blurred lines between who's "right" and "wrong" (which also isn't really the point) and it certainly gets you thinking about the state of our own world.

And the characters!! I loved the characters!! Asala is exactly what you want from a highly competent mercenary character; she's badass and respected, but she's also a complex character that makes mistakes and has flaws and hidden insecurities. And of course Niko!! I absolutely loved them!! Even the antagonists were quite well-rounded and three-dimensional. Okay, sure, some of the characters veered on caricatures and stereotypes (despite being relatable, Niko's angsting probably bordered on a bit too over dramatic at times) but you know what, I didn't mind it. Again, not to relate everything to Becky Chambers – but her work is the only one I know of to compare to – but I found that this books did what I love about Chambers’ other books: it got me attached to and rooting for the characters very quickly.

And, of course, I HAVE to comment on the representation. Not one, but TWO trans MCs!! And the wealth of LGBTQ+ characters, plus the disabled rep, was incredible to see. I always find it a bit complicated commenting on race representation in sci-fi novels, but let’s just say the characters in this book didn’t all have European names and we love to see it. In general, the casual representation throughout this book is exactly what I hope to see more of, not just across sci-fi but across all genres.

Overall, I'm so, so glad I stumbled across this title, and I was quite overjoyed to find out that there's a season 2 (just got to figure out how Serial Box works so that I can access it!). It was exactly what I needed to tide me over until the new Becky Chambers book comes out. Sorry to all the other authors for spending this review gushing over Becky Chambers, but I’ll definitely be checking out all of their works now too seen as I think they all did a really excellent job with this one. I’d recommend this series to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi or is keen to read a fun, action-packed novel with really good (particularly LGBTQ+) representation.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This has lots of high ratings, and I can see why. It's a bit risky to put this many authors together to tell a single tale, but this works pretty well. Recommended.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

I’ve previously read and enjoyed books by three of the four authors of this collection, so I had high expectations for this serial - which were definitely met. Even better, it’s almost impossible to tell that The Vela was written by four different authors, as the characterisation and style of prose is fairly seamless, and I intended to forget who wrote each instalment not long after I started.

As for the reasons why I’d recommend this series:

- Its astute observations on climate change and the recent European refugee crisis through a futuristic lens (with some chilling but sadly accurate commentary on how we’re likely to handle a future climate refugee crisis). The most horrifying thing for me was the drawn out nature of the apocalypse, wherein environmental ruin is not a single cataclysmic event but a slow descent into catastrophe.

- A well-rounded cast of characters - Asala and Niko were the stand-outs as our main protagonists but everyone had a chance to play both the hero and the villain at various points. As one might expect with these authors, the narrative centred queer characters, disabled characters and characters of colour, and treated these facts as mostly unremarkable, except where a character’s life experience gave them a unique insight or perspective (I loved the opening scene with Asala adjusting her hearing aids).

- There were a lot of politics - especially for a relatively short series, page wise - but these were grounded in each character’s personal ethical views (see point 2). The various reveals and reactions to events helped bring home the moral conundrums of humanitarian crises.

Occasionally some of the tech stuff went over my head or I found myself skimming to get through it, and I can’t comment on whether those who understand technology better than me will find it accurate (though some of Niko’s hacking attempts seemed to stretch the limits of plausibility even for me). But that was a minor quibble about an otherwise highly recommended read.

The Vela is a gripping sci fi serial with social commentary on immigration and climate disaster. Harnessing the sun's energy has led to the cooling of the solar system with many fleeing desolate planets as space refugees. They build scrap ships and huddle as refugees hoping to join a nation through a lottery or military service because planets aren't letting anyone in, content to pretend that the solar system-wide catastrophe isn't happening. This book features many LGBTQ+ characters. Asala is trans, Niko is nonbinary, and various side characters are under different parts of the umbrella. In terms of disability representation, Asala is deaf/ hard of hearing and uses a hearing aid.This was a suspenseful read trying to figure out what happened to the Vela and the politics surrounding its disappearance. The Gandesian, Hypatian, and Khayyami cultures were fully realized and intriguing. Asala struggles with losing her heritage and her loyalty to her clan. Niko struggles with their conniving father's lack of scruples. All the characters are caught in turmoil of how to ethically engage with so many unscrupulous nations and power hungry leaders.

A space book with a strong lead and very diverse characters. I loved this one... it has action, intrigue and food for thought. If the planets as you know it are all doomed, who can decide which people are deserving of another shot in another dimension? Ofcourse every leader and their people are fighting for survival and many are ruthless in their mission. The thing I liked about this book is that you understand the viewpoint of all of them and nobody is only good or altruistic in their motives. Including the main characters. Asala is just following orders and wants to complete the mission, yet on the other hand she does want to find out what the situation is if things don't add up. and isnt't afraid to make decisions based on new information.
Then there's Niko, the son of the president who's accompanying Asala on her mission for his dad, but has their own reasons for doing so.
The other thing I liked is that it's not outside our scope of expectation since the main reason the planets are dying is because of the harvesting of the sun. Considering our plundering of earth this maybe hits a little bit close to home and gets people thinking.

And now what I didn't like: the cliffhanger at the end! I will await the next book anxiously cause I want to know what happens to everyone next.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***

The strength of this book is the plot, with the twists and turns augmented by the multi-author writing. The ending felt a little abrupt but I guess that’s another way of saying I wanted more! There were a few nits here and there and some of the characters could be a bit more consistent across chapters but overall the shift in tone from one author to the next keeps the story feeling fresh. Overall a fascinating premise in a fun universe.

A wonderfully engrossing Space Opera, co-authored by a quartet of writers, with a number of diverse characters and a riveting story line. Told in serial format (as Dickens popularized), the plot kept my attention in a steel grip even as I experienced breathtaking suspense plus empathy for many of the characters. May this Serial continue on and on!

"People spoke about the death of planets as if the rock itself would shatter, but the truth was never so dramatic. The entire sphere wasn't in danger of ceasing to exist. All that mattered was the inner goings-on of that tiny strip of gauze, that onion skin of atmosphere clinging to the rocky surface like morning dew. The narrowest of margins on which everything depended."

I requested this from Netgalley because the premise sounded very interesting. A diverse sci-fi story written by four different authors in the style of a TV series? Colour me intrigued! Once I saw Becky Chambers was one of the authors, I absolutely had to pick this up. Yoon Ha Lee, SL Huang and Rivers Solomon are authors I have also very much wanted to read.

One of my biggest concerns about a book with multiple authors is that the writing can seem disjointed. This was not at all the case. Most books I have read with multiple authors have gone the route of each author writing from a different character’s perspective, whereas The Vela consists of ten ‘episodes’ as chapters, each with a separate writer (though we do have multiple POV’s in each episode). I felt that each episode fit seamlessly into the greater story and didn’t really spot any discrepancies or inconsistencies in the different episodes. The story flowed smoothly throughout.

The story itself delves much deeper into political and moral grounds than I was expecting. With the solar system slowing dying, and people seeking refuge from a failing sun on the planets that are still viable; the story explores themes of climate crisis, mass extinction, imperialism and xenophobia- drawing some not exactly subtle parallels to current events.

The pace was fast with lots of action and each episode was gripping. I enjoyed the cast of characters, their personalities and motivations were clear and well developed- particularly in the case of the two main POV characters, Asala and Niko. This was also evident with, General Cynwrig, the well-rounded and fleshed out villain. I loved the casual representation of the story: Niko is non-binary and Asala is a trans woman- in addition to a sizable cast of lgbtqia+ secondary characters.

Overall, there are a lot of elements to love in the story and the telling of it was unique and refreshing. I am eager to check out other Serial Box productions.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own!

A novel written as a cooperation of several authors sounds like a phenomenal idea until you discover that you’ll only like it if you connect to all of the different writing and storytelling styles.

To begin with, this didn’t turn out to be my kind of plot. It’s a space adventure where action and revelations are the center of the story, and, while I’m biased, it didn’t seem like a very original telling of such a story, even if bringing the refugee issue into science fiction sounds interesting and relevant. My actual problems, however, were the characters: they were “on the nose” stereotypes. I could get to like Asala, former refugee finding a place in society while trying to suppress her past, even if with the “getting things done” attitude there wasn’t much place for original characteristics, but I was so annoyed every time one of the authors beat the reader with the hammer on the head about how privileged and sheltered but well-meaning Niko is. I get it without whole paragraphs about it every chapter.

The authors styles were very different, but not in the way it would pull you out of the story if you liked them all. As for me, there were massive differences in my enjoyment. I only knew Becky Chambers before reading this, and hers were my favorite chapters: more character and feeling driven, bringing in neat ideas beyond what is expected from the plot and avoiding the more annoying aspects of the main characters, unfortunately still not managing to make me like them. The only new-to-me author I would try something else by was Rivers Solomon, since the writing was very engaging, and I also feel the characters were budding heads less in these chapters. Yoon Ha Lee I don’t really have an opinion on: it was fine for the content given but it didn’t stick out to me. Lastly, I´m sorry to say that I did not enjoy SL Huang´s parts: They were the most blatant concerning characterization, the writing was much to designed for action to be for me and all of my problems with the book were so much more emphasized here.

While I didn’t like this book, if you are a fan of most of these authors you should check it out. It probably wont be your favorite book by any of them, since the story and characters aren’t that strong, but you’ll get a fun collaboration and can experience how they handle the same content differently from each other, which is probably the most exiting part if you are into the art of writing.

What an excellent story with an engaging cast of characters written by some of my favorite science-fiction authors! I really enjoyed the episodic aspect of The Vela, and the format really allowed for excellent world and character development. Thank you to Netgalley and SerialBox for a copy of this in exchange for a review!

Asala Sikou hasn't been back to her home planet, Hypatia, since her family bought her passage on a ship. She hasn't heard anything from them since then and has felt no need to re-visit the planet. It's dying anyway; the whole universe is. But when the president of Khayyam hires her to find the Vela, a refugee ship that has gone missing, Asala is forced to confront her home, her past and her future, while keeping Niko, the president's kid and her companion, safe. But Niko has plans of his own, and they don't always coincide with hers.

This book surprised me in the best way. It's a fabulous space opera that reminded me a bit of The Expanse in how it's set up, but is much better written and also features a female MC. Speaking of...

Characters
The characters in this book are amazing, and I'm not just talking about the two main characters. Even the side characters are interesting and make you want to find out more about them. I'm also happy that so many of the powerful characters were women, and they all kicked ass. Asala was an instant favourite, not in small part because of her deadpan humour which I love. It took me a bit longer to warm up to Niko because at first they just come off as a young, inexperienced kid trying to please their parents, but after they run into their first real hiccup their character really starts to blossom. I also really appreciate the representation in this book.

Story
I don't think the plot is all that mind-blowing but it's everything around it that made this such a good read for me. At the centre of it is humanity and morality. The issue of refugees is really relevant to the world today and I thought it was tackled well. The way different nations dealt with the refugees felt real and politics is as dirty in the world of the Vela as in our own.

Writing
Becky Chambers has been an insta-buy for me since I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I wasn't familiar with the other 3 authors but am happy to say the writing was amazing throughout. There are differences between the writing styles but they compliment each other well and it's made easier because the author doesn't change within a single chapter. I liked some styles more than others; there are 2 chapters that are written more from Niko's POV that I liked a bit less than the rest.