*Disclaimer*
Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It could be your next favorite, who knows?
Now that we are in the finals, we are going to be doing full reviews for each book. The books are being reviewed in no particular order, not in order of their star rating. We are just reviewing them as we finish reading them.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest here.
Today we are reviewing A Star Named Vega for the first annual Self-Published Science Fiction Contest. You can read their review here. And you can see the finalist spreadsheet here.
Summary
The 30th Century is a technological paradise. Androids have built a utopian future of advanced robotics, augmented reality, and simulated worlds. Humanity thrives across the Thirteen Suns.
Why not spread some chaos, shake things up a bit?
Aster Vale leads a secret life as the Wildflower, a competitive street artist with dreams of infamy. When her father joins a mysterious research project in the Vega System, Aster sees their luxury starcruiser as just another canvas to explore. How else is she supposed to channel all this teenage rebellion?
But not everyone prospers in this world of synthetic gods. Rel Akepri is a young soldier from a broken planet, genetically engineered for war. The research project in the Vega System now threatens the fate of his people, and he must embark upon a deadly mission to stop it.
Rel’s orders: intercept the starcruiser on its voyage to Vega, or face extinction.
Perhaps Aster might find something new to fight for.
Our Thoughts
This story really impressed our judges. Aster is a great character, “a real life Banksy,” as one judge put it. But she is not just acting out because she can or to show she is a rebellious teenager. Her art speaks to the message that one person’s utopia is another person’s prison. She champions people who are different and pushes her community not to become stagnant and assume what they have in the now is the best they can have ever.
The characters in general were a strong point, each with unique personalities and personal stakes. The worldbuilding was also well done. There were no info-dumps here, just great lore and history sprinkled throughout the story to give the world a rich lived-in feel. And the sci-fi elements were very well done too. Overall, a great story we are pleased to give a great score!
Our official SPSFC score is 8.17/10, but for our site review we are rounding to 8/10. For more information on the SPSFC you can check out the official website and follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene