Thank you to Anti-Oedipus Press and NetGalley for the ARC of Skinship.

Skinship had a very interesting premise— it’s a science fiction novel about a Skinship travelling away from earth as it’s become desolate and uninhabitable. The story is unsettling, visceral, and raw, with some unconventional storytelling and homage from Reich. The concept is really unique, and the writing was well done; Reich did a good job making the writing introspective. .

I really wanted to enjoy the prose and the plot, but more often than not I was confused and had a hard time following along with the twists— it definitely pulled at times. Perhaps making the novel slightly longer would’ve helped me understand better with what was going on, as well as spend more time with the characters to understand them better.

I’d gear this towards the science fiction, apocalyptic, dystopian genre, so if you’re also interested in a rather short novel, Skinship might just be the book for you.

Skinship by James Reich is a thought-provoking and unsettling science fiction novel that delves into themes of ecological crisis, existential dread, and the human condition. Set in a future where Earth has become uninhabitable, the story follows two intertwined narratives: one set on a desolate Earth, and the other aboard a mysterious, alien spacecraft.
Reich's prose is both lyrical and visceral, weaving together moments of tenderness and horror with equal skill. The author masterfully creates a sense of isolation and despair, as the characters grapple with the loss of their home planet and the uncertainty of their future. The novel's exploration of the human need for connection and the corrosive effects of loneliness is both poignant and disturbing.

While Skinship may not be for everyone, its unique blend of science fiction and body horror is sure to captivate readers who appreciate challenging and unconventional storytelling. Reich's ability to blend the mundane and the grotesque creates a truly unsettling atmosphere that lingers long after the final page.

Overall, Skinship is a powerful and disturbing novel that offers a chilling vision of humanity's future. It is a must-read for fans of speculative fiction who appreciate thought-provoking and emotionally resonant stories.

Dear Author,

What imagination! I was immersed completely and immensely happy with this book. Intimate, thought-provoking, intelligent, mysterious and Science Fiction readers wet dream. I look forward to reading more of your works.

Yours Truly,

J.D. McCoughtry

Thank you, NetGalley and RDS Publishing | Anti-Oedipus Press, for the chance to listen to this audiobook arc.

needed to be a LOT longer to have the characters really shine. the homages make sense, but the world is still confusing to me, and the characters needed more. 2.5~3 stars. tysm for the arc.

"It seemed absurd to pretend that the universe was anything other than what it was."

Earth has been left behind for a several-hundred-year journey to a new planet that will, hopefully, be inhabitable. On board of one of the Skinships bound for a new home for humanity, robotic intrigues are spun in order to ensure the species's survival - or its demise. The spaceship is populated with scheming and desperate automatons, an archive of the dead who will be revived upon landing on new soil, and humans intent on making it to their destination. Skinship is packed with figurative language, thought-provoking religious allegory, and a number of curious twists.

Unfortunately, I was unable to focus on this one for more than a few minutes at a time. I felt blindsided by a lot of the plotlines and had a hard time following the twists and turns. The premise and the setting were extremely enticing to me, but I found the execution lacking in a lot of aspects. I don't mind a more subtle type of worldbuilding that hints at things rather than elaborating on every detail, but the structure and society of the ship deserved - and demanded - more explanation. One aspect in particular that remained unclear to me and kept be from being fully invested were the stakes of the story. It's not that the stakes weren't high; they were just nebulous to me. At some point the antagonists reveal their intentions and plots, but it took way too long for this to happen, in my opinion.
I also felt like I was kept at arm's length by the omnicient narration, as it kept me from feeling close to the characters. I enjoyed Applewhite's character, as well as Renard and Vic, and would have loved to get to know the group of Printers more. This distance also mystifies me, somewhat - the writing style is quite introspective and philosophizes in conjunction with the characters and their impressions. But I simply did not get to spend enough time with them and their motivations to truly connect with them.
The ending was also a little too aprupt for me. I understand what it was intending to do, but I felt like a proper climax was missing to the serpentine plot that had unfurled.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this book for review consideration.

Skinship offers an interesting premise inside a conventional science fiction story. The Skinship is a generation starship traveling to a far away planet, leaving a desolate Earth. The story starts off following Applewhite, an artificial person and First Navigator of the skinship. Applewhite's purpose is to ensure the ship navigates safely to its destination. After many generations, the ship is closing in on its target and the ship's residents are becoming anxious. A plot is hatched against Applewhite.

The plot of this novel is compelling and has great potential, unfortunately, the story doesn't quite pull off the execution. Applewhite is an interesting character but we stop following his viewpoint about a quarter through the novel, and jump into the view of characters who come and go, just as quickly as we meet them. The characters all seem to have an unhealthy fascination with alcohol, which didn't add anything to the story. The pacing is quite slow for such a short novel, and gets boring at times.

Thanks to Anti-Oedipus Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC of James Reich's 'Skinship.'

It took me a few attempts to get past the first couple of pages of 'Skinship' - it's not one to be opened while suffering from jetlag - but I'm glad I persisted with it.

This is the story of a semi-living space ship, one of several arks, that departed a dying Earth in search of a new and hospitable place to live and its inhabitants - human and non-human. 1,500 years after launch they reach a critical juncture (as does the parallel story of the last man on Earth).

The first goodly section of this book reads like Ray Bradbury's 'The Martian Chronicles' or maybe some Philip K. Dick - quite austere and somewhat profound and then it turns into something more conventional in some respects, the playing out of various elements of a Machiavellian battle for control of the ship and the future of its inhabitants, both human and otherwise. It's a good combination that works well for me and, after that first quiet section of the novel, quite unexpected.

This isn't an epic sci-fi novel, it's a relatively quick read, and while it could've borne some more exposition I'm not sure how much more that would've added to my enjoyment.

A really fantastic concept with lots of great (blatant and subtle) nods to the forebears of sci-fi, but not executed as well as it probably could be. There are more knowledge-gaps than there should be; many things are left unexplained, underexplained, or outright ignored. There are also multiple "reveals" that feel unearned--Reich, for instance, brings in lots of characters very late in the game who either don't need to be there or should have been more "screen time," so to speak, before their abrupt intro and exit. I think this book would need to be at least 50-150 pages longer in order to really give the world he's created the detail it deserves. Otherwise, this is a fantastic book. His writing is excellent, and the world he has created is fascinating, making this a highly entertaining read.

this book was about the end of the world, and is apocalyptic/dystopian future state. I think it was interesting to think of the world ending in this way, and it was written in a way to keep me entertained throughout the entire story, yes there were some lulls but not bad

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!!