Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

All in all, this was a good collections of short stories. Some I liked more than others, like the Father of War. But then again, it had dogs, so of course it's my favorite! Dogs make every story better. Cats too.

I would say that the ending for some stories felt rather abrupt, especially the first one and Killer Eyes. It's like the author had a word quota he couldn't' go past for the stories, so once he reached it, the stories kind of stopped...

But all in all, this was rather enjoyable and served a good pallet cleanser between bigger books.

PS: I received an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable collection of stories. All of them were great, but if I had to pick a favorite, I'd pick The Law of the Kuzzi. All these stories had great characters, great pacing, and great stories. Can't wait to read the next one. #VoxAstra #NetGalley

This is pretty good. The stories didn't have a lot of variety in that they were similar in a lot of ways, which reduced my enjoyment. Nonetheless, Chambers writes well.

Thanks very much for the free review copy for review!!

I’m not typically a straight Sci-Fi reader- usually my preferred reads have a fantasy element to them as well. But, Vox Astra held my attention and might make me a Sci-Fi reader after all.

As marketed, Vox Astra: The Black Box presents its characters with difficult choices to make, often at a pivotal point in the overarching history of the universe James Chambers has created. Latin for ‘Voice of the Stars’, Vox Astra is a series of vignettes told, essentially, from the viewpoint of said stars. Each story is well-crafted and poses various moral questions. Some vague, non-spoilery plot hooks for example include: a military escort of a captured alien, a rescue of a girl abandoned on a planet, and the titular mysterious Black Box.

From the publisher’s description of Vox Astra it’s difficult to determine that this is a collection of short stories with no through line connecting them. However once I realized the stories did not connect and stopped searching for threads, I was able to enjoy the book even more.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Sci-Fi but doesn’t have the time or attention span to learn lots of lore or world building. It’s a quick read that still makes you ponder life’s big questions.

Giving voice to the stars…or for me reading some science fiction stories from an author I associate with the fun series of cryptozoology novellas, though I think he may have only actually written one of those, but he seems to be associated with them in some way. Art?
Anyway, Chambers can write. Quite nicely. Not just creatures, it seems, but also interstellar adventures.
But…yes, there is one…I would prefer it if he stuck to creatures. This is, of course, just one reader’s opinion. A reader, it stands to mention, who is quite particular about their science fiction but loves scary stories and creature features unabashedly.
I mean, these stories were fine. Then first one was quite good, but then they all seemed to be if not same or similar then certainly in the same vein. All leaning heavily on some sort of intergalactic war situation. And I do not like military angle in fiction, especially sci-fi (a good WWII story is a different matter), so this collection didn’t quite work for me.
Also, because the stories seems so alike, there wasn’t much of a range. When the range did make an appearance – Politicos – it was most welcome. But it also highlighted just how alike the rest of the stories were.
There are glimpses throughout the collection of Chambers writing stronger and darker, mor horrific things, and I wish he’d lean into those more.
Either way, they went by quickly enough, at 158 pages this collection doesn’t overstay its welcome and is an entertaining read. Just how entertaining will depend on the reader’s individual preferences. Thanks Netgalley.

Vox Astra kept me wanting to know what happened next. Story heat to the point of never losing interest. Highly recommendable.