Ascending
Meg Pechenick
SciFi
Twenty-five years ago the Vardeshi came to Earth. Then they vanished without a trace. Graduate student Avery Alcott always knew they would return. When they do, she’s the only one who can speak their language. She’s quickly recruited to join the crew of an 11-man starship on a one-year mission into the depths of space. Avery leaps at the chance to leave behind everything she’s ever known. Wearing a Vardeshi uniform, adapting to their culture, following their orders, she’s as close to being one of them as she’ll ever be. But there’s more to interstellar diplomacy than knowing the right words to say. And shedding her identity turns out to be harder than she expected. When her ship, its crew, and the fragile human-Vardeshi alliance are threatened, Avery’s humanity—the very thing putting her at risk—just might be the one thing that can save her.
Uncaged Review: I can be a hard sell on scifi. I love the genre – when it’s done right. And this book is one of those. Is it a hard-core scifi? No, but it’s not meant to be. This is not Timothy Zahn or Arthur C. Clark, but this is a debut novel, and this author is one to watch in this genre. A lot of this is setting up and world/character building – and some of it gets a bit drawn out, but it has good pacing and it didn’t take long to draw me in. There is even a bit of suspense and danger – that threatens the alliance, and it has good twist to it. The book did not leave off on a cliffhanger, but it did set up nicely for book two. Is it going to set up as a romance down the line? Maybe….but that’s not in this book. I’m definitely moving on to book two. Reviewed by Cyrene
4.5 Stars
