I Don’t Care If These Stars Ever Get Charted

I’ve been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, and a lot of those books have been straight science fiction. When S.K. Dunstall’s Stars Uncharted came across my path, I was intrigued enough to take a risk on an author with whom I am unfamiliar. The description sounded a bit like Firefly. The book description is a lie and it led me to make an unwise recommendation.

Amazon starts off it’s description of Stars Uncharted with:

In this rip-roaring space opera, a ragtag band of explorers are out to make the biggest score in the galaxy.

It sounds like a classic heist set up right? I love heist stories. During the first chapter I was intrigued and all in. I went in with an open mind. I even suggested it to a friend while I was in chapter 2.

By the half way point I was getting antsy for the rips to be roared. I was waiting for someone besides the creepy bad guys to start making the biggest score in the galaxy. It wasn’t happening. I was regretting my recommendation

Stars Uncharted is told from the perspectives of two women, Nika Rik Teri, a body modder, and Josune Arriola, a ship’s engineer. Each of them is hiding their identity, and it is no surprise to find that they are running from the same bad people. As a body modder, Nika is obsessed with people’s bodies. It became uncomfortable to read and verged into body horror at times.

 

Your mileage may vary on this book. It’s competently written and you may enjoy it more if you aren’t expecting it to be a heist/romp/Firefly-esque adventure. I did have other issues beyond the discrepancy of the book and the way it’s described. The captain who is supposed to hold everyone together is weirdly flat for someone everyone loves. The resolution was somewhat swift and overly easy. Finally, the authors (sisters co-writing under the same name) are clearly intending to write more books. It had potential, but I’m not interested in going forward.