Sunday, May 05, 2019

Bookish Thoughts: Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall

The first thing Nika noticed about the man who buzzed the studio bell was his scar.  ~ Opening of Stars Uncharted


Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall
Ace Books, 2018
Science Fiction, 416 pgs

I do not know what it is about the coming together of a misfit or ragtag group of people that is so irresistible. It is a trope that never gets old. At least not for this reader. Stars Uncharted is one such novel, and what an adventure it turned out to be! It made me want to stock my bookshelves with more science fiction of the space opera variety.

The reader is first introduced to Nika Rik Terri, a body-modification artist at the top of her field. She is known for being innovative and is well respected. She takes great pride in her work and her business. The only sore point for her is being tied to a mafia-like space company that often calls upon her services to help cover up their dirty work. As a result, her latest client’s intentions are far from above board, and Nika flees in fear of her life, picking up an inexperienced body modder along the way—much to his dismay. Snow never asked for his life to be upturned so suddenly—especially by Nika, whose true identity he does not know.

Meanwhile, on the cargo ship The Road to the Goberlings, Captain Hammond Roystan, and his crew happen upon a sight they never expected to see. The great exploration ship Hassim is not only disabled, floating in space, but appears to be unmanned. It is a huge find given the wealth of information stored in the Hassim’s databanks about the various worlds the ship has visited. Junior engineer Josune Arriola is the most recent addition to Roystan’s crew and her knowledge of the Hassim raise the captain’s suspicions. With an enemy who will stop at nothing to gain the secrets of the Hassim, Roystan and his crew are forced to go on the run and stay ahead of those who want them dead.

As Nika and Snow are trying to avoid being discovered, Roystan and his crew are attempting to repair their ship and make a hasty retreat before their enemy can catch up with them. Roystan agrees to take on Nika and Snow, all of them desperate and in need of what the other can offer.

I was hooked on Stars Uncharted from the very first page. I found myself thinking of the characters even when I was not reading, wondering what they were up to. Nika and Josune are very different and yet both resourceful, intelligent and women I would want on my side in a fight. For me, they made the novel. I also really liked Captain Roystan. It is obvious he a good leader who respects his crew. I liked how the relationships between the characters seemed to grow naturally, their coming to trust each other and depend on each other, especially given their circumstances and their hidden pasts. Even with Snow, who I wasn’t a huge fan of in the beginning, but came to respect as the novel went on.

Not too surprisingly, the world the authors created has a dystopian feel, where the wealthy corporations have the upper hand and everyone else does what they can to eke out a living and survive. I saw mention here and there that hard core science fiction fans might find the technical aspects of the book lacking. I have not read enough science fiction to say one way or the other. All I know is that I really enjoyed all aspects of the novel. Stars Uncharted was right up my alley. Great well-developed characters I connected with, fast paced action, and interesting storylines, including the main plot. I hated for Stars Uncharted to come to an end and am eager to read Stars Beyond when it comes out next year.

For more information about this sister writing team and their work, visit her website. You can also find them on Twitter.


© 2019, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

18 comments:

  1. I've to admit Sci-fi isn't my cup of tea but this one sounds interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adding this to my list. I like science fiction and ragtag groups of misfits!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jenclair - I hope you like this one when you read it.

      Delete
  3. This sounds like a fun read! Is it like how guardians of the galaxy learns to be a team in the first movie?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eustacia - It was fun. It's not quite as comical as Guardians of the Galaxy. :-)

      Delete
  4. This sounds interesting and it seems like they're teaming up? I love when characters team up. This is way outside of my usual reading but I need an outside of my comfort zone book for the Modern Mrs. Darcy challenge so I might have to look for this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katherine - Yes, they definitely come together as a team as the story progresses. I really enjoyed this one!

      Delete
  5. I'm eager to give this one a try. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. At first I didn't think this book was one for me but the more I read of your review the more I seemed to change my mind. Great review, i'm hoping our library will have a copy of this as whilst it does appeal to me I don't think it appeals to me that much that I'd want to actually purchase a copy.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Although not my typical genre, you make this one sound very exciting and I wouldn't mind giving it a shot. That's great that you have a sequel to look forward to as well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Iliana - I do recommend this one, and hope you like it if you give it a chance!

      Delete
  8. I absolutely LOVE when I think about the characters in a book when I'm going about my day...I LONG to be THAT hooked! So glad this was that for you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna Marie - I do too. It means I've really connected to them. :-)

      Delete
  9. This sounds right up my street, Wendy. Thank you for a cracking review - it's gone on my list...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sarah - I think you would really like this. I'm surprised you haven't read it already! You are much more on top of science fiction than I am. I look forward to your thoughts on it if you do read it.

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.