Guess what yesterday was??! National Science Fiction Day. Celebrate with us by telling us you favorite Black and Indigenous science fiction books, characters, stories, authors, movies, television shows, or music. We will go first! @JanelleMonae, choosing them because the artist spans literature, music, and film. We enjoyed The Memory Librarian, we love them in @PrimeVideo adaption of Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams, and Dirty Computer! Also, we love the short film The 6th World by Nanobah Becker from @ITVS available for free on @Youtube. Astronaut Tazbah Redhouse is on the first spaceship sent to colonize Mars. But a dream before her departure indicates there's more to her mission. Image one eposted from @lynda.engler.author National Science Fiction Day is celebrated annually on January 2 by millions of science fiction fans across the world, especially in the United States. Image two reposted from @torontolibrary A post-apocalyptic world. A sentient computer takes over the world. Life in cyberspace. These are just some of the many science fiction stories written by Indigenous authors. See the link in our bio for the full list: @torontolibrary. #ScienceFictionDay #nationalsciencefictionday #sciencefiction #sciencefictionbooks #scifinovels #scifibookworm #scifireader #scifibooks #scifilover #SFbooks #scifibooks #sciencefictionnovel #SFnovel #SFreader #scifiofinstagram #scifinovels #scifi #SistahScifi #Indigenousfuturism (at Sistah Scifi) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm9hTGJJ4Mf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

𝗚𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮 (𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 #2) 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗺𝗶𝗲 𝗞𝗮𝘂𝗳𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝗝𝗮𝘆 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗳𝗳 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gemina revolves around main characters Hanna Donnelly- Heimdall station master’s daughter- and Niklas Malikov, a member of House of Knives gang, drug supplier on Heimdall- trying to save their lives and those on Heimdall from invasion by BiTech team. The story is about survival, courage, love, friendship, trust, betrayal, invasion, space warfare, and slimy alien creatures. This is immersive, mind-blowingly brilliant and super fast paced science-fiction, the best sequel I ever read and… you should just read this. Check out 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 in this book 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝗰. Some of my 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 from this book - “Patience and Silence had one beautiful daughter. And her name was Vengeance.” “I am often told I defy expectations.” “When you fight monster, be careful you don’t become the monster.” “You might get only one shot. So shoot. You know who said that?” The rifle clatters to the bloody floor. “Hanna FUCKING Donnelly. That’s who.” 𝗤𝗢𝗧𝗗 - *Which is your favorite space opera or futuristic novel?* .... [Hashtags] #Gemina #IlluminaeFiles #AmieKaufman #JayKristoff #ScienceFiction #SciFi #YA #YAbook #YAseries #YAreader #YASciFi #Bookreview #SciFireader #futuristicnovel #booksetinspace #SpaceOpera #Spacewar #bestsequel #serieslovers #BookTeacupandReviews #Bookstagram #Bookbloggerofig #Indianbookstagram #readersofig #bookishcommunity #Booklovers #igbooks #Bestscifi #bookishphotography https://www.instagram.com/p/CdcsHntrEOR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Hoy, Despierto

En un rincón remoto del espacio, existe una civilización humana que da grandes avances en la conquista del espacio, este mundo hermano llamado Arhara ubicado en la constelación de Zenithar, esta humanidad ha extendido sus raíces a través del universo gracias a la benévola sombra de la Hegemonía. En este escenario bien particular, en un puesto de observación, se encuentra un joven científico llamado Siddhar dedicado al tedioso y aburrido trabajo de radio escucha de señales lejana del espacio, aunque es un joven talentoso,  no ha podido encontrar trabajo en el área de la investigación que más le apasiona, pero su rutinaria vida iba a cambiar, cuando rescata una antigua reliquia que flotaba cerca de la estación espacial, a punto de ser ignorado como un pedazo de basura, como una partícula cósmica sin importancia, una voz en su conciencia le dice: “¡¡ve recógela, recógela, Siddhar!!”. Con pinzas que nueve desde una cámara en la estación, toma la reliquia y la entra para examinarla, al tenerla en el laboratorio, Siddhar toca por curiosidad el objeto y de pronto en su mente empieza a tener visiones de un hombre con la piel aceitunada, el cabello tomado y vestido con una túnica al estilo de los antiguos habitantes de la antigua India, sentado en la posición del loto, este hombre irradia un aura brillante alrededor de su persona, era un ser cósmico, Siddhar lo reconoció por las antiguas leyendas de Arhara, sobre una especie de redentor que hubo hace miles de años y que enriqueció la vida espiritual de su planeta, en la actualidad, el hombre contemporáneo de su mundo dejo de creer en este tipo de creencias, ya que no tenía pruebas de su existencia. 

En este impresionante momento, el ser cósmico empezó hablar y le dijo: “toda existencia en sí misma es insatisfactoria y lo seguirá siendo mientras no se reconozca su verdadera naturaleza. La verdad del sufrimiento es la manera imperfecta de ver el mundo que nos rodea. Todo sufrimiento proviene del apego, la ignorancia y el deseo. Entender de dónde proviene el dolor tiene el poder de reducir la insatisfacción”. De pronto, Siddhar despega su contacto físico con la reliquia y comienza a tener una reacción física a la experiencia en la que termina vomitando. Horas después, recibe un llamado del planeta Arhara de su superior, que periodicamente se comunican para rendir un reporte, en ese momento, Siddhar todavía sigue perturbado por la experiencia, tratando de sobrellevar lo ocurrido y entrega su reporte: el paso de 1 cometa y un conjunto de partículas de polvo, omitiendo su experiencia del descubrimiento de la reliquia, en ese momento, su superior, que pasa por alto su estado de ánimo, se remite solamente a su labor burocrática; tener un reporte de su puesto de observación. En su hora de dormir, Siddhar no logra conciliar el sueño, sus pensamientos se llenan con lo que le dijo el ser cósmico, ¿¿era posible que su insatisfacción en el puesto de escucha era porque perseguía un deseo que no estaba 100% inscrito en su corazón??, la reflexión y el pensamiento no lo ayudaba a calmar su mente, la única manera de acabar con su sufrimiento era saber el camino. Siddhar vuelve al laboratorio y toca con la yema de sus dedos la reliquia,  pero no lograba volver a tener las visiones, toca de nuevo y no pasa nada, así que Siddhar toma aire, respira hondo y cuando se sintió calmado toca la reliquia y las visiones volvieron: en ese momento ve al mismo ser cósmico que lo miraba con mucha contemplación, esto dejo a Siddhar extrañado, llego a pensar, quizás la reliquia es una especie de memoria de un mundo lejano: pero el ser cósmico decía: “¿¿Siddhar, te sientes bien, deseas seguir??, el asombro fue casi de miedo cuando el ser cósmico lo llamo por su nombre, en ese momento dedujo que no podía ser una memoria; tenía que ser una programa muy sofisticado que lo reconoció con una lectura de ADN como Siddhar o en verdad era un ser cósmico o un genio encerrado dentro de la reliquia que lo manipulaba, ahí seria el momento de decidir que era más grande, el miedo o la necesidad de averiguar más para poder dormir, al final se dio paso a lo segundo.

En ese momento, el ser cósmico siguió diciendo lo siguiente: Hay una forma para salir del sufrimiento, un camino en el que se comienza entendiendo que toda existencia en sí misma es insatisfactoria y lo seguirá siendo mientras no se reconozca su verdadera naturaleza. Y que la verdad del sufrimiento es la manera imperfecta de ver el mundo que nos rodea. Pero que todo sufrimiento proviene del apego, la ignorancia y el deseo.

A partir de ello aspiras a liberarte del sufrimiento, hablando con la verdad sin hacer sufrir a otros, tener un corazón recto y puro, viviendo y trabajando en sintonía con tu espíritu, esforzándose por ser cada día mejor, meditando para estar en completo estado de unidad”.

Con estas últimas palabras, la visiones terminan y Siddhar termina con una misión clara de lo que tiene que hacer, en ese momento, empieza a meditar y su mente comienza apaciguarse, al pasar los días, lentamente su mente empieza cobrar claridad y calma, ya los rutinarios días comienzan a cobrar sentido, ya no era una tarea más, era algo que todavía puede hacerse cada día mejor.

El joven Siddhar, que no ya era joven, sino un hombre de 40 años de edad, con su tez brillante y una mirada serena, recibe un día, el comunicado de un hombre que no era su superior con que se reportaba periódicamente, y que le da la noticia que hubo un golpe de estado en la Hegemonía, y que destituyeron a su superior, y que en pocos días, iba a ser relevado por otro hombre, la noticia fue recibida con calma por parte de Siddhar. Llegado el día que venía ser relevado, se encontró con su ex superior en la escotilla de salida de la estación, escoltado por 2 soldados, Siddhar le pregunto: ¿¿ Señor, usted que hace aquí ??.

A lo que el ex superior de Siddhar le responde: “Como era partidario de la Hegemonía fui a juicio y el nuevo gobierno me conmuto la sentencia de prisión a la de venir a un puesto de observación, no pensé que sería este”.

Siddhar lo deja y se despide de su ex superior diciendo con calma y serenidad: “yo deseo que le vaya bien, Señor”. Tranquilamente Siddhar camina hacia la escotilla junto con los soldados dejando a su ex superior en la estación de observación, en pocos minutos la nave que trajo a su ex superior y a los soldados se aleja de la estación que llevaría a Siddhar al Planeta Arhara, en donde Siddhar rendiría un reporte, posteriormente Siddhar, dejaría las ciencias para dedicarse a enseñar lo que aprendió de la reliquia y sus años de meditación en la estación. Pero antes de eso, su ex superior encuentra la reliquia que no se llevó consigo Siddhar, la toca con curiosidad y tiene las mismas visiones que tuvo Siddhar al principio en la que ve al mismo ser cósmico que le dice: “toda existencia en sí misma es insatisfactoria…”

Under Fortunate Stars Updates

Hello, starship passengers! Welcome to the Under Fortunate Stars updates blog, where I'll post updates that relate to the book. For everything else, follow my main blog @voidcricket (I'll reblog book stuff there, too).

Two ships. One chance to save the future…

Fleeing the final days of the generations-long war with the alien Felen, smuggler Jereth Keeven's freighter the Jonah breaks down in a strange rift in deep space, with little chance of rescue—until they encounter the research vessel Gallion, which claims to be from 152 years in the future.

The Gallion's chief engineer Uma Ozakka has always been fascinated with the past, especially the tale of the Fortunate Five, who ended the war with the Felen. When the Gallion rescues a run-down junk freighter, Ozakka is shocked to recognize the Five's legendary ship—and the Five's famed leader, Eldric Leesongronski, among the crew.

But nothing else about Leesongronski and his crewmates seems to match up with the historical record. With their ships running out of power in the rift, more than the lives of both crews may be at stake...

Under Fortunate Stars was published by Solaris Books in 2022. It's out now in hardcover, ebook & audio!

✨Get your copy now ✨Add it on Goodreads ✨Add it on The StoryGraph ✨Listen to the UFS playlist ✨Read an excerpt on io9

Short Take: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

So, I’ve had a bit of a reading slump lately. Picking things up, putting them down, trying to decide if they are worth finishing or not. With this high turnover, I’ve begun to notice that a determining factor can be the emotional atmosphere each story creates in me. I can’t put my finger on the mechanics, but I am definitely aware of the resonance I’m left with as I pause to step away. And when I’ve put down multiple books half-finished, it’s a pleasure to find a new book by an author I already know will bring me joy. Such is the case with Becky Chamber’s latest installment of her Monk and Robot series. While I haven’t been much of a sci-fi reader, I could not resist her tea-monk protagonist from last year’s A Psalm for the Wild-Built. I found it both delightful and profound, despite its brevity. Discovering she had another Monk and Robot novella slated for release this week, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, made it the perfect book to pick up after a spate of disappointments.

Following the events of A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Sibling Dex and Mosscap, the robot, are returning from the wilds to inhabited lands. If you haven’t read A Psalm for the Wild-Built, I would start there before dipping into A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. The civilization of this world resides on a moon that has managed to come back from the brink of environmental catastrophe. In the process, centuries ago, robots became self-aware and removed themselves to the wilderness, never to be heard from again. Or at least until Sibling Dex encounters Mosscap on his travels. Now Sibling Dex is accompanying Mosscap as it experiences humanity in its various forms and various needs.

Thoughtful, funny, gentle and welcoming of people in all their diversity, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy was a restful interlude of a book while also delving deeply into questions of value, worth and what is truly necessary. Chambers left me with much to ponder in these pages and I’m looking forward to more than one reread, as there were certainly things that went right over my head the first time around. If you’re new to sci-fi, the Monk and Robot series is a great place to start. And if you want something that isn’t too long and will leave you feeling good, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the perfect choice. We also have a limited supply of signed bookplates, enamel pins, and collectible buttons, available with purchase while supplies last!

— Lori

Here's my 5* review of Exiles by Daniel Blythe.

*** Sci fi survival ***

A community of teens and tweens stranded on an alien planet. What a perfect way to begin a sci fi tale.

Exiles by Daniel Blythe is a long read but absolutely worth it. There’s a lot of characters but the author made sure that none of them were forgettable. Neither was the world they inhabited, from the sci fi technology and drones, to the alien planet with its blue sand and animals they hunt, and the political differences in the rest of the universe.

I massively enjoyed reading Exiles. I wanted to know what these young people were going to face next, especially Mia and Maddi. I have to admit that I didn’t really like Beth until the final struggle began, but the way she unsettled the balance of Town was brilliantly developed.

All in all, if you like sci fi, tales of survival, and YA, read Exiles. What’s even better is that the story continues in the next novel, Voyagers.

***

The blurb:

In Daniel Blythe’s science fiction epic, Exiles, Bethany Kane escapes the catastrophic failure of the colony ship on which she was born and makes landfall in an escape pod on a windswept world known as The Edge. She is light years from civilisation in more ways than one. Battered and shaken, she soon finds she is not alone.

A teenaged group find her and take her back to where they live and work in some semblance of society. They call it Town. It sits on a converted scientific base in the shadow of a crashed spaceship.

Beth struggles to adjust to her new life, beset by fears but desperate to learn new skills and earn the respect of the others, in particular the leader Zach, and the resentful Mia.

When a terrible, violent event shatters the colony’s existence, fragile ties and loyalties are breached. Is every one of them clinging to a secret? And just how isolated are they really?

Trials of the Innermost is number 11 on the Bisexual Characters list on Goodreads. Add it to your TBR shelf. #onebedtrope #sciencefiction #sciencefantasy #enemiestoloversbooks #epicfantasynovels #lgbtqreads #trialsoftheinnermost #tidallylocked #totibook #acerepresentation #asexualcharacter #mlmromance #bicharacter #multiplepov #chosen one #bisexual #2023debuts #reluctanthero #bookish #scifireads #fantasyreaders #readersoffantasy https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq_QMlpAMVt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Did a bit of a reorg last week, culling some books to gift and donate, and stacking up what I'm trying to read in the first quarter of the year. (Not pictured: all the audiobooks I have in my library holds 😅)

The World We Make by NK Jemisin

The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

Last Exit by Max Gladstone

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

When Women We're Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Messy Roots by Laura Gao

Destroyer by Victor LaValle and Dietrich Smith

Chronin vol 1 by Alison Wilgus

Knock Out! By Reinhard Kleist

MADI by Duncan Jones and Alex de Camp

ExtraOrdinary by VE Schwab and Enid Balam

Thirsty Mermaids by Kay Leyh

Ducks by Kate Beaton

Do you enjoy SciFi romance? I really do love curling up with a good SciFri romance 🥰 These are two of my favorite series, the Conclave Worlds series and the Starbound series.

Books Featured:

⭐️ These Broken Stars by Megan Spooner & Amie Kaufman

⭐️ The Daragh Deception by Kenley Davidson

⭐️ The Concord Coalition by Kenley Davidson

Why are we building the Black-Owned bookstore of the future? 📚98% of authors on bestseller lists, who are the beneficiaries of promotion, marketing, media attention, and book tours are White.* Diving deeper, in the fifty years between 1970 and 2020, less than ten speculative fiction titles by Black and Indigenous authors made the New York Times Best Sellers list. ** 📚As a result, many avid readers of Black literature and Science Fiction believe that there is a lack of diverse writers in genre. For example, how many Black women Science Fiction and Fantasy authors can you name? How many Indigenous women authors? Don't worry, Sistah Scifi is here to help! We also need your help! We are running a campaign through @ifundwomen and are calling on all #blerds and #scifireaders to join us! Want to support our mission & vision? Check out the link in our bio: @sistahscifi | https://ifundwomen.com/projects/sistah-scifi-black-owned-bookstore-future We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the support of @ifundwomen and @caress. Remember, claim our magic; create our future. And we all say ashe.🖤 #SistahScifi #caress #supportblackowned #supportblackfemalebusinessowners #Afrofuturism #wisdomoftheuniverse #bookvendingmachines #sciencefictionbookstore #blackownedbookstore #blackownedsciencefictionbookstore #ifundwomen #ifw #sistahscifisiblings #bookreadersunite #blackreaders #blerds (at Sistah Scifi) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnNyHlvP6Ee/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

My new speculative fiction short story collection is available for preorder on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

Short Take: This Time Tomorrow

I know I said last week that female protagonists of a certain age were few and far between in fiction. And it’s true they are, but sometimes the universe decides your reading life is going have a few serendipitous book pairings. When I started listening to the audiobook of This Time Tomorrow, it was not because of the age of the main character. It was because Emily Henry blurbed the book and I love Emily Henry. And there’s time travel. So I decided to give it a whirl.

Our heroine, Alice Stern, is turning forty. She’d like a washer/dryer in her apartment and for her dad not to be terminally ill. Her job is fine, her boyfriend is decent, and her life is going along without much particular direction. But when Alice wakes up the day after her 40th birthday she finds herself in her old bedroom and her 16-year-old body. It’s the morning of her 16th birthday, her dad is relatively young and healthy and Alice has the disorienting chance to live this day over again, with the benefit of knowing what the future holds. Or so she thinks.

I’ve always enjoyed time travel books, though I get impatient with the explanations of how the actual time travel works. When I was younger I loved the concept of someone from my time getting to experience life in another time. Now I’m starting to like the idea of a person getting to see their earlier years with a different perspective.

Listening to This Time Tomorrow on audio forced me to slow down and let the mood of the story take it where it would, into a thoughtful nostalgia. I slowly fell in love with the dynamic between Alice and her dad, Leonard, and Alice and her best friend Sam. All the love in this book is centered around these two funny, irreverent, and deeply authentic relationships. As the book went on I wanted more of Alice and Leonard, more of Alice and Sam. In part because I think that was what Alice discovered she wanted too. More of these people who are, in the midst of everything, always there for her. 

This Time Tomorrow is for you if you want something quirky and nostalgic and gently sci-fi. An interesting pairing if you loved The Midnight Library. We still have some signed copies available!

— Lori

Here’s The Link To Download Sci Phi Journal For Free!

Hey everyone! Since it’s a lot more than just me that contributed to this newest issue of Sci Phi Journal, I hope that y’all will download the most recent issue to read me and the other awesome writers that contributed. I think showing other writers and thinkers some love would be a great way to show some more kindness today, so if you’re looking for something to read I hope this helps! Have a great day everyone and stay safe out there!

Here's what I'm reading next - Exiles by Daniel Blythe.

The blurb:

Bethany Kane escapes the catastrophic failure of the colony ship on which she was born and makes landfall in an escape pod on a windswept world known as The Edge. She is light years from civilisation in more ways than one.

Battered and shaken, she soon finds she is not alone. A teenage group find her and take her back to where they live and work in some semblance of society. They call it Town. It sits on a converted scientific base in the shadow of a crashed spaceship.

Beth struggles to adjust to her new life, beset by fears but desperate to learn new skills and earn the respect of the others, in particular the leader Zach, and the resentful Mia.

When a terrible, violent event shatters the colony’s existence, fragile ties and loyalties are breached. Is every one of them clinging to a secret? And just how isolated are they really?

For #onelinewednesday we have a bit of world building. A hint at creatures- one like an owl, the other like an Ankylosaurus. #creaturefeature #fantasycreatures #trialsoftheinnermost #totibook #sciencefantasy #sciencefiction #sciencefantasy #enemiestoloversbooks #onebedtrope #lgbtqreads #epicfantasy #tidallylocked #totibook #dinosaur #owls #multiplepov #chosenone #reluctanthero #2023debuts #scifireads #bookish #readersofinstagram #lgbtq #worldbuilding https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq9W4jxrc3b/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=