(Originally posted to Instagram on July 16th, 2024)
This has been on my to-read shelf for several years, mostly because I’m a crap friend, but I’m glad I finally got around to reading this. A rollicking space adventure that walks you into the realms of interstellar politics and danger in such an easy-to-understand way that you don’t realize you’ve been tricked into complete fluency in sci-fi jargon.
The premise is, women all around Earth are being abducted by flying saucers. This is how Sarah and Maggie find themselves enmeshed in a centuries long battle between two factions of mind-controlling aliens symbionts, one that enslaves humans, the other enters into a partnership. You can probably guess who the good guys are. The US Air Force (“Project Black Book”) pushes for a dramatic rescue while Sarah and Maggie fight for survival and to aid the rebels in their fight to bring down the evil empire.
This book is so much fun. Sarah and Maggie each have their own arc wherein they learn how brave they can be when the chips are down. The villains are suitably hate-able, but we learn enough about their way of life that we understand how the common citizen thinks and feels. The Air Force rescuers (and the Speaker of the House of Representatives) learn to accept that they’re not fully in control of a situation they don’t understand and learn to accept help. There’s a really touching scene between one of the rebel aliens and Sarah when they meet for the first time, where you feel Sarah’s terror and Vinnet’s frustration. There’s a lot more, but I don’t want to spoil.
It’s not a perfect book. The beginning is a little slow, all things considered. I got a little bit confused during some action scenes. But nitpicks aside, if you’re looking to get into sci-fi but are intimidated by the genre, or you’re a long-term fan, give this a read. It’s very kind to newbies, but with enough for veterans to fall in love with. Stargate vibes mixed with Stranger Things-esque teenage adventure with a dash of Tom Clancy and a healthy dose of pure love for sci-fi. Go buy it.
The author is re-releasing it on Kindle on August 28th (pre-orders now live) so reserve your copy here:
(Note: It’s well past August 28th, but you should still buy a copy. The book is fantastic.)
HodrosBooks 
Leave a comment