DNF. Everyone seems to like this book and I'm disappointed I didn't😭 I found the MC so plain and dry. The synopsis sounded really interesting but actually reading it wasn't fun and I think that's due to the bland MC and the one-dimensional side characters (this book gave awkward-middle-school vibes sometimes too, maybe bc our MC is kind of an outsider? She's an alt and I feel like that hurt her feelings). Also, I agree with another reviewer that this book felt really muted. Books with an investigation plot should have me dying to find out what's going to happen next but it just wasn't exciting at all (especially with the non-linear timelines/flashbacks (and I have beef w flashbacks)).

I’m not usually one for space thrillers, but I do have a soft spot for “find the saboteur before she kills us all” stories, and the author of one of my favorites (The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal) had such high praise for The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei that I figured I’d give it a try.

The Deep Sky follows a crew of 80 who have trained since adolescence for a one-way mission to escape the environmental collapse on Earth and attempt to establish a functioning colony on Planet X. After ten years asleep, the crew is awoken to prepare for arrival and be about the business of having babies—the ship carries a sperm bank and all 80 crewmembers are expected to carry a child. But when an explosion kills three of their compatriots and knocks the ship off course, they have little time to identify the saboteur and right their path before the mission is doomed to failure.

The story is told from the perspective of Asuka—a Japanese-American chosen at the last minute for the mission after being initially tabbed an alternate—and takes place mostly after the explosion, with interspersed flashbacks showing the highly competitive training program. And while the training sections feature plenty of genre-standard backbiting in a ruthless competition for limited spaces on the mission, the present-day story is well-paced and exciting. The stakes are high from the get-go, and it’s written in a way that keeps the tension high and the pages turning.

Unfortunately, it also requires more suspension of disbelief than I was able to manage. Most of the negative reviews that I’ve seen have struggled to get past the pregnancy requirement, but I was able to mostly accept that and move on. As the father of three young children, I’m skeptical that colonizing a new planet with kids underfoot is especially easier than waiting until the basic infrastructure is established to have children in the first place, but apart from the female-dominated crew and several characters trying to manage crises in their third trimesters, it never felt essential to the plot.

Personally, I had a much more difficult time swallowing the ubiquitous augmented reality that allowed each crew member to see the bowels of the ship transformed into a setting of their desires—a forest, a library, a fantasy world, etc. There’s a passing reference to one officer mandating their team sync augments, but despite repeated glitches and an implication that augmented reality contributed heavily to at least one fatality, the crew goes most of the book without questioning whether tuning their eyes to a virtual construct in place of their physical surroundings may at all inhibit their investigation. It struck me as such an obvious impediment that seeing it ignored for so long constantly pulled me out of the story.

That wasn’t the only area in which I struggled to suspend disbelief—a few descriptions of outer space surroundings and some details of plans to change course had me raising eyebrows—but it was the most pernicious, keeping me from fully immersing in the first three-quarters of the story. If I hadn’t promised an honest review, I might’ve DNF’d. But by pushing on, I was treated to a thrilling finish that had me tearing through the last chapters trying to figure out what happened. I still wasn’t convinced about all the details, but the plot moved so quickly and the tension stayed so high that I was able to relax and enjoy the ride. And it was quite a ride.

I would be remiss in finishing the review without mentioning a couple subplots that served as thematic buttresses to the main thriller arc. The lead’s feeling of dislocation as a biracial woman experiencing discrimination in America— but without the linguistic ability to immerse in Japanese culture—was a constant companion that made her more than the standard everywoman. Lacking the staggering subject-matter expertise of her colleagues, albeit smart enough to solve problems on her own, she could’ve easily been nothing more than a reader insert with an admittedly endearing fascination with birds. But her inability to immerse in either culture gave her an element of character depth beyond simply being a generic lead trying to figure out which friend had betrayed them.

Additionally, the book features several terrorist groups—notably a white supremecist organization and an environmentalist group deeply skeptical of the space program—serving both as potential villains and as direct antagonists in the flashback sections. These felt true to life in a way that sometimes resonated and other times felt a little bit too on-the-nose. For instance, it’s hard to imagine the fear that rich donors are using the space program as an excuse to control people with secret nanochips being written any time other than the early 2020s. It’s hard to call it unrealistic, but there were times where it was pointed enough to break immersion. But even though this subplot wasn’t perfect, it did contribute some interpersonal conflict that improved the story on the whole.

Overall, The Deep Sky is a fast-paced space thriller with an intriguing mystery at its core and a writing style that ratchets up the tension and expertly keeps it high for the duration. Unfortunately, there were a few elements of the setup that seemed implausible, and one in particular struck me as so implausible that I had trouble immersing for most of the book. The ending was good enough to leave things on a high note, but getting there requires either some perseverance or more suspension of disbelief than I had to hand.

Recommended if you like: space thrillers (with perhaps implausible setups)

Overall rating: 12 of Tar Vol’s 20. Three stars on Goodreads.

Yume Kitasei’s debut novel, The Deep Sky, is half a sci-fi mystery aboard a troubled spaceship and half a boarding school story set some years beforehand during the training/selection period for the crew. The sci-fi section moves along at a fast pace while the school segments slow down to delve more into character and also provide backstory so as to better understand motivations and actions in the present. The premise and structure are good ideas, but unfortunately issues with execution, pace, and characterization, as well as a few plot weaknesses detracted from the reading experience.

The Phoenix is a spaceship on a one-way colonizing trip to a new planet , fleeing an Earth ravaged by war, environmental despoilation, extreme weather, and more. Financed by a trillionaire and money from governments who paid for slots on the ship, the Phoenix has a crew of 79 members (women and trans—no cis-men). The journey is to be ten years in hibernation, ten years of awake time during which the crew is artificially inseminated to give birth to one-to-two children for the colony, then ten more years in hibernation.

The crew has been awake for eleven months when someone sets off a bomb on the outer hull which kills several crew members, does some damage, but more importantly knocks the ship off course. So the present-time narrative has two issues: find the saboteur (s) amongst them and find some way to get the ship back on track or else they’ll all die when they run out of supplies. We see all of this via a third-person POV focused on Asuka, the “alternate” member of the crew (the only one without a designated job). Meanwhile, a number of inter-chapters flashback to Asuka signing up for the journey and going through the training and selection process with hundreds of others, some of whom wash out of the program and rest of whom become her present-day shipmates.

The structure is a smart move in theory, offering up several benefits. One is it can heighten tension/suspense as Kitasei can cut away at pivotal points in the present to flashback to the training, leaving the reader hanging (in a good way). I’d say this is perhaps the most successful aspect of the novel. The other potential benefit is it creates a built-in balance between action scenes and quieter moments. That’s not to see the present-day doesn’t have its slower scenes or the flashbacks are utterly devoid of action, but generally, the school scenes focus on character and relationships more intimately while the present-day scenes are far more tense and active. This element I’d put in the “sort-of” or “mostly” works category. The balance is solid, but the flashback scenes were a bit too familiar and mundane, and we probably got too many of them.

Asuka’s characterization is nicely done throughout as we piece together her present-day issues from the flashbacks — her sense of unworthiness, her grief over a younger brother who died, her fraught relationship with her mother, and more. But beyond the main character, the rest of the crew is either completely faceless (we see only a handful really) or pretty thinly characterized, falling more into types than feeling like actual individuals. And they also seemed both too young for their mission (more on that later) and also younger than their ages. Which I can explain away by their ten-year hibernation, so they’re all still in the early 20s or so (I think), but honestly their issues over relationships and break-ups and jealousies felt like they were in early high school if not younger. One plus with regard to characters is their wide-ranging diversity.

The plot moves along quickly in the present-day, but it too feels a little thin. I never quite understood how this crew was chosen — I mean, we see it in process, but it didn’t make a lot of sense to me in terms of the mission, the state of the world, or the rich funder and there was no real attempt to explain any of that. The whole mandated breeding thing I admit felt more than a little creepy, and the across-the-board youth crew seemed pretty implausible. Finally, they were a few plot points that didn’t feel fully thought out, and the identity of the saboteur I thought was pretty clear well before the halfway point which not only meant the mystery wasn’t much of a mystery but also meant the characters were painted as implausibly oblivious (or at least, implausible in their lack of paranoia/suspicion even though we see them act that way several times).

The relatively thin characterization and plot together with the characters’ immaturity makes me think that this is a book more suited to a YA audience even if it isn’t marketed as such, as I think they’d be more forgiving of some of the issues I had. Kitasei does write clearly and fluidly throughout, does a nice job as noted with Asuka’s characterization, and while the structure wasn’t entirely successful (mostly a matter of pacing), it was a good choice and was particularly effective in terms of enhancing suspense. All of which I’d say bodes well for a second book.

The Deep Sky is an enjoyable SF read that incorporates elements of generation ships and cryosleep space travel. Written with dual timelines - one on the ship in the present and one in the past, set primarily at the school where Asuka and her crewmates train for the mission - the book investigates ideas of identity, belonging, nationality, and more. There are a lot of really cool takes on traditional SF ideas: for example, the entire crew is made up of people who can bear children (there is at least one trans man and a few NB crewmates, but most of the crew identify as women), a major departure from classic SF that didn't even seem to realize it was excluding half of the human race from its space ships.

As often happens when we read dual timelines, we were more interested in one than the other (the "present" of the space ship). Asuka is tasked with investigating sabotage and possible murder, so it could be jarring to move back to an episode with much lower stakes. The mystery itself was well-crafted, with lots of SF red herrings (is the AI that assists with the ship actually a murderer? What happened while the crew was asleep?). The near-future setting could be bleak, but the ultimate message was hopeful. Yume Kitasei is an author to watch!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

There were some pandemic novels about the pandemic itself, produced with a startling alacrity and provided by an industry eager to contend with the trauma if only so it could get back to business as normal. And so we got The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, Joan is Okay by Weike Wang, Companion Piece by Ali Smith. I like all these authors—and I couldn’t get through any of these books. The only two pandemic novels I did manage to finish—after my vaccine, my booster, and the de facto end to lockdown, I should add—were Delphi by Clare Pollard and The Reservoir by David Duchovny, and I only managed them because they were (a) short and (b) weird. The pandemic was like the sun. It bore down on everything, and I didn’t dare look at it directly. I needed the fantastical as cover.

And okay, I review mostly SFF, it’s how I make sense of a lot of my life, but I think this was more particularly and more broadly true for pandemic-related reading. A lot of us did not want to contend with reality. Reality was already contending with us, and we were bloody and bored from the unending battle. We needed to come at the whole crisis from an oblique angle, at a safe distance.

The Deep Sky is a pandemic novel at arms’ length, which makes it far more accessible and interesting to read. It reimagines a lot of the things we all knew far too well, the isolation and the unsatisfying digital escapism and the goddamn birdwatching, even. (I’m a grandmother at heart, but even I never wanted to see that many people so desperate that they become amateur ornithologists.) Which is apt; as T. S. Eliot’s famous bird says: “human kind/ cannot bear very much reality.”

No one in the disastrous near-future of The Deep Sky can bear very much reality, either. Kitasei starts with a neat trick, introducing us to two of protagonist Asuka’s realities simultaneously. We meet her as she navigates the cramped spaceship carrying her and 79 other crew members to another planet, a relentlessly utilitarian space made bearable by VR implants, which give each of the crew an immersive, personalized reality to enjoy. Asuka’s is a forest richly populated by birds that have sadly gone extinct back on Earth, and their digital existence serves as a touchstone of both the hope and the horror of this last-ditch expedition.

Earth is dying. Climate catastrophe has ravaged every part of the world, and the world’s governments, in various shades of incompetent and mistrustful, partner with a seemingly altruistic billionaire to fund a one-way journey to colonize Planet X. To have the best chance of populating this new world, the space program accepts only girls and nonbinary applicants who will be able to bear children, and begins training them from a very young age to become experts in robotics, astrophysics, medicine, and other useful skills. The program plans to ensure it has the best and brightest by whittling down 800 hopefuls to 80 crew, and roughly half the book is dedicated to this brutal competition, as seen in retrospect as Asuka tries to use her hard-won skills to solve a present-day disaster.

The Deep Sky is a rebuke to the Ender’s Game vision of a meritocratic space program, questioning the assumption that any existing system—whether military, capitalistic, or even pluralistic—can truly judge a child’s worth or potential. Asuka is, of course, the ultimate case for this: she has the lowest status as the “alt,” but her jack-of-all-trades approach proves essential to the entire crew’s survival. Her willingness to collaborate, to forgive, and to extend compassion are also essential traits, far more so than the military-esque structures that end up creating as many problems than they solve.

Which isn’t to say that this book is a big preachy kumbaya. It’s more that Kitasei values complexity: she’s created a pressure cooker of competing values, tight deadlines, high stakes, and intense loyalties, and she isn’t about to dole out trite or easy answers. There are no heroes in space, or rather, everyone is a hero in space: without teamwork, no one survives an environment literally inimical to life.

We also discover that many of the health exclusions don’t actually mean that the crew is mentally well. There are horrifying fascist elements who might be attempting a covert eugenics program—not sane by any measure—and many members of the crew are debilitated by PTSD or trauma sustained because of the program. To hear that applicants to the space program were initially screened out for having manageable conditions casts a very nuanced and thoughtful light on how we think about “health” vs. resilience.

The Deep Sky is being marketed as regular SF, but this has a very strongly YA vibe, not just because the characters are young, but also because some of the themes are very teenage-focused. Asuka’s journey of confidence would be right at home in the YA section, as would the emotional arcs of several secondary characters. All the characters act a bit young, which is, I want to stress, very realistic both for their ages (early 20s) and for the fact that they’ve spent their entire childhoods pursuing a single goal with relentless focus. They haven’t had the chances to make mistakes, form external relationships, or have other responsibilities. That plays with development in ways that I think Kitasei was very adept at portraying. Still, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that The Deep Sky skews a bit younger, even though it does engage with complex political topics.

And hoo boy, are those politics relevant. Despite all attempts to keep focused on their education (in the past chapters) or on their mission (in the present), all kinds of geopolitical and ideological groups impose themselves. China and America are continually at odds, and there is a slew of racist, xenophobic, fascist, misogynistic, and plain old conspiracist groups who either want to hurt or sway the competitors. Asuka’s own mother falls prey to a deeply paranoid group that is also nominally pro-environment, but which may have eco-terrorist underpinnings. To have to deal with insane ramblings about microchips and mind control is certainly all too familiar in the American cultural landscape, and it was a strange combination of cathartic and painful to see it portrayed so well.

The whodunit isn’t quite tight enough (one major objection is that confidentiality always has failsafe exceptions), but I think the slew of competing motivations and allegiances are incredibly well developed, leading to a completely believable cast of suspects. I was wrong a couple of times when I thought I knew who did it, and I love that. I also love that the bird facts play a larger role than I’d initially assumed, which makes for a great little gottcha moment.

There’s just so much to love about The Deep Sky, a book both smart and ultimately wise about how we will address our current crises, and whether they can be solved or only deferred. It’s a fast-paced read that invites readers to slow down and really think, an impressive feat for a debut that was clearly rooted in pandemic chaos but so elegantly managed to rise far above the fray.

As Earth faces environmental collapse, 80 elite graduates of a competitive space program embark on a mission to save humanity. Each individual is selected to carry out specific functions as the ship travels into deep space and will give birth to a generation of children through an intricate artificial insemination program that will ensure genetic diversity. But when a lethal bomb kills three crews and knocks the ship off course, the only survivor, Asuka, is tasked with the unthinkable.

DEEP SKY is an exceptional debut novel that masterfully blends sci-fi elements with intricate explorations of identity & relationships. With its thought-provoking themes, compelling characters, and a touch of mystery, this book captivates readers from start to finish.

Imagine if PROJECT HAIL MARY (Andy Weir) had Asian representation. If THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM (Cixin Liu) wrote better female characters. If DUNE (Frank Herbert) didn't have that weird eugenics plotline where the women are literal childbearing witches (🙄). That's the kind of brilliance (and, dare I say, defiance) you'll find in DEEP SKY. Kitasei skillfully weaves a narrative that delves into the complexities of identity and culture, providing much-needed representation and nuance in the genre. The exploration of politics among East Asian countries, particularly China & Japan (obv the USA b/c they have to be the center of attention 🤣), and Taiwan's precarious situation, adds an extra layer of relevance to today's political landscape. And books that mention Taiwan always get an automatic 5-star from me (lol jkjk)

The portrayal of the mother-daughter relationship is an unexpected but welcome addition to DEEP SKY, and I particularly love that this topic is explored in the sci-fi genre. The themes of estrangement from one's mother, mother tongue, and motherland bring a poignant and relatable aspect to the story. Kitasei navigates the complexities of this relationship, highlighting its profound impact on one's identity and sense of self.

Another standout is the friendship aspects of DEEP SKY. Kitasei showcases the ebb and flow of connections and the ways in which people can grow apart or come back together. The evolution of friendships and allegiance is another pleasant surprise that I haven't seen explored much in sci-fi. The compassion with which the characters are written is truly remarkable, further deepening the emotional resonance of the story.

DEEP SKY seamlessly shifts between the present day on the ship and the past when Asuka was training on Earth, creating a richly layered narrative that keeps me engaged. Kitasei's attention to detail, particularly in the paragraphs about bird biology, adds a touch of beauty and depth to the story. The space mystery at the heart of the story also adds a compelling layer of intrigue. As the characters unravel, readers are taken on a thrilling journey filled with unexpected twists and revelations. The sense of wonder and awe is beautifully conveyed, making DEEP SKY a true page-turner.

DEEP SKY is a phenomenal debut that pushed the boundaries of the sci-fi genre. With its compassionate character portrayals, intriguing plot, and exploration of identity, relationships, and political dynamics, this book is an absolute standout. Congratulations to Kitasei for crafting such a remarkable and compelling novel. It is undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi reads I've encountered, and I eagerly anticipate what Kitasei will bring forth in the future.

DEEP SKY is a perfect book for those who enjoy reading about female friendships, mother-daughter dynamics, reflections on one's identity straddling between white & Asian cultures, locked-room mysteries, space travel. Actually, if you like reading, read DEEP SKY 🤣

I love a good space opera, and I love coming of age stories about how relationships with friends and family evolve—so this book hit right in my sweet spot. The author did a good job balancing backstory and political themes with a page-turner plot, and the flipping back & forth in time was really natural and smooth. The science was a little patchy and handwavy at times, but the AI character was well-voiced and its relationship with the main character was fun—both affectionate and snarky and sometime easy to forget half inhuman. Really a well-done debut all around. Thanks NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the early read!

This was such a stunning speculative space thriller! I was immersed in Asuka’s present and back story immediately, and with things constantly going wrong on their ship The Phoenix, the action never stopped. This novel reminded me strongly of parts of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Hunger Games, and The Paradox Hotel. The world building is beautiful, but not overwhelming, and placing a whodunnit in space was such a fun choice.

What a cool concept for a book! I usually go for fantasy over sci-fi, but I'm very happy I picked up this one!

I was so thrilled by this book! The author does a fantastic job of weaving broader narratives and complex themes into a tightly-paced mystery/action adventure set in deep space. I can hardly believe this is a debut novel, and hope there will be plenty more where this came from. The central story follows the passengers of The Phoenix, a ship carrying 80 passengers picked from a highly competitive program to literally give birth to the next generation of humans while in deep space en route to a new home as Earth is no longer suitable to supporting civilization due to climate catastrophe - half way there a bomb goes off on the ship and everyone is a suspect.
NetGalley and Flatiron Books provided me the opportunity to both read and listen to the audiobook prior to publication - and it’s available now for you to add to your summer reading lists!

It's kind of hard to rate this one because I enjoyed it so much and yet I still found myself drifting in the middle as we started filling in details on Asuka's journey and the different things that led to where we ended up - and these things were important but they also didn't serve to build tension. I really liked the balance of how disconnected the Phoenix crew was from Earth (because they'd all been asleep for 10 years while life carried on for those left behind) but I think Asuka's particular aloofness to Earth's happenings hurt the impact overall.

What really worked for me was the last 15% - fast-paced, tense, and the part where the mistrust that was building throughout really came to a head. And just Asuka's character as a whole: her complex relationship with family (especially her mother), the unique hurt of being everybody's second choice, the way a friendship can fester and how that can drastically impact someone's life. I also really liked how dependent people were on their augmented realities and how they were living almost totally disconnected from each other - and the way that augmented realities essentially made it so that everyone was literally living in their own little worlds.

Overall, a very solid debut and I can't wait to see where Kitasei goes from here - definitely an author to watch!

An explosion on a routine spacewalk damages the ship and sets in motion a fast-paced whodunit. This is a locked-room mystery except perhaps let's call it a locked-module mystery because, please, this is a spaceship. Our MC, Asuka, was an alternate for this journey and is forced to take charge of the investigation. She must figure out who to trust before they're so far off course as to be lost in space. This is an engaging, engrossing adventure. The characters are layered, flawed, and real. Weaved throughout the mystery are scenes from Asuka's childhood and her experience of the intensive schooling she and the others went through in preparation for the mission. These flashbacks not only give us character depth but also a heartbreaking snapshot of the world they left behind. Absolutely loved this, need to know what happens next!

Immediately no. I'm stopping at 10%, this is giving me the ick. In the middle of a deep space disaster and we're thinking about decade old grudges and a lack of pregnancies? What?! It's giving women-written-by-men but this author identifies as a woman, so I'm lost. There's a time and place for reflective moments and it's not mid-catastrophe..

**Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the eARC**

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced reader copy! You can find a copy of this review on my blog.

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei is classified as a sci-fi thriller, but it's more meditative than that'd imply. Humanity's crumbling into the sea, and in a last burst of hope, they launch 80 young adults into space to reach a new inhabitable planet. The crew of this journey has been training for the mission since they were 12, rigorously studying and growing up together, and now they inhabit a spaceship ten years from its destination. As the first phase of their mission begins, pregnancy and child rearing after a decade long hibernation, there is an explosion onboard- likely triggered by one of their own. Asuka, resilient but technically inadequate compared to her peers, survives the explosion and must discover who is culpable before they strike again.

I really liked this book. Like. A lot. So let's just start there. 4.5 stars rounded to a 4.

I'm probably going to bring up a decent bit of science fiction in this review. This is not to say that this book is trying to be like anything else, or that any of what I compare it to is better or worse, but it's much easier to talk about a genre as varied as science fiction with a basis of bearing and a good point of comparison or connection.

Personally, I'm hesitant to call this a thriller because the plot doesn't coax any feelings of doom or overwhelming dread. It does get exciting at parts, and you do believe that the crew is in genuine danger, but it's a who-done-it whose detective genuinely does not believe that her peers want to cause her harm. Obviously, someone on the ship triggered the explosion, and yes people died, but from Asuka's perspective, she doesn't really see any of these people capable of harboring violent malice. The risks associated with the mission are on par with most sci-fi with a similar colonization premise, there are limited resources on the ship and no help in space, so if something goes wrong, it could mean certain death.

The direction The Deep Sky took is for the better. Personally, I don't really need to see a group of women and other marginalized identities take any excuse to expose each other's flaws and assume the worse. When they do point the finger in the book, it's out of reluctance, if not desperation.

First quick round of comparisons. Regarding the ship and the crew, it has the same feel as Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. The protagonists of the stories could not be more dissimilar if they tried, but both books have the same sort of close-quarters crew from exceptional backgrounds who are very familiar with each other. The book is told with a split timeline similar to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. While Project Hail Mary focused its flashbacks on Earth primarily as a means of interactive exposition, The Deep Sky uses it primarily as a way to build character and build a thematic throughline that extends past the ship. Honestly, I really enjoyed the split timeline. The book made excellent use of its format, the scenes Kitasei chooses to revisit are wonderfully actualized, and the split timeline model allows for the emotional beats to hold a hefty amount of weight. (Let's go mommy issues! Everyone, give it up for mommy issues. Insecurity around close female friendships is second. Let's go! Hitting all the marks.)

The writing was crisp and clear. The world and settings were well constructed. I quite enjoyed being in Asuka's head. She's a little rough around the edges, and frustrating at times, but impossible not to sympathize with or root for. I'm biracial as well, so I'm particularly fond of characters who grapple with similar dual identities. All the side characters are very defined with a good deal of complexity for an ensemble cast. The mystery itself isn't terribly shocking, but it still manages to subvert expectations in a very satisfying way.

I could stop the review right here and say that it's a good book and you should read it. Because I do believe that. It's a well-constructed piece of science fiction, especially good for a debut, both stimulating and entertaining. It comments on the cynical world of today while projecting hope into tomorrow. The characters and conflict are well crafted and stick with the reader. Yes, it's sci-fi, but the accessible kind that sticks close enough to Earth to feel entirely familiar. I hope this book gets big, and I hope that my words, in some way, accomplish that. I read this in the middle of a bad reading slump and breezed through it, impressed. I'm excited for what Kitasei does next.

But. Now. I want to talk about thematic. I have a lot to say. The Deep Sky has awakened the cogs in my brain, and unfortunately, I'm making that your (the reader's) problem.

I decided to read this book while simultaneously watching the first 10 Star Trek movies for the first time over the course of a week. That may have done things to my brain. You'll see in a moment.

Ursula K LeGuin, my queen, says in her forward to arguably one of the most famous sci fi novels, The Left Hand of Darkness, that science fiction is not a prediction of the future, but a reflection on the present. And true to the genre, the world Kitasei creates is nothing more than an exaggerated version of the world we currently live in. The climate crisis is out of control, sparking conflict between major nations. Extremist factions rise out of desperation, eco-terrorists and proto-MAGAS. And in the middle of all of this, some trillionaire decides to send 80 teenagers into space in an effort to save what's left of humanity.

The question of if we should focus on the issues here first or use those resources to look forward is not new, in science fiction or in the real world. There were protests when the first Apollo Missions went up. Yes, the moon landing filled the world with the wonder of human capability and possibility, but it was funded to stick it to the USSR. It was a display of nationalism, meant to unite some people and scare others. We didn't shoot for the moon to reach it, but to stick our flag in it first.

The current efforts of Bezos and Musk to develop commercial flights to space and colonize Mars are less of a space race and more a commodification of the space race. Billionaires would not be interested in technological development if they did not think that it was a means of furthering their wealth or retaining it in the face of human disaster. This is my personal interpretation of the situation, but I do believe it wholeheartedly because, by nature, to be a billionaire is to grow and maintain wealth and if any of these people deviated from that goal, they would no longer be billionaires.

The mission in the book is, from time to time, referred to as a vanity project by the trillionaire who funded it, but it's impossible for me to believe in it beyond that. I want to see it as a signal of hope like the characters in the book, a measure of the tenacity of the human spirit and a projection of their capability, but I'm just too jaded. "Save humanity" is a noble goal, but humanity could either refer to the individual people composing all of human life or the vague concept of humans as a whole. Maybe it's because I'm one of the people who would be left behind on the floating rock, but I really think we should be focusing on the floating rock.

In Star Trek: First Contact, we learn how space exploration (Starfleet) came to be. Basically, after World War III and devastating nuclear fallout, this one guy invents warp drive only with the intention of becoming rich. But in doing so, he unknowingly signals to alien life that humanity is advanced enough for interstellar travel, and aliens come to Earth and make first contact. After alien contact, the world unites, getting rid of money and their squabbles to focus on the betterment of humanity and developing Starfleet and the Federation to explore the galaxy. Sounds nice. Sounds good. I'm not sure why World War III was required to get there, but alright.

Importantly, Star Trek focuses on the expansion of humanity into space as something that goes hand in hand with world peace. We cannot focus outward without taking care of ourselves first. It refuses to make the choice between Earth and the cosmos. I love thinking and wondering about the possibility of human expansion into space, the possibilities that await us the farther we explore, but it's impossible to imagine it as some sort of inspiration in the face of human collapse on Earth. I can't do it.

Jeff Bezos shot Star Trek's William Shatner into space. If you don't know much about Star Trek, Shatner plays Captain James Kirk, the original face of the franchise. He's still around. As some sort of... publicity (?) stunt, Bezos decided to send him on a Blue Space Shuttle in 2021. You probably didn't hear much about it, because the voyage didn't exactly have its desired effect.

In an article Shatner wrote for Variety, he says:

 "I love the mystery of the universe. I love all the questions that have come to us over thousands of years of exploration and hypotheses. Stars exploding years ago, their light traveling to us years later; black holes absorbing energy; satellites showing us entire galaxies in areas thought to be devoid of matter entirely… all of that has thrilled me for years… but when I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold . . . all I saw was death.

I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness. It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing. I turned back toward the light of home. I could see the curvature of Earth, the beige of the desert, the white of the clouds and the blue of the sky. It was life. Nurturing, sustaining, life. Mother Earth. Gaia. And I was leaving her.

Everything I had thought was wrong. Everything I had expected to see was wrong."

Keep in mind this was the guy who was on the show with the relatively hopeful take on things. He wasn't in First Contact, but the vibes are pretty consistent. He recognized what I feel like all people should: that space is exciting, but our hopes lay in our home.

I don't think that The Deep Sky is any less of a book because I disagree with some of the ideas in it. There are some I do find compelling and enjoyed how the conclusions were reached in the book, like who "deserves" to be on such a mission. If anything, I'm grateful that the novel posed its conflict the way it did so I was able to have this conversation. What's a conviction if you never have it challenged? If anything, the ideas in the novel are meant to be an open-ended aspiration, a vibe rather than any sort of moral determination. You can see both sides of the coin. This is just my reaction to it. Also, I just kind of wanted to talk about Star Trek. Read the book, so you can join in the conversation too.

Genre: science fiction, mystery
Earth, Near future; space, near future

Asuka is thousands of miles away from earth on a spaceship, as an alternate crew member for the 80 person mission to Planet X to start a Utopian society away from the devastation of climate change and social injustice. They were in deep sleep for a decade, and now awake are starting the next important phase of the mission. Everyone on board the ship - no matter their gender identity - has the biological ability to give birth, and are required to submit to artificial insemination, which will help them populate their new lives on Planet X. A sudden explosion while Asuka is on a space walk jars the ship off course, and suddenly everyone is a suspect, especially last-minute mission addition Asuka.

There is a lot to like about this debut novel from Yume Kitasei, and one of the things I really admire is the worldbuilding. The Generations-style ship harkens to sci-fi classics, where the original passengers board in hibernation to travel to distant stars and evokes the vast blackness of the unknown of space. Kitasei never really has to describe the ship itself, but you know you’re there with Asuka; know the dangers lurking outside the airlocks.

While the main plot takes place on board the ship, the secondary timeline begins prior to launch, while Asuka is a child. The earth is devastated by environmental disasters, and Asuka herself grows up in a refugee camp after California wildfires destroy her home. There is commentary on food shortages, flooding and hurricanes and fires, on influencers and pop culture and super stars, and posturing political powers and wars. And there are the chosen ones - like Asuka - who have been accepted into this elite program to train to someday leave it all behind for space and a new world. It’s background noise, almost, what the earth we know is turning into and what Asuka is leaving. But there’s enough of it there that it drives the decisions of every single person on through their training and on the ship. It’s clever and bold.

While the dual timeline provides that interesting commentary, it doesn’t always balance the pacing of the book. As tensions increase in the present day, we are pulled back to the past and out of the action. On the one hand, we have 2001: A Space Odyssey vibes, and on the other a high school space camp training montage.

The Deep Sky is a stellar debut, and hits more than it misses. Sarah Skaer’s audiobook narration is solid, seamlessly blending the Japanese and English parts of the story, and voicing Asuka’s inner monologues with an appropriate sense of awe and fear.

I love a good Sci-Fi book. Add in an unreliable narrator element, diversity in the characters, and a bunch of bada** women running a ship barreling into space and a new frontier? This literally had everything. For most of the book you can't really tell is Asuka's story and her experiences are real or the result of an overly caring AI called Alpha, who cares for the crew and constantly claims she is trying to help. As the story unravels, you begin to understand that Asuka may be the ONLY character you can trust. I definitely did not figure out who the culprit was until the very end. The author does a great job of planting seeds of distrust through the flashbacks Asuka has to her time in training and academy and to the discussions and actions of her mother.
I think the small human elements of the birds (and Asuka's ties to them) that are woven throughout the story as a tie to the past, but also as a constant plot point presented by Alpha make you question the AI's motive as well. It was fun to see how those ended up just tying back to the ending.

I honestly wish this story wasn't a stand alone, I am so invested in knowing what happens to this group of people as they continue on their mission. This story was beautiful and intriguing with a pace that made it easy to not put down.

Thank you, Flatiron and Net Galley for giving me the privilege of reading an advanced reader copy of the deep sky.

The Earth is dying and humanity built a generation ship. Asuka, half Japanese, half American, and 79 other people hurtle towards planet X taking Humanity's hope with them. After 10 years in stasis, the crew wakes up for the middle of the journey. When an explosion rocks the ship, kills the captain and 2 crew, Asuka struggles to solve the mystery.

I loved this book. I loved how human the characters are, and I adored the queer, trans, and disabled characters that fill the pages. I also enjoyed the bird imagery and the split timeline.

The AI is amazing, as is the virtual interface that lays over the top of the ship.

Occasionally, the otherwise tight plot wobbles..For example, the crew all having to have babies was an interesting plot point. The kids volunteered so young that I cannot imagine what consent looks like. I did feel like them making sure not all the senior leaders were pregnant at the same time would be baked into the mission.

It's a book about forgiveness, grief, loss, friendship, self doubt, and growing up, and I will read it again and again.

This is a poignant and thoughtful whodunit in space. Overall, I found it very enjoyable and I appreciated the elements of a one-way-space voyage that differed from other similar plotlines, and how things concluded at the end. I will be thinking about this one for awhile!

Amazing debut with riveting action and a unique, fascinating premise. The Deep Sky excels at world building: Phoenix, the ship; Earth, ravaged by climate change; the Evenstar training program and school founded by trillionaire venture capitalist Linda Trembling, inventor of Digitally Augmented Reality (DAR) for the masses. The all -female mission crew sleep for the first decade of the journey. During the second decade the crew are inseminated, so that the children will be ten when they arrive at Planet X. So many thought- provoking themes in The Deep Sky: survivor’s guilt, estranged family relationships; friendship struggles; competition; trust, teamwork.

OMG! I loved this novel and couldn’t put it down. I felt I was on the Phoenix, in deep space, taking a space walk with Asuka, the protagonist. I really, really hope Yume Kitasei will write a sequel because the journey to Planet X was not at end when the novel finished…I want more! The Deep Sky would make a terrific TV series or movie.

Highly recommended.

A very strong debut! This is a page turning space thriller of political espionage and intrigue, chock full of commentary on climate change, existential dread, and mommy issues. While I think some of the progress through the story could have been a little smoother, overall, I thought this was a great combo of entertainment and thoughtful thematic content