Monday, October 5, 2020

ARC Review of The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and S.L. Huang

 This was a very unusual ARC for me to receive. Instead of being a traditionally published book that I could buy as a physical or ebook source, this book is available via the website and app called Serial Box. I received an ebook copy to read. The book is published as a season and chapters are called "episodes." 

The story is a political science fiction focusing on a sniper called Asala who is called upon to look for a missing refugee ship. She is accompanied by the leader's adult nonbinary offspring named Niko. The solar system is in decline with many planets fighting over limited resources. As they look for this missing ship, they realize there is much more going on than they initially realized. While this is a great story on the surface, there are also important messages about refugee crises, climate change, sexual and gender identity, and racial discrimination layered in the book as well. 

It is odd for a book to be authored by four different people but for the most part it worked. Each chapter was written by one author, each of them taking turns. I could somewhat tell the differences within their writing styles but it wasn't distracting enough to take me out of the story. I gave the book 4 stars and have found out that season 2 is in the works now. I will likely read the sequel.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy.




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