This really caught my eye with its title but it ultimately fell flat for me. As popular as pride and prejudice retellings are they can be hard to get right and this one really just fell flat and was a bit hard to get through. It wasn’t my cup of tea.

What an utter delightful experience Alexis Lampley has created for readers of all sorts. I feel like as a fan of Austen, the science fiction genre as a whole and art, I hit the trifecta with this adaptation of such a beloved novel. The purest in me LOVED how true to the story it stayed, but reveled in the surprises Lampley executed with granting information to the reader by way of various POV's and the cleverest vessels. The illustrations were lovely, but it was the message boards and private journal entries that held me captivated.
The worldbuilding was so easy to follow and Lampley made the combination of (seemingly) vastly different world so seamless, it was shocking it had not been done before. If you wish Firefly had a bit of Austen flair, this book is for you.
Absolutely loved every moment of this and cannot wait to own a physical copy upon release!

As a fan of both science fiction and Jane Austen's classic novel, I was intrigued by the concept of setting this beloved story in a futuristic universe. Lampley's writing style is engaging and witty, just like Austen's. She manages to stay true to the original story while adding her own unique twists and turns to make it fit seamlessly into a futuristic setting. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the Londinium Lunar System and the different spaceships used for interplanetary travel. It was evident that Lampley put a lot of thought and creativity into this aspect of the book. One of the highlights of this book are the illustrations. As a graphic designer and co-owner of Nerdy Ink, Lampley's talent shines through in the beautiful and detailed drawings of the characters and their surroundings. The gowns designed by Lydia Bennet and the spaceship designs by Elizabeth Bennet were a delightful addition to the story and brought the futuristic world to life. What I appreciated most about Pride and Prejudice in Space is that it can be enjoyed by both Austen newbies and super-fans. Lampley's retelling stays true to the heart of the original story, making it accessible to those who may not be familiar with Austen's work. At the same time, her unique spin on the story and nods to the original will delight those who are well-versed in Austen's writing. Overall, I highly recommend Pride and Prejudice in Space to anyone who enjoys a good romance, science fiction, or just a well-written and creative story. Lampley's love for Austen's work is evident in every page.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher Union Square & Co., and author Alexis Lampley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars

Pride and Prejudice in Space is a beautifully illustrated novel by graphic designer and Nerdy Ink co-owner—and obsessive fan of Pride and Prejudice—Alexis Lampley. It is the 50+ colour illustrations of the Londinium Lunar System, drawings of gowns by Lydia Bennet, and spaceship designs by Elizabeth Bennet that make this book special and different from other Austen’s retellings. Nevertheless, I still wouldn’t call this space opera a retelling per se, for it is way too similar to the original novel. Most of the time it felt as if I was reading Austen’s words and not Lampley’s, but I guess this was intentional. There was also a lot of inspiration drawn from the 2005 movie adaptation, and as much as I adore both the movie and the book, they were distracting me from this new take: my mind didn’t stay in Londinium, it ran back and forth between the beautiful cinematography of Joe Wright and the witty and memorable lines of Jane Austen.

All that being said, I did enjoy the “new twist” that the space setting brought to the novel, and I wished we had seen more of that universe, and I’m intrigued how that new astral environment could’ve transformed the way they talked and addressed each other. This is a novel that all Austen lovers would absolutely love and would find pleasure perusing the bewitching illustrations.

I quite enjoyed this retelling of the classic P&P. Lampley did a wonderful job using the same phrases and concepts as Austen, yet still managed to make it fresh with a whole new world woven through it. I loved the different points of view. It introduced certain characters in a way I enjoyed.

I also thought the tension in the story was, for the most part, really good. There was one major plot deviation from the book that I thought deprived the story of a bit of tension, and I didn't love that, but the rest of the story stuck pretty close to the plot line of the book. I did think that the Bennet family was a bit milder and more normal than the original P&P implied,

I could tell the story had been influenced slightly by the 2005 movie adaptations of the story. Certain scenes were very reminiscent of the movie, which overall I thought was fine, but perhaps pulled me out of the story a little. There were other times where certain characters had traits that weren't exactly described in the book, and reminded me of the adaptation. I did love Lizzie's characters, though, and I can't say the same for the 2005 adaptation. One slight oddity I found was (spoiler, alert!) in Georgiana, who seemed very bubble and vivacious until you met her, and then she became extememely awkward.

The space aspect of the movie was well done. It tied into the story well, not taking away from the main story, but enhancing it in a new way. All in all, I thought Pride and Prejudice in Space was very well done, and I would definitely recommend it to fans of Jane Austen.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Fan of Pride and Prejudice? Check. Fan of Alexis Lampley? Check. Fan of space operas? Check.
This is a beautiful book, and you can tell from the beginning that is is gorgeously illustrated and lovingly compiled to put a classic like P&P in front of a new generation and a new genre of readers. I think it achieve its goal in that way.

The story is a hair's breath away from the original, but somehow worlds away (literally). For me, it was almost too similar to the classic for me to get as much out of it that I wanted, but I think that was the point and it does that job admirably. the writing doesn't feel original to Alexis, but should it? This is more in the vein of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies than the original, and the departures from the original feel unique enough that it could be a new story much more removed, but still related to P&P. Variations on names, and less cut and pasted quotes from the original.

All that being said, I did enjoy it. It's different and fun and did I mention beautiful? It's well worth it to buy to sit beautifully in your home, but I bet you won't be able to resist reading it!

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is arguably the forerunner of all romantic comedies and certainly one of her most popular and irreverent works. And now, graphic designer and Nerdy Ink co-owner—and obsessive fan of Pride and Prejudice—Alexis Lampley gives this timeless, classic, Regency-era romance a new twist, setting it among the stars in a futuristic universe where spaceships and interplanetary travel are the daily norm. Featuring numerous four-color illustrations of the Londinium Lunar System, drawings of gowns by Lydia Bennet, and spaceship designs by Elizabeth Bennet, this is a futuristic take on a classic by a dedicated Jane Austen fan, for Austen newbies and super-fans alike.

Fun and gorgeous story telling. 5 STAR book for me. Loved every single bit of it. Pride and Prejudice in Space is something else.

I am a fan of Jane Austen, but I am not always a fan of Austen “retellings.” This isn’t exactly a retelling- the change in setting is the major difference. I don’t think this is a story that plays out well with the space setting, at least it didn’t work for me. I did appreciate the illustrations in the ARC with outfits, locations and technology that were being discussed in the book.