Genre: science fiction – military / space opera (somewhere in-between)


Pairings: lesbian, pansexual


Queer Representation: cis lesbian, pansexuality, nonbinary (nonspecific variety)


Warnings: touch of gore, nothing too unusual though


Rating: 5 stars

REVIEWED BY ANON

Recent college graduates Adda and Iridian are wracked with debt and a deep desire for adventure. An engineering degree won’t pay the bills but piracy might–assuming they survive several killer AIs and a dilapidated station threatening to crumble at a moment’s notice.

Plot

Solid plot on this book, despite a somewhat rocky start. I was never really sold on Adda and Iridian’s reason for choosing piracy over a job (aside from the stock rationale of not wanting to be in crippling debt–like, I don’t want to be in debt either but piracy never really crossed my mind), but it does make for a good book starter. The commandeering of the first ship to get to Barbary Station, the home of the pirates, went on a bit long but once the couple was on the station proper, the book really found its pacing.

There was a constant tension from their arrival at the station through to the end, good plot twists, and enough real science to make the twists really land. In fact, the book would have been fine with a bit more science in it, especially on the microbial side with the biological weapons. Tell me more about the Pseudomonas-like bacteria!

I also really enjoyed the depth of the story. There are multiple ‘threats’ to the station at any given time, and actions of various political bodies and a group of refugees living amongst the pirates further muddies the waters. A lot of good interaction comes from the various factions of people living on the station. Some are the original crew of Barbary, some are the pirates, some the refugees, and still others parts of rescue and extraction crews. Each group of people has their own set of motivations, although all are working towards a common goal of getting off the station and away from the killer AIs. Adda and Iridian, of course, are the only two with skills to really get control (see, those engineering degrees are useful!), which pushes them into the center of almost every conflict.
 
Characters

Although we are given a huge array of characters (which did bother me at first), it does help to give names to the bodies when the AI really goes off the rails. Most of the secondary characters were very three-dimensional, and Adda and Iridian were compelling protagonists. We spent enough time with each of the secondary and tertiary characters that their deaths really helped drive the narrative. Even the AIs were compelling characters, and once we got into the meat of the story, my empathy for their sentience had me rooting for both ‘sides’.

Nonbinary Rep

I’m assuming this book was in my TBR pile because, hello, lesbian space pirates! I was surprised, therefore, to find that the pirate captain was nonbinary, and a well developed character at that! The attention the author paid to nonbinary genders in this book was excellent, and passages such as the one below had me squealing in joy.

​Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Nope, zefriend!

If ‘lesbians in space’ is your thing, this book is a must buy. Bonus, the next book in the series is up for preorder on Amazon (and yes, I’ve already preordered).
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You can buy BARBARY STATION in ebook here, paperback here, and hardback here. It’s available in audiobook from Audible.

Genre: science fiction - space opera
Pairings: f/f/f
Queer Representation: cis lesbian
Warnings: none
Rating: five stars

Review
All Alana has ever wanted is to be an engineer on a real live spaceship. A crippling, chronic illness for which she can barely afford medication, as well as her family's poverty (and the general lack of ship engineer jobs), has kept her from achieving her dream. When the intoxicating Tangled Axon comes to her repair yard--dripping seduction like THE SHIP WHO SANG--Alana takes a chance and stows away, hoping that the crew won't find her before they're too far from her planet to make a return trip. But the crew have their own plans, including kidnapping/coercing Alana's sister to save a dying crew member. Alana must find her place on the ship, save her sister and the crew she increasingly grows to love, all while trying to keep herself from succumbing to Mel's Disease.

General
Noting how well the catch-line 'lesbians in space' sells books, I'm really surprised there aren't more excellent lesbian space operas like this in the world. ASCENSION is evenly paced, and filled with wonder and action and all the right kinds of emotions. It's the Star Wars we all wanted, but will never get because Hollywood would implode if someone suggested black women leads (and heaven forbid one of them be struggling with a chronic condition). The elements of magic blend seamlessly with the tech, the secondary characters are well developed, and it has multiple layers of relationships. It is the quintessential space opera, but with enough lesfic elements and shoot-em-up moments to keep any reader happy.

Relationships
There are a number of strong relationships in the book. Central to the story is Alana's relationship with her sister, Nova (the 'Jedi' of the book), who is presented as a pretentious asshole with a fierce protective streak. The journey of the two sisters finding each other rang very true to sibling dynamics, and was immediately a hook for me. The second strong relationship was between Alana and Tev (the love interest), which was exactly the kind of slow burn I love in a book. The relationship develops slowly (but not so slow you want to throw the book into your window), and the eventual coming together of the characters is sweet but passionate. Tertiary relationships, between Alana and the other crew members, are engaging and do not in any way detract from the main two relationship plot threads. Every interaction pairing was intuitive and rewarding.

Parallels
Like any space opera, this one pulls from a number of familiar elements. Readers will find Tangled Axon reminiscent of THE SHIP WHO SANG, or, if you're a younger reader, the ship from THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL, ANGRY PLANET. Star Wars parallels saturate the narrative, from the Jedi-like sister (seriously, we aren't the fugitives you're looking for. Look! I have a tail!) to the 'just-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-law' semi-fugitives, to the scruffy pilot. ASCENSION blends these elements into a comfortable, familiar yet exciting narrative with far more diversity and marginalized voices than the mainstream book/cinema has managed to ever produce (Black Panther aside, cause that was awesome).
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Randoms
The engineer of the Tangled Axon is a wolf-man. Not a werewolf. A wolf-man. He has some type of wolf soul. I'm still sort of unclear on this but every time he was on page, I could only think about the 'dinosaur souls in buff men' book series by Nina Bangs. Full disclosure- they're not gay at all but they're...an experience. Yup. 
Anyone in the mood for excellent space opera can find ASCENSION: A TANGLED AXON NOVEL here in ebook. The book is out of print (ARGH!), so if you want a paper copy, you'll have to cough up $30 to get it used.

Genre: sci fi (space opera)
Pairings: f/f (cis, although one is an alien)
Queer Representation: cis lesbian, alien lesbian
Warnings: none. This is adorable as hell
Rating: five stars
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Review
Growlan Raskli is a security officer aboard a multi-species starship. When Human Jen starts exhibiting odd behavior, Raskli is sent to investigate (because she’s the only other lactation-capable mammal on board, which I love). Humor and romance ensues.

This short was adorable. Adorable. It’s been so long since I’ve had just a genuinely enjoyable read, too, that I think I enjoyed it all the more. It’s a fun holiday story with tons of heart. It’s well written, easy to read, and the romance is downright hot, despite the rather scientific words used and Raskli’s insistence on talking about fur instead of hair (which of course makes sense, culturally).

Don’t expect to get bogged down in any science or larger tension. No spaceship battles here, just solid happy romance and an adorkable crew ready to go to any lengths to make sure their human cheers up. Many winter holidays are represented, so it’s not just all about Christmas, either.

Additional bonus: glitter snakes

And I need not write any more, I think. You can by this delightful short in ebook only (*grumble grumble*) here.