Stick a mystery/thriller on a space ship and I’m probably going to love it. The Deep Sky is actually more impressive proof of that because in the beginning I didn’t think I’d like it at all.
Mostly because it’s people are practicing what I think are just two terrible ideas during this mission.
The Phoenix carries an all female expedition to colonize a new planet when it suffers an explosion. So there’s pretty high stakes on this as we are still killing Earth in this book. There’s a lot riding on it. And it’s a trip on the ship that’s going to take many decades.
So my first thing was they start artificially inseminating and having babies like halfway through.
And I guess there’s not much time and it’s nice to see pregnant women in these positions. But still I don’t know if I’d want to be nine months pregnant when the shit hits that fan. But the main thing that made me go, ‘What a terrible idea!’ Everyone on the ship has their own separate VR in their brain which overrides reality constantly.
For instance you could be running down a ships hallway but you will see it as running in a forest or your co-worker will be in the sea or something. Hell we even get proof in the beginning what a terrible idea that’s going to be for some people but nope they just expand on it. I wouldn’t mind living in my own VR but I know I can’t 24/7. Yet. Sadly.
Anyway there’s a big explosion and our main character, Asuka (yeah I did think of the Jedi the whole time) is tasked to investigate. While we see flashbacks to Earth and how she became The Phoenix’s alternate. The characters grew up together at a competitive school for getting into this mission so there’s a lot of history. The dynamics are well done.
At first I was like, “I know what happened!”
But then I was completely drawn into the mystery of who set the bomb and how, for that matter. The author also does a nice job balance the mystery and character with world-building and exposition.
And I did not know who did it.
The Deep Sky is a quick read and also I have to say very film worthy. Hopefully some streamer or studio will snap it up after the strikes. At the very least it’s easily worth a read and not a bad summer into fall book.
Recommend: Yes.