I liked the idea of a strong caste-system being enforced on a generation ship, which launched from a post-apocalyptic earth with no destination. Planets are, in some ways, just generation ships, but it feels more claustrophobic in a ship, and therefore less room for idealism. I liked Aster and the deuteragonist, Theo a lot as part of a complicated, diverse and neurodiverse cast. And I also liked that for once in a dystopian setting, Solomon really explores the psychological impact of trauma in a way that is unflinching but still leaves room for sympathy.

But while the first half of the book was fascinating and driven by a compelling mystery, the denouement of the central mystery around page 150 requiring a bunch of pseudoscientific babble broke the metafictional agreement of mysteries (i.e. that before they are solved the reader at least has heard of all of the core components necessary to solve them; no fictional toxic heavy metal elements at the last minute.) And following that, the pacing really lagged into a series of upsetting but ultimately irrelevant oppression scenes. And ultimately, I wasn't sure what Solomon was trying to say about American slavery by telling a very conventional slavery narrative in space. I wish they had used the setting to advance the narrative. ( )

Aster is an agricultural laborer of the lowest class on a generation starship, which has spent hundreds of years delivering the last of humanity away from a demolished earth toward a theoretical future. Her proficiency with learning and different way of thinking have gotten her a side-job as assistant to the ship’s head doctor, but have also attracted the attention of the most ruthless of the ruling class. Aster has hope for the future when she finally cracks the code of her dead engineer mother’s journals, but when her antagonist suddenly becomes head of the whole ship she is drawn into a life-or-death conflict.

A fascinating read. The world-building is perfectly vague - while the class system on the ship exactly mimics the slave plantations of the pre-Civil War US, its unclear if it was initially designed that way or developed over time. None of the major characters are typical - their gender, sexual preferences, and neurodivergence all exist somewhere along a spectrum, not at one end or the other. That makes the few pages from other characters’ points of view particularly interesting - we know how Aster feels about her own gender and sexuality, but how is she perceived by others? The writing is also a little off-kilter - the narrative moves from one point to the next, without any dithering about walks down corridors or the thought process behind decisions. It makes the plot move quickly, and also Aster seems like the kind of narrator who would only include the important parts. ( )

At times this book confused me, made me angry, enlightened me, made me cry, helped me understand generational trauma better, made me laugh, made me feel both hopeful and hopeless. What more can you say? ( )

NA ( )

This was an unexpectedly good read. Unexpected because I added it to my TBR list because of recommendations but just assumed it was a horror novel from the title. It was not. It was a great sci-fi read that addresses slavery, racism and violence. The last of humanity is on a spaceship headed for "the promised land" but it is set up similar to the old south and explores the depths of the cruelty that such a social construct embodies. The "ghosts" were actually not paranormal beings but the white upper deck passengers that were the elite class. When sci-fi is at its best, it reflects humanity in a new way to shine a light on its shortcomings but also its beauty. This book does that and does it well. I highly recommend it and will be putting this author on my TBR list. ( )