Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Gallery / Saga Press (2021), 512 pages
Description
"On the backwater planet of Brynner, at Persephone Station, a community of android refugees, all female, are hiding since they were able to awaken their AI and escape servitude. But the Serrao-Orlov Corporation is nothing if not tenacious, especially about it's proprietary AI's, and it wants their property back. However, Persephone is run by Rosie, and they are in charge of an organized group of beneficent criminals and assassins, along with a bunch of worn mercenaries who have a thing for doing the honorable thing, despite the odds. And in a fight with the Serrao-Orlov Corporation, the odds are not going to be good, but it would be a glorious fight. Award-nominated author Stina Leicht has created a visciously feminist take on The Magnificent Seven by the way of Blade Runner and Westworld"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member tldegray
The book had me at: "a semi-organized band of beneficent criminals, wayward assassins, and washed up mercenaries with a penchant for doing the honorable thing." The universe Persephone Station is set in is so rich and layered; that made it easy to understand the grand stakes resulting from every
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point-of-view character's actions. The characters also were deeper than is the norm for, well, most books, because that is Stina Leicht's gift, to bring us into these characters so we feel what they feel. A thing I particularly enjoyed about this book is that while the disparate points of view characters and their individual problems came together in the climax of this story, they just as easily separated after its resolution, leaving space for many other stories in this universe and again reminding us how vast this universe is. Because it's a space opera I'd be remiss if I didn't say this story gives you plenty of bang! and boom! and all the clever plans you could want. Show Less
LibraryThing member DilowRosas
4.25/5 stars!
This book is about a group of people against a corporation that is vying for the control of the planet Persephone and its secrets. Focused on the female and non-binary leaders who is fighting against the corporation, this sci-fi story has adventure, a dash of humor, and all-inclusive
**Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for the review copy.**
This book is about a group of people against a corporation that is vying for the control of the planet Persephone and its secrets. Focused on the female and non-binary leaders who is fighting against the corporation, this sci-fi story has adventure, a dash of humor, and all-inclusive
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representatives that makes the story flow smoothly. It would have been nice to have some more details to some parts for a better closure, but that's a personal preference. Overall, it's a nice story that would be great for readers who wants to try this genre for the first time.**Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for the review copy.**
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LibraryThing member quondame
I guess the title suits the cast were every significant character is a woman, cis, or trans or non-human native or AI, though I'd prefer if I could have sensed something other than a story where all the pronouns could have been he/him/his without making a big difference. It's a fun, high action,
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high body count adventure, more shoot em up than suits me, and the characters are interesting enough, though they seem to come from a pretty standard play book. Show Less
LibraryThing member antao
The idea that SF writing is a craft (or, if you prefer, an art) in any way subordinate to, say, 'literary' writing, or writing for children, or romance writing, is one that I would hope has long since exceeded its sell-by date. Any form of fiction has particular requirements and precepts; while
This sounded really good until I found out as I read it that it contained large tracts of exposition. Exposition here, either intentionally or unintentionally, is handled in a drier, more academic narrative voice, making it stand out more, in a bad way, from the rest of the book. I do feel that some authors just can't resist telling you that they've done all the research and construction of their “universe” and it does put me off (there’s not much to it as well: the world-building is almost nonexistent and the SFional elements per se are laughable). By 20% the novel had told me that I was supposed to use the right pronouns for a non-binary character; after this, I was expecting something along the lines of “yes white people can in fact marry black people and that obesity is nothing to feel bad about as long as your happy with it and anyhow the problem is society in the first place” (fortunately Leicht spared me that!). How any author can write and publish a work like this is something of a mystery to me. Moreover, how can people read this tripe is beyond me.
I was brought up reading Biggles books, and characters were always blurting, gasping, interjecting etc.
I miss those days of innocence when a man could ejaculate loudly in front of his friends without it raising eyebrows. Makes me wonder whether the Amazonification of SF ("lash it out quick and cheap"), and the apparent demise of the role of the editor ("this is rubbish Stina"), have contributed to that.
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these can be bent to the author's will, this reshaping is less often successful when the author does not have a solid grounding in what has gone before. Having not read some of Leicht’s's earlier efforts towards SF, I'd be greatly surprised if this one managed to rise to anything like the standard of Amy Thomson's “Virtual Girl”, or Chris Beckett's “The Holy Machine”, or Martha Wells' “The Murderbot Diaries”, or Phil Dick's “Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?”, or Asimov's 'Robot' stories, or... well, any one of numerous other works steeped in SF that have explored the commonalities and distinctions between humans and autonomous thinking machines (aka, in this case a “non-binary” character aka WOKE character).This sounded really good until I found out as I read it that it contained large tracts of exposition. Exposition here, either intentionally or unintentionally, is handled in a drier, more academic narrative voice, making it stand out more, in a bad way, from the rest of the book. I do feel that some authors just can't resist telling you that they've done all the research and construction of their “universe” and it does put me off (there’s not much to it as well: the world-building is almost nonexistent and the SFional elements per se are laughable). By 20% the novel had told me that I was supposed to use the right pronouns for a non-binary character; after this, I was expecting something along the lines of “yes white people can in fact marry black people and that obesity is nothing to feel bad about as long as your happy with it and anyhow the problem is society in the first place” (fortunately Leicht spared me that!). How any author can write and publish a work like this is something of a mystery to me. Moreover, how can people read this tripe is beyond me.
I was brought up reading Biggles books, and characters were always blurting, gasping, interjecting etc.
I miss those days of innocence when a man could ejaculate loudly in front of his friends without it raising eyebrows. Makes me wonder whether the Amazonification of SF ("lash it out quick and cheap"), and the apparent demise of the role of the editor ("this is rubbish Stina"), have contributed to that.
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LibraryThing member BookSnug
If you loved “Journey to a Small Angry Planet”, “Gideon the Ninth” or “Star Wars” then there is something here for you, so put the kettle on and prepare to not wanna put this book down.
Genderqueer sci-fi space opera with honorable mercenaries, evil government/corporations, pew pews and
Genderqueer sci-fi space opera with honorable mercenaries, evil government/corporations, pew pews and
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everything you could want in a galactic adventure! Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
I really loved the crew of misfit characters at the heart of this story. The worldbuilding is also really cool, and Kennedy Liu's sub-plot is compelling as it slowly twines around the main plot.
LibraryThing member clrichm
Loved the characters most, when it came to this one. Loved the variety; loved that essentially *all* of the named and speaking characters are female or non-binary. Nice change! Beginning was a ton of exposition; hard at times to keep track of all the threads, and then suddenly BOOM fighting. A few
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things I thought confusing but assumed would be explained never were. Wrapped up perhaps a little too neatly. Still, I did love the characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member xaverie
Ehhh. This book had everything I like: standalone adventure, sci-fi, almost all women and non-binary characters, aliens, oppressive corporate regimes, sentient artificial intelligence, etc etc.
But I just didn't connect to any of the characters or to the story. The banter fell flat, more interesting
I do, however, think think would make a great Netflix movie in the style of The Old Guard
But I just didn't connect to any of the characters or to the story. The banter fell flat, more interesting
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characters never git perspectives and thus were not really fleshed out characters because of it. I was just left wanting, particularly because the ending felt unfinished. I do, however, think think would make a great Netflix movie in the style of The Old Guard
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LibraryThing member capewood
2023 book #23. 2021. A female/non-binary band of mercenaries get hired to protect a village of indigenous aliens on the planet Persephone from a greedy corporation. Good story, good characters and a good read.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2021-01
Physical description
9 inches
ISBN
1534414584 / 9781534414587