Publishers Weekly
04/24/2023
Kitasei sets her action-packed near-future debut against the backdrop of impending human extinction. In the face of global warfare, terrorism, and ecological collapse, the ambitious EvenStar project offers humanity a chance to start fresh, sending the spaceship Phoenix to colonize a new world. Asuka is selected for the crew from the crème de la crème of Earth’s youth, but she grapples with imposter syndrome, convinced that her crewmates are all more competent and deserving than she is. When she fails to conceive a child en route, a critical component of the mission, it only compounds her feelings of failure and inadequacy. An explosion throws the Phoenix off course, prompting concerns there may be a terrorist aboard the ship. When suspicion lands on Asuka, she must—with the aid of a buggy and enigmatic AI—find a way to clear her name and keep all hell from breaking loose on the cramped ship. Frequent flashbacks to Asuka’s past on Earth interrupt this tense spacefaring mystery, and though some readers may find this distracting, they successfully add context for and complexity to the resilient heroine. The result is a remarkable story of endurance and hope. Agent: Mary C. Moore, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc. (July)
From the Publisher
A Washington Post Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel of 2023, a Kirkus Reviews Best Debut of 2023, a Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Science Fiction, and a Tor.com Must-Read Sci-Fi Release of 2023
"A great time." —Veronica Roth
"Kitasei has put so much thought and heart into this fresh take on the generation ship, and on the dilemma between abandoning Earth and prolonging humanity. I can’t wait to see what her mind sparks to next." —Tor.com
"Required reading." —The Boston Globe
"One of the best debuts of the year." —Book Riot
"On this whodunnit frame, Kitasei hangs a deeper story about what mothers and daughters owe each other and how complicated that relationship can become when bridging tragedies large and small as well as crossing cultures." —Locus
"Smart and exhilarating...A study in belonging and how Asuka’s intersecting identities (Japanese-American, crew member, classmate, friend, daughter and woman) buttress her during the most important moments in her life." —BookPage
"Cerebral SF, tackling both humanity-wide problems and the smaller but ever-present conflicts closer to home." —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"The Deep Sky is a beautiful tightly-wound mystery. It is both an intimate character portrait and a thriller. The space geek in me loves the way the voyage feels like a completely plausible extension of our current billionaire-fueled space race." —Mary Robinette Kowal, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards
"The Deep Sky is a smart, emotionally mature, quick-paced climate fiction space whodunit that I already wanted to read again before I even finished it." —Associated Press
"Gripping, apocalyptic... Complete with sabotage, secrets, explosions, flashbacks, existential dread and, ultimately, hope, this is a winner." —Ms. Magazine
"There’s just so much to love about The Deep Sky, a book both smart and ultimately wise about how we will address our current crises...It’s a fast-paced read that invites readers to slow down and really think, an impressive feat for a debut." —Geekly, Inc.
"There are so many things to love about Yume Kitasei's debut, but I especially adored how real every moment felt: the politics of boarding school and our future world; the lapsed friendships and estranged parents; the guilt of surviving, of being chosen. In The Deep Sky, Kitasei puts us under the microscope not in judgment but with a fair and caring eye; she looks for the best in us." —C. L. Clark, author of The Unbroken
"Kitasei’s debut moves quickly and builds rich characters, with a sense of humor that will appeal to fans of John Scalzi." —Booklist
"If you like your sci-fi tinged with noir and suspense, then Yume Kitasei's The Deep Sky is for you. Evocative, engaging, and hard to forget, I really loved this novel. Put it on your radar." —Alex Segura, LA Times Book Prize-winning author of Secret Identity
"Readers will be engaged by the mystery and suspense and find the familiarity and connection in the humanity of Asuka and the journey of The Phoenix." —Library Journal
"A remarkable story of endurance and hope." —Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2023-05-09
A ship that left Earth 10 years ago, a crew trained to complete a single mission, and one saboteur hidden among them.
Asuka Hoshino-Silva is one of 80 people bound for a far-off planet with the hope of starting a new civilization. After a rigorous training and selection process that began when the crew members were 12 years old, their spaceship finally launched, and they have spent the last 10 years in stasis. Upon awakening, they have found new troubles looming back home and old conflicts surfacing among themselves. For Asuka, this means she isn’t reading her mother’s letters from Earth and isn’t talking to her one-time best friend on the ship. Her problems get worse when Asuka finds herself at the center of an attack meant to sabotage the mission. With every crew member under suspicion, can Asuka uncover the truth, or will old alliances and rivalries tear the crew apart? The present narrative unfolds between flashbacks depicting Asuka’s early hardships due to climate change, tension with her Latine father and Japanese mother, and conflicted feelings about representing Japan on the mission, adding depth to the plot and creating a strong, character-driven, and accessible tale. There are no cis men among the crew members, all of whom are expected to be inseminated and produce offspring as part of the mission. They've been recruited from many nations, producing a refreshingly diverse cast that also realistically reflects real-world issues and conflicts. Can something new be built, or is the crew doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past?
Cerebral SF, tackling both humanitywide problems and the smaller but ever present conflicts closer to home.
