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Our Lady of Endless Worlds #2
Sisters of the Forsaken Stars
The sisters of the Order of Saint Rita navigate the far reaches of space and challenges of faith in Sisters of the Forsaken Stars, the follow-up to Lina Rather's Sisters of the Vast Black, winner of the Golden Crown Literary Society Award.
“We lit the spark, maybe we should be here for the flames.”
Not long ago, Earth’s colonies and space stations threw off the yoke of planet Earth’s tyrannical rule. Decades later, trouble is brewing in the Four Systems, and Old Earth is flexing its power in a bid to regain control over its lost territories.
The Order of Saint Rita―whose mission is to provide aid and mercy to those in need―bore witness to and defied Central Governance’s atrocities on the remote planet Phyosonga III. The sisters have been running ever since, staying under the radar while still trying to honor their calling.
Despite the sisters’ secrecy, the story of their defiance is spreading like wildfire, spearheaded by a growing anti-Earth religious movement calling for revolution. Faced with staying silent or speaking up, the Order of Saint Rita must decide the role they will play―and what hand they will have―in reshaping the galaxy.
“We lit the spark, maybe we should be here for the flames.”
Not long ago, Earth’s colonies and space stations threw off the yoke of planet Earth’s tyrannical rule. Decades later, trouble is brewing in the Four Systems, and Old Earth is flexing its power in a bid to regain control over its lost territories.
The Order of Saint Rita―whose mission is to provide aid and mercy to those in need―bore witness to and defied Central Governance’s atrocities on the remote planet Phyosonga III. The sisters have been running ever since, staying under the radar while still trying to honor their calling.
Despite the sisters’ secrecy, the story of their defiance is spreading like wildfire, spearheaded by a growing anti-Earth religious movement calling for revolution. Faced with staying silent or speaking up, the Order of Saint Rita must decide the role they will play―and what hand they will have―in reshaping the galaxy.
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 22, 2022
About the author
Lina Rather
24 books277 followersLina Rather is a speculative fiction author from Michigan, now living in Washington, D.C. Her short fiction has appeared in venues including Lightspeed, Daily Science Fiction, and Shimmer. Her debut novella, Sisters of the Vast Black, is about nuns living in a giant slug in outer space and was published by Tor.Com Publishing in October 2019. When she isn’t writing, she likes to cook, go hiking, and collect terrible 90s comic books. Find out more about her and her writing at linarather.com or on Twitter @LinaRather.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
March 2, 2022
I was going to say something about how this mostly feels like a thoughtful character study, with a little bit of plot thrown in, until I was halfway through my next read, Seven Down, which could technically be described the same way but is a vastly inferior book (I'll hasten to qualify that I am clearly a sci-fi fan, and I venture into literary fiction with the same enthusiasm I approach vegan lasagna). At any rate, Forsaken arrived at the right mood and time (thanks, Netgalley!) and proved an enjoyable read.
I'd definitely recommend it, but there are, however, some caveats. One is a high tolerance for the question of authenticity in many forms. Though the sisters never set out to be heroes, in Sisters of the Vast Black, they found themselves taking actions that would be deemed as heroic, strictly by following their ethical dictates. Forsaken is dealing with some of the consequences of owning those actions, and choosing how they will be defined. After the fallout of Vast Black, we're also left knowing that they head of their small order was not the person they all thought she was, and some of the sisters are still coping with emotional fallout. Two, particularly now that I'm thinking about my review, though Forsaken takes place some time after the events of Vast Black, I think it would be more enjoyable to read the two closer together. I had forgotten most of Vast Black (I should have read my review, honestly), so there was a certain amount of impatience with what I saw as endless dithering. Three, and again keeping Seven Down in mind, I'd recommend one prefer the whole 'ship in space' premise.
The writing--in the 'words-strung-together' sense--is still solid. Highlights were made. The plotting felt more hesitant, and less streamlined than the first, so if you were frustrated there, you know it won't go well here. There's a secondary plot about the living ships and the ex-sister, but I don't know that it felt as integrated as I would have liked--it was rather plot adjacent. I found myself wanting to know more about what was going on in that ship, and the research they were doing. Overall, I happened to enjoy the thoughts about authenticity, responsibility and ethics and feel like that was more the point of the novella than the actual story, so take that for what you will.
Sisters of the Vast Black review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Three and a half spaceships, rounding up for thoughtfulness
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advance reader copy! Of course all opinions are my own.
I'd definitely recommend it, but there are, however, some caveats. One is a high tolerance for the question of authenticity in many forms. Though the sisters never set out to be heroes, in Sisters of the Vast Black, they found themselves taking actions that would be deemed as heroic, strictly by following their ethical dictates. Forsaken is dealing with some of the consequences of owning those actions, and choosing how they will be defined. After the fallout of Vast Black, we're also left knowing that they head of their small order was not the person they all thought she was, and some of the sisters are still coping with emotional fallout. Two, particularly now that I'm thinking about my review, though Forsaken takes place some time after the events of Vast Black, I think it would be more enjoyable to read the two closer together. I had forgotten most of Vast Black (I should have read my review, honestly), so there was a certain amount of impatience with what I saw as endless dithering. Three, and again keeping Seven Down in mind, I'd recommend one prefer the whole 'ship in space' premise.
The writing--in the 'words-strung-together' sense--is still solid. Highlights were made. The plotting felt more hesitant, and less streamlined than the first, so if you were frustrated there, you know it won't go well here. There's a secondary plot about the living ships and the ex-sister, but I don't know that it felt as integrated as I would have liked--it was rather plot adjacent. I found myself wanting to know more about what was going on in that ship, and the research they were doing. Overall, I happened to enjoy the thoughts about authenticity, responsibility and ethics and feel like that was more the point of the novella than the actual story, so take that for what you will.
Sisters of the Vast Black review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Three and a half spaceships, rounding up for thoughtfulness
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advance reader copy! Of course all opinions are my own.
September 7, 2022
There were no good choices, only lesser evils ...
This definitely suffers from ‘middle volume’ syndrome in that it not only has to follow on from a rather bleak ending in the first, but also recap the main events for those of us with short memories. Lina Rather is much more successful with the latter than she is with the former. The follow-up is all about fallout and consequences and hence is rather muted and dour. Of course, the first was by no means a gung-ho space opera, but at least there was an element of fun to be had.
Thankfully the ending here is a saving grace, giving the magnificent ‘liveships’ a central (and enigmatic) role in resolving the set-up for the inevitable third instalment. What with Murderbot by Martha Wells and Monk & Robot by Becky Chambers, Rather seems to have joined a distinguished tradition of outstanding novella series. Hail Marys all round!
This definitely suffers from ‘middle volume’ syndrome in that it not only has to follow on from a rather bleak ending in the first, but also recap the main events for those of us with short memories. Lina Rather is much more successful with the latter than she is with the former. The follow-up is all about fallout and consequences and hence is rather muted and dour. Of course, the first was by no means a gung-ho space opera, but at least there was an element of fun to be had.
Thankfully the ending here is a saving grace, giving the magnificent ‘liveships’ a central (and enigmatic) role in resolving the set-up for the inevitable third instalment. What with Murderbot by Martha Wells and Monk & Robot by Becky Chambers, Rather seems to have joined a distinguished tradition of outstanding novella series. Hail Marys all round!
Read
June 28, 2023Loved book 1 of this series, in which a group of nuns in space inadvertently take on Old Earth's attempt to reassert dominion over the breakaway systems. The world building of 1 was excellent--sparse but informative and allowed for complex political and personal plots.
The slight problem with this instalment is that it's got to carry all its predecessor's weight. We need to know everything that happened in order to appreciate the actions and dilemmas and character development of book 2, and unfortunately, in a novella, that means a lot of the book is taken up in recaps. It's not that it's badly handled at all, but it inevitably slows things down. I kind of wonder if they'd have been better off doing a The Story So Far: literally just take two pages, infodump it all, and then write as if prior events were all fresh in the reader's mind. That was used in Adrian Tchaikovsky's enormous trilogy book and frankly it was a godsend for those of us with goldfish memories.
I did like this overall: the author can really write, and it's a wonderfully conceived world with lots of interesting features and chewy ideas and interesting characters. I will definitely read the third instalment (I'm assuming this is 2 of 3: it feels like a 2 of 3 since there's a lot of dangling threads).
The slight problem with this instalment is that it's got to carry all its predecessor's weight. We need to know everything that happened in order to appreciate the actions and dilemmas and character development of book 2, and unfortunately, in a novella, that means a lot of the book is taken up in recaps. It's not that it's badly handled at all, but it inevitably slows things down. I kind of wonder if they'd have been better off doing a The Story So Far: literally just take two pages, infodump it all, and then write as if prior events were all fresh in the reader's mind. That was used in Adrian Tchaikovsky's enormous trilogy book and frankly it was a godsend for those of us with goldfish memories.
I did like this overall: the author can really write, and it's a wonderfully conceived world with lots of interesting features and chewy ideas and interesting characters. I will definitely read the third instalment (I'm assuming this is 2 of 3: it feels like a 2 of 3 since there's a lot of dangling threads).
October 23, 2021
Sisters of the Forsaken Stars is a solid followup to, and direct continuation of the excellent Sisters of the Vast Black. Although there is certainly quite a bit of tension and suspense to keep one engaged, the scope is not quite as epic or staggering. The crux of the story centers around the sisters' struggles to square the great horrors they witnessed with their faith, and to find a new path for themselves, now independent from Rome after the fallout of earlier events. The setting in a future where Earth's central government is aggressively looking to re-assert its waning influence among the remote systems, with the sisters seen as potential revolutionaries, makes for a compelling context to explore themes of faith, forgiveness, responsibility and the tight bonds that can bind a small, close knit group with a shared purpose and history.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy for review.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy for review.
February 27, 2022
If you don't remember the first book, basically it's decades after the first war where Earth tried to exert itself over its colonies across the four systems. A living spaceship inhabited by Catholic nuns of the Order of Saint Rita got in the way of a secret Earth government project to infect the outer colonies with a deadly plague. The nuns succeeded in stopping the plague but at the cost of their ship and everyone involved becoming fugitives.
In this book, in the third system, the remaining nuns are dealing with the aftermath of their actions in the first book and in the fourth system former nun Gemma is continuing her research into the living spaceships. But the ringeye plague was only the first step towards a new war that the Central Government will wage to bring the colonies under its sway again, and it's beginning to take actions throughout the systems while the systems themselves are disunited and refusing to deal with the threat.
I'm sure Lina Rather didn't intend for this to be quite so relevant a read for early 2022 with the buildup to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In this book, in the third system, the remaining nuns are dealing with the aftermath of their actions in the first book and in the fourth system former nun Gemma is continuing her research into the living spaceships. But the ringeye plague was only the first step towards a new war that the Central Government will wage to bring the colonies under its sway again, and it's beginning to take actions throughout the systems while the systems themselves are disunited and refusing to deal with the threat.
I'm sure Lina Rather didn't intend for this to be quite so relevant a read for early 2022 with the buildup to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
August 25, 2022
Hmmm, something is up with the writing. Or maybe some thing's up with this reader today. I could practically copy/paste my review of book one here and it would work for book two. I still love the detailed world setting, I still think the characters have been fantastic and I'm even willing to add that the plot was a bit more interesting this time, but it's still not engaging with me.
On the other hand there are moments like the opening paragraph, which just draw me in and make me want to keep reading:
"SISTER FAUSTINA WATCHED on the screen as the orbital station grew closer. She turned off the propulsion and let the ship drift into the docking bay until the skin found the airlock, connected, and made a seal. The ship jolted, and she startled, but all was well; it was still young and had a tendency to overreact to unfamiliar stimuli. Soon it would settle into itself. She restarted the gravity, and when she felt her weight again, released the moss holding her to the seat with a stroke of her hand."
But then I gradually get left behind in the events. I think a bunch of rogue nuns, splitting ties with the papacy and setting off to bring relief to those in need throughout the galaxy sounds conceptually excellent but so far I'm not enjoying the content very much.
"Too much of their procedure was based on being part of a network and a church they had now abandoned."
This time we meet some new nun recruits. We watch our protagonistic gaggle of misfit nuns try to evade but eventually get caught up with by the clergy. We also observe a bad person being transformed into a saint after they die - more to meet the needs of the order than to actually honour or recognise any of their actual work.
There is a character called Saint Ofra who is regularly referenced in the story and when my ebook reader was reading that name aloud I was hearing Saint Oprah and it struck me as an odd but acceptable cultural reference, so I almost ignored it until I finally convinced myself to check the text. Saint Oprah somehow works in this story.
"The floor beneath them hardened almost imperceptibly, the ship tensing its muscles as the main hatch opened and shut."
Don't forget the ships are alive!
"This isn’t Earth, we can’t live in a beautiful garden full of free oxygen and sing hymns behind a screen."
Well, overall I think it's getting better, slowly, more interesting, as a whole. So I'm going to say it probably would have worked better as a longer novel, and I'm including future parts that are sure to be released in that assessment. I think for such an interesting world and cast it was a terrible decision to limit the story to these bite-sized chunks.
"Sister Varvara gave her a look that said she was close to doing some things that would break their vows if the trustee did not let them in."
So, would I recommend these? Yes, probably, but.... I think it'll pay if you wait at least until the third novelette is published and maybe even until the fifth, before you binge-read the series as a single story.
On the other hand there are moments like the opening paragraph, which just draw me in and make me want to keep reading:
"SISTER FAUSTINA WATCHED on the screen as the orbital station grew closer. She turned off the propulsion and let the ship drift into the docking bay until the skin found the airlock, connected, and made a seal. The ship jolted, and she startled, but all was well; it was still young and had a tendency to overreact to unfamiliar stimuli. Soon it would settle into itself. She restarted the gravity, and when she felt her weight again, released the moss holding her to the seat with a stroke of her hand."
But then I gradually get left behind in the events. I think a bunch of rogue nuns, splitting ties with the papacy and setting off to bring relief to those in need throughout the galaxy sounds conceptually excellent but so far I'm not enjoying the content very much.
"Too much of their procedure was based on being part of a network and a church they had now abandoned."
This time we meet some new nun recruits. We watch our protagonistic gaggle of misfit nuns try to evade but eventually get caught up with by the clergy. We also observe a bad person being transformed into a saint after they die - more to meet the needs of the order than to actually honour or recognise any of their actual work.
There is a character called Saint Ofra who is regularly referenced in the story and when my ebook reader was reading that name aloud I was hearing Saint Oprah and it struck me as an odd but acceptable cultural reference, so I almost ignored it until I finally convinced myself to check the text. Saint Oprah somehow works in this story.
"The floor beneath them hardened almost imperceptibly, the ship tensing its muscles as the main hatch opened and shut."
Don't forget the ships are alive!
"This isn’t Earth, we can’t live in a beautiful garden full of free oxygen and sing hymns behind a screen."
Well, overall I think it's getting better, slowly, more interesting, as a whole. So I'm going to say it probably would have worked better as a longer novel, and I'm including future parts that are sure to be released in that assessment. I think for such an interesting world and cast it was a terrible decision to limit the story to these bite-sized chunks.
"Sister Varvara gave her a look that said she was close to doing some things that would break their vows if the trustee did not let them in."
So, would I recommend these? Yes, probably, but.... I think it'll pay if you wait at least until the third novelette is published and maybe even until the fifth, before you binge-read the series as a single story.
October 21, 2022
In a Standard Sci-Fi Setting, a Four-Woman Band of nuns, members of a mendicant order, travel from struggling, colony to colony in a Living Ship while avoiding the attention of the forces of the Vestigial Empire whose ire they have aroused in the previous book. Second book in a continuing series.
Pod of Wild Space Whales in the Fourth System
My dead pixels edition was a short 192 pages. It had a US copyright of 2022.
Lina Rather is an American science fiction author of short stories. She has many ‘speculative fiction’ short stories published. This was her second novella. It was also the second book I’ve read by the author. The first being Sisters of the Vast Black (Our Lady of Endless Worlds #1) (my review).
Note this story heavily leverages, characters and events in the previous book in the series Sisters of the Vast Black . Reading that book before this one is strongly recommended.
This story started out well and ended OK. It’s a character-based story with religious overtones. There were some good ideas and no small amount of imagination involved. A small set of tropes were carefully manipulated, others only somewhat so. And, there was some really good dialog and even better descriptive narrative. Use of multiple POVs was good for a new author too. Note one POV is left 'hanging' at the end for a subsequent book.
This sophomore effort by Rather was a better story than her first. No small part of that was because it heavily leverages the Our Lady of Endless Worlds backstory. I thought those (and this story's) characters, prose and world building were good.
Characters were good, although most were carried over from the first book. A pet-peeve I have with queer science fiction, is that bad guys and douche bags are too often exclusively men. That was true here.
In particular, the narrative was so tight it positively squeaks. Pacing was better than the first book, although I would have liked to have read a couple of ten extra pages. The nuns moved at almost a frenetic pace through the story, which should have been a tad statelier.
I thought the story's world building’s depended on a few too many hackneyed, science fiction tropes. (I revile The Standard Sci-Fi Setting.) In general, I'm of two-minds with her (over)use of tropes. Some, like the Living Ship trope, she takes to new places. Others like the Standard Sci-Fi Setting and its Space Opera handmaiden, she just wallows around in it, with no deep thought there.
For example, I am a little confused about the planetology of ‘The Four Systems’? There were an awful lot of: planets, planetoids, moons, asteroids, space stations, and habitats mentioned-- most inhabited. Too many by my mind. Traditional settlement patterns concentrate on the largest, most easily habitable real estate-- not every rock in orbit.
Finally, while for the reasons above, this was a better book than the first, plot-wise it was not. This story was too transparent. Rather needed to work as hard on her plotting, as she did in her riffs on the tropes she used in world building. For example, her eventual use of The Mole and Animal Stampede tropes were telegraphed too early and applied without enough legerdemain. There was not enough ‘duck, dodge, and hide’ amongst the plot lines to obscure where the story was going in this slim 200-page novella. Rather was also establishing a series which further reduced the number of pages available. There were a large number of pages devoted to setting-up for the next book. Finally, multiple POV's also consume a lot more pages, than a single first person narrative.
However, I went along for the ride knowing where it was going. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series to see the author continue to develop.
Pod of Wild Space Whales in the Fourth System
My dead pixels edition was a short 192 pages. It had a US copyright of 2022.
Lina Rather is an American science fiction author of short stories. She has many ‘speculative fiction’ short stories published. This was her second novella. It was also the second book I’ve read by the author. The first being Sisters of the Vast Black (Our Lady of Endless Worlds #1) (my review).
Note this story heavily leverages, characters and events in the previous book in the series Sisters of the Vast Black . Reading that book before this one is strongly recommended.
This story started out well and ended OK. It’s a character-based story with religious overtones. There were some good ideas and no small amount of imagination involved. A small set of tropes were carefully manipulated, others only somewhat so. And, there was some really good dialog and even better descriptive narrative. Use of multiple POVs was good for a new author too. Note one POV is left 'hanging' at the end for a subsequent book.
This sophomore effort by Rather was a better story than her first. No small part of that was because it heavily leverages the Our Lady of Endless Worlds backstory. I thought those (and this story's) characters, prose and world building were good.
Characters were good, although most were carried over from the first book. A pet-peeve I have with queer science fiction, is that bad guys and douche bags are too often exclusively men. That was true here.
In particular, the narrative was so tight it positively squeaks. Pacing was better than the first book, although I would have liked to have read a couple of ten extra pages. The nuns moved at almost a frenetic pace through the story, which should have been a tad statelier.
I thought the story's world building’s depended on a few too many hackneyed, science fiction tropes. (I revile The Standard Sci-Fi Setting.) In general, I'm of two-minds with her (over)use of tropes. Some, like the Living Ship trope, she takes to new places. Others like the Standard Sci-Fi Setting and its Space Opera handmaiden, she just wallows around in it, with no deep thought there.
For example, I am a little confused about the planetology of ‘The Four Systems’? There were an awful lot of: planets, planetoids, moons, asteroids, space stations, and habitats mentioned-- most inhabited. Too many by my mind. Traditional settlement patterns concentrate on the largest, most easily habitable real estate-- not every rock in orbit.
Finally, while for the reasons above, this was a better book than the first, plot-wise it was not. This story was too transparent. Rather needed to work as hard on her plotting, as she did in her riffs on the tropes she used in world building. For example, her eventual use of The Mole and Animal Stampede tropes were telegraphed too early and applied without enough legerdemain. There was not enough ‘duck, dodge, and hide’ amongst the plot lines to obscure where the story was going in this slim 200-page novella. Rather was also establishing a series which further reduced the number of pages available. There were a large number of pages devoted to setting-up for the next book. Finally, multiple POV's also consume a lot more pages, than a single first person narrative.
However, I went along for the ride knowing where it was going. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series to see the author continue to develop.
December 29, 2023
Every surface on a ship like this was soft; it was hard not to step quietly. They had chimes on all the hatches because you couldn't knock. The moss underfoot whispered as it compressed and unfurled.
I always do this mistake with this series, thinking just before picking it up aaah, I'm in the mood for some cozy
Even though most of the protagonists of the series are nuns (or religious) this series is very clearly anti-Church, showing (specifically) Catholic Church as a politic institution of great influence that doesn't have to do anything with faith and it's very much the antagonist of the series. The ending clash in this is also pretty brutal - I might have cried.
We also get some more back stories in this volume, especially sister Ewostatewos, but all of our favourite sisters get some page time. And we also earn a few new and suspicious crew-mates!
What can I say? Lina Rather is quickly becoming one of my favourites authors. I can't wait for the next book in this series!
Let me tell you there is a criminal shortage of slug-like space ships on the internet, but then I realised that sea slugs already kind of look like space ships? Even though with possibly bit too much appendages?
On picture: A regal goddess nudibranch (Felimare picta) What a well fitting name 🤭
BRed at WBtM: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
November 2, 2021
I enjoyed this, but wasn't swept off my feet in the same way I was by Sisters of the Vast Black. This story is a very direct follow up, reconnecting with the sisters not long after their defiance of Earth Central Government's attempts to suppress outsystem independence using biological warfare.
This story follows both the remaining crew of the original ship, as well as Gemma, who broke away from the sect to be with the woman she loved. While both storylines were engaging, they felt very disparate. I feel like Rather could have easily focused the plot of this novella on sisters Varvara, Faustina, Ewostatewos, Mother Lucia, and the two new characters on the run from ECG, and left Gemma, the crew of the Cheng I Sao, and their liveship research for a subsequent novella. Trying to tell both these stories in such a brief amount of time leaves both narratives feeling rushed, without the room to fully explore interpersonal concepts such as Ewostatewos' tension with her sister Eris and Gemma's adjusting to life and love outside of the sisterhood.
This story follows both the remaining crew of the original ship, as well as Gemma, who broke away from the sect to be with the woman she loved. While both storylines were engaging, they felt very disparate. I feel like Rather could have easily focused the plot of this novella on sisters Varvara, Faustina, Ewostatewos, Mother Lucia, and the two new characters on the run from ECG, and left Gemma, the crew of the Cheng I Sao, and their liveship research for a subsequent novella. Trying to tell both these stories in such a brief amount of time leaves both narratives feeling rushed, without the room to fully explore interpersonal concepts such as Ewostatewos' tension with her sister Eris and Gemma's adjusting to life and love outside of the sisterhood.
July 24, 2024
3.5
“We lit the spark, maybe whe should be here for the flames. ”
Segunda parte de esta saga “Hermanas de la vasta oscuridad” ( en español)o como me gusta llamarla: segunda parte de mis monjitas espaciales.
“Wherever we go, we’ll help people. It depends how close we want to be the fire.”
Me ha gustado, sinceramente, incluso yo creo que un poco más que su primera entrega. Me ha gustado conocer un poco más las hermanas, pero al mismo tiempo siento que a la historia le falta en general profundidad, sobre todo en cuanto se refiere al argumento; pienso que toda la acción solo se encuentra al final mientras que el resto de la novela nos la encontramos un poco entre las reflexiones de cada una de las monjas.
Espero pronto una tercera parte porque ese final me ha dejado con ganas de mucho drama.”
“But it’s allright. I used to think that faith was this great light in the darkness .”
“We lit the spark, maybe whe should be here for the flames. ”
Segunda parte de esta saga “Hermanas de la vasta oscuridad” ( en español)o como me gusta llamarla: segunda parte de mis monjitas espaciales.
“Wherever we go, we’ll help people. It depends how close we want to be the fire.”
Me ha gustado, sinceramente, incluso yo creo que un poco más que su primera entrega. Me ha gustado conocer un poco más las hermanas, pero al mismo tiempo siento que a la historia le falta en general profundidad, sobre todo en cuanto se refiere al argumento; pienso que toda la acción solo se encuentra al final mientras que el resto de la novela nos la encontramos un poco entre las reflexiones de cada una de las monjas.
Espero pronto una tercera parte porque ese final me ha dejado con ganas de mucho drama.”
“But it’s allright. I used to think that faith was this great light in the darkness .”
February 28, 2023
This is a second volume of the ongoing series of SF novellas about nuns aboard a living ship. The first book, Sisters of the Vast Black, I reviewed here. I liked the second book more, among other things it showed nuns behaving more like nuns, i.e. women, who voluntarily (?) chose to be the brides of Christ.
The book starts with a brief reminder about the characters and events of the first story, including the atrocities of the Earth authorities. The sorority decides that their faith and purity are more important than being a formal part of the Catholic Church. Also, the rumors of their defiance spread, so they become unwilling revolutionaries. And we’ll also see wild living ships!
It is an interesting series that has potential. At the same time, an attempt to fit multiple themes into novella-sized pieces doesn’t work well here, at least for me. I may continue the series, but I feel no urge to do so.
The book starts with a brief reminder about the characters and events of the first story, including the atrocities of the Earth authorities. The sorority decides that their faith and purity are more important than being a formal part of the Catholic Church. Also, the rumors of their defiance spread, so they become unwilling revolutionaries. And we’ll also see wild living ships!
It is an interesting series that has potential. At the same time, an attempt to fit multiple themes into novella-sized pieces doesn’t work well here, at least for me. I may continue the series, but I feel no urge to do so.
July 17, 2022
3.5 stars
June 15, 2023
damn💀
this isn't a bad book/series at all, it's just not for me
i think this instalment was better than the first, the pacing issues weren't so bad and the characters are fleshed out much more (which i appreciated), but ultimately i just did not care for any of it
this isn't a bad book/series at all, it's just not for me
i think this instalment was better than the first, the pacing issues weren't so bad and the characters are fleshed out much more (which i appreciated), but ultimately i just did not care for any of it
December 17, 2021
Sisters of the Vast Black was a fascinating introduction to this new world and group of Sisters and I knew I would be continuing to read the series. And this second installment turned to be equally compelling if a bit different.
The sisters are now struggling a bit, feeling unmoored after the events at the end of the first book and trying to find a new purpose for their group independent of the Church. They may not all agree with each other, and Mother Lucia is especially tormented because her faith has been shaken, but they all still want to help people and heal themselves and others as much as they can. But the world has other plans for them and they are quickly pulled into a brewing rebellion against Central Governance and a possible beginning of a cult. On the other side, Gemma is excited to be with her new crew but she is finding it hard to create a new life for herself independent of the order and her faith. She and Vauca do end up in a troublesome situation towards the end and I was both amazed and sad about the way their issues were resolved.
This was such an interesting, tense and gripping follow up to the first novella. With it’s seamless blending of themes of war, religion, sisterhood and how sometimes it’s difficult to live up to the basic tenets of humanity because the world doesn’t let us - this is a very engaging series and I’m very excited to explore more of this world in the upcoming books and hoping there will be many more of them.
The sisters are now struggling a bit, feeling unmoored after the events at the end of the first book and trying to find a new purpose for their group independent of the Church. They may not all agree with each other, and Mother Lucia is especially tormented because her faith has been shaken, but they all still want to help people and heal themselves and others as much as they can. But the world has other plans for them and they are quickly pulled into a brewing rebellion against Central Governance and a possible beginning of a cult. On the other side, Gemma is excited to be with her new crew but she is finding it hard to create a new life for herself independent of the order and her faith. She and Vauca do end up in a troublesome situation towards the end and I was both amazed and sad about the way their issues were resolved.
This was such an interesting, tense and gripping follow up to the first novella. With it’s seamless blending of themes of war, religion, sisterhood and how sometimes it’s difficult to live up to the basic tenets of humanity because the world doesn’t let us - this is a very engaging series and I’m very excited to explore more of this world in the upcoming books and hoping there will be many more of them.
February 5, 2022
Forsaken Stars depends much too heavily on the groundwork laid by Vast Black, where we got the foundations of a corrupt future (duh, it's humanity), the pervasiveness of religion beyond the bounds of Earth's atmosphere, and the fortitude of humanity everywhere and anywhere they find themselves. We also got a group of complex women, who all became nuns for very different reasons and have different understandings of faith and humanity and the Church and the government and everything else under any sun in the universe.
The first 75% of this book was essentially "wow, that was some thing we did in the last book, but we probably shouldn't tell anyone and we probably shouldn't talk to each other about it and unpack it at all" on repeat. We introduced two new characters who had so little "screentime" that we couldn't even form a passing impression. And then it was over before it could begin.
To say I was disappointed would be a bit of an understatement. Because I really enjoyed Vast Black and hoped Forsaken Stars would continue in the same vein.
{Thank you Tor.com for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
The first 75% of this book was essentially "wow, that was some thing we did in the last book, but we probably shouldn't tell anyone and we probably shouldn't talk to each other about it and unpack it at all" on repeat. We introduced two new characters who had so little "screentime" that we couldn't even form a passing impression. And then it was over before it could begin.
To say I was disappointed would be a bit of an understatement. Because I really enjoyed Vast Black and hoped Forsaken Stars would continue in the same vein.
{Thank you Tor.com for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
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March 7, 2022As soon as I heard about a series that follows nuns in a living spaceship — that also has a sapphic main character — I had to pick it up.
The series begins slowly, introducing each of the sisters, who all have their own reasons for being aboard the ship. Not all of them are devout, and most have some sort of secret they left behind in order to start this new life. While this is a sci fi story, of course, it feels very grounded. Details like having to sift through spam on their communications array makes it feel like a realistic vision of the future.
While there are interesting ideas explored in this series, I finished it feeling like it would have worked better as a short story for me: it began to drag, and I didn’t feel connected enough to the big cast (in a small amount of pages) to pull me through it. I’m sure that other readers with a better memory and a little more patience for sitting with philosophical reads will enjoy this one, though.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
The series begins slowly, introducing each of the sisters, who all have their own reasons for being aboard the ship. Not all of them are devout, and most have some sort of secret they left behind in order to start this new life. While this is a sci fi story, of course, it feels very grounded. Details like having to sift through spam on their communications array makes it feel like a realistic vision of the future.
While there are interesting ideas explored in this series, I finished it feeling like it would have worked better as a short story for me: it began to drag, and I didn’t feel connected enough to the big cast (in a small amount of pages) to pull me through it. I’m sure that other readers with a better memory and a little more patience for sitting with philosophical reads will enjoy this one, though.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
September 14, 2021
Lina Rather is a Creative Genius. I devoured SISTERS OF THE VAST BLACK during 2020's Space O0era September and adored it, longing for a sequel. SISTERS OF THE FORSAKEN STARS is equally fantastic! Now although it can be read as a standalone, do yourself a favor and read both books, in order, to perceive the true flavor of character evolution and unfolding plot issues.
This Series, while Feminist Science Fiction with an LGBTQ+ rep, is also metaphysical, philosophical, classical, and pacifist. The established Church plus centralized government are kept under the spotlight, and the revelations come at almost faster-than-light-speed. Ms. Rather x-rays her characters, one and all: they can't hide from the reader nor even from themselves.
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I hope this Series continues until the Heat death of the Universe.
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This Series, while Feminist Science Fiction with an LGBTQ+ rep, is also metaphysical, philosophical, classical, and pacifist. The established Church plus centralized government are kept under the spotlight, and the revelations come at almost faster-than-light-speed. Ms. Rather x-rays her characters, one and all: they can't hide from the reader nor even from themselves.
```
I hope this Series continues until the Heat death of the Universe.
```
October 21, 2022
2.4⭐
I liked this a bit less than the first book in this "nuns-in-space" series but it's still okay space opera, just short of three stars. The story picks up shortly after the events of 'Sisters of the Vast Black', with the good nuns of the Order of St. Rita on the run from the evil Earthmen ( emphasis on "men").
They dither through almost the entire story as to whether to try and keep hiding or to publicly denounce the genocidal deeds of the Earth government and its accomplice, the Vatican.
The characters are still one dimensional, the story is derivative and there's too much contrived "creative writing" that adds nothing to the plot or characterization, imo. Other handedly, there are imaginative pieces, it's well paced and it's short. I'll likely read the next in the series just to see what happens, so the author wins! -30-
I liked this a bit less than the first book in this "nuns-in-space" series but it's still okay space opera, just short of three stars. The story picks up shortly after the events of 'Sisters of the Vast Black', with the good nuns of the Order of St. Rita on the run from the evil Earthmen ( emphasis on "men").
They dither through almost the entire story as to whether to try and keep hiding or to publicly denounce the genocidal deeds of the Earth government and its accomplice, the Vatican.
The characters are still one dimensional, the story is derivative and there's too much contrived "creative writing" that adds nothing to the plot or characterization, imo. Other handedly, there are imaginative pieces, it's well paced and it's short. I'll likely read the next in the series just to see what happens, so the author wins! -30-
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January 17, 2022
FTC after pub date.
I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review
I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review
March 29, 2022
'Sisters Of The Forsaken Stars' continues the story that was started in ‘Sisters Of The Vast Black’, a book that Lina Rather described as being about ‘Nuns living in a giant slug in outer-space’.
When we met the Sisters of the Order of Saint Rita in the first book, they were a small community of nuns travelling in their convent, Our Lady of Impossible Constellations, a vast, genetically engineered mollusc called a Liveship, to tend to the sick and carry out marriages and baptisms in the outer reaches of mankind’s colonies in the stars. By the end of the book, some dark secrets about the sisters had been revealed and they’d managed to entangle themselves in a brutal covert struggle between Earth and its colonies. The ending was action-packed, explosive and surprising.
One way to write a sequel to a book like that is to ramp up the violence and the struggle and lead towards an even more explosive ending with even bigger consequences for humanity.
Lina Rather went a different way. She'd been writing about nuns in space, not Marines in space. The women in her story have chosen to live a religious life of service to others. Whatever their background before they joined the Order of Saint Rita, they are now women who bring peace and solace, not women who challenge governments and lead revolutions. Yet their actions have turned them into a legend that the Earth government wants to suppress and that some of the Colonists want to turn into a rallying cry of the revolution. So Lina Rather goes for the personal rather than the big-picture political. She explores how the Sisters find a path that allows them to honour their faith, to support each other and to minister to those who need them without either being killed or turned into a weapon.
The strength of the novella lies in its ability fully to imagine the reactions of the Sisters, a disparate group of women from many backgrounds and with different views on faith and responsibility but who have chosen to live as a community with a duty to serve God by ministering to others.
No one has any easy answers. Faith is tested. Trust is hard to gain. Threats keep multiplying and options keep narrowing.
I loved watching how these women thought through their problems and worked hard to maintain themselves as a community.
The story and the ending were lower-key than the first book but no less powerful for that. I hope there'll be a third book in the series. If there is, I'll be there, rooting for the Sisters in the Liveship.
March 5, 2022
Nuns. Living, space-faring ships. Revolution. 4.75 Stars
Oh my. Where are my words?
A direct sequel to the first book. Thoughtful, heartfelt, fascinating. These can be attributed equally to the various threads of plot: sisterhood, service, faith, science, truth. I'm impressed, and touched by these wonderful novellas.
I want to read more by this author! They are very likely to make it to my favorites authors list alongside such luminaries as Becky Chambers, Emma Newman, Martha Wells, Lois McMaster Bujold, Sue Burke.
***
GR Personal Rating System:
★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED
★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED
★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED
★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH
★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE
Oh my. Where are my words?
A direct sequel to the first book. Thoughtful, heartfelt, fascinating. These can be attributed equally to the various threads of plot: sisterhood, service, faith, science, truth. I'm impressed, and touched by these wonderful novellas.
I want to read more by this author! They are very likely to make it to my favorites authors list alongside such luminaries as Becky Chambers, Emma Newman, Martha Wells, Lois McMaster Bujold, Sue Burke.
***
GR Personal Rating System:
★★★★★ 5 Stars ~ LOVED
★★★★☆ 4 Stars ~ ENJOYED
★★★☆☆ 3 Stars ~ LIKED
★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars ~ MEH
★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star ~ NOPE
September 30, 2024
Монахини в живом космическом корабле против галактического правительства, ч. 2. В целом понравилось, но какой-то неровный темп, этой повести не помешало бы чуть больше объема (и продолжение прямо напрашивается).
February 24, 2022
I love this world and these characters. The universe building, the politics, the character growth; it is all wonderful. Sisters of the Forsaken Stars is an excellent follow up to the first in the series, and it makes me want to read more.
June 2, 2022
3.75 not quite as good as the first one but still a worthwhile sequel that leaves me hoping for another installment
January 10, 2022
I found that I was a bit bored throughout this one. There were two different storylines and it felt difficult to really enjoy either of them because the book was so short. I don't know how many books there are meant to be in this series, but it definitely felt like it was just moving things along rather than having a strong plot arc.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC!
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC!
July 26, 2023
Spoilers for Sisters of the Vast Black!
I enjoyed this follow-up to Sisters of the Vast Black, which I adored, but I can't deny that Sisters of the Forsaken Stars isn't quite as strong or as seamlessly told as its predecessor.
Following the events of the previous novella the sisters of the Order of Saint Rita have been trying to fulfil their duties while lying low to evade Central Governance, until it becomes clear that others could be punished for their defiance--a defiance that's sparked the beginnings of a revolution.
I hope we get more and more books in this series, because I loved learning more of the sisters' back stories, watching Lucia find her feet as the abbess, and Gemma learn to live outside the order in this instalment, but I think Rather tried to fit too much into this novella which meant that both of the two main storylines felt rushed and a little underwhelming. I was particularly interested in Gemma and Vauca's discovery, but I'd rather have read about it in a separate novella so that their storyline and the sisters' storyline had more room to breathe.
I can't help wondering if this novella was written and then edited in a bit of a rush following the success of the first book, because I noticed a few errors in my edition - Phoyongsa III became Phoyongsa IV a couple of times and on one page a minor character was addressed as both "Sister" and then "Mother" - which might explain why it feels like two separate novellas that have been sewn together.
All that aside, I continue to love the way Rather explores faith and what it means, whether it's faith in gods or fellow human beings. I have such a soft spot for this world and these characters and I want to see them all again.
I enjoyed this follow-up to Sisters of the Vast Black, which I adored, but I can't deny that Sisters of the Forsaken Stars isn't quite as strong or as seamlessly told as its predecessor.
Following the events of the previous novella the sisters of the Order of Saint Rita have been trying to fulfil their duties while lying low to evade Central Governance, until it becomes clear that others could be punished for their defiance--a defiance that's sparked the beginnings of a revolution.
I hope we get more and more books in this series, because I loved learning more of the sisters' back stories, watching Lucia find her feet as the abbess, and Gemma learn to live outside the order in this instalment, but I think Rather tried to fit too much into this novella which meant that both of the two main storylines felt rushed and a little underwhelming. I was particularly interested in Gemma and Vauca's discovery, but I'd rather have read about it in a separate novella so that their storyline and the sisters' storyline had more room to breathe.
I can't help wondering if this novella was written and then edited in a bit of a rush following the success of the first book, because I noticed a few errors in my edition - Phoyongsa III became Phoyongsa IV a couple of times and on one page a minor character was addressed as both "Sister" and then "Mother" - which might explain why it feels like two separate novellas that have been sewn together.
All that aside, I continue to love the way Rather explores faith and what it means, whether it's faith in gods or fellow human beings. I have such a soft spot for this world and these characters and I want to see them all again.
October 17, 2022
Continuing the tale begun in Sisters of the Vast Black, Sisters of the Forsaken Stars is another novella-length installment following the nuns of the Order of Saint Rita as they deal with the aftermath of their interference in the Earth government's nefarious scheme in the outer reaches of human-colonized space. This was not as tightly plotted as the first book; there are too many characters and points of view going on for a novella-length story, and not enough space to drill down into some of the characters/setting/space stuff. Certain plot threads were not given much attention at all, and even the plot elements that were given more focus felt overly condensed. At this point I think the story should have either been expanded into a novel encompassing at least the first two books, or edited to have a more limited point of view as a unifying theme. Also, I want WAY more nitty gritty details about the living space ship creatures!!!
Despite these disappointments I'm interested in reading a third book if it materializes. It sounds like the story is going to venture even further toward the outer reaches of colonization, into the mysterious and less Earth-influenced System Four.
I continued to enjoy audiobook narration by Adenrele Ojo. If you're interested in listening to this book as an audiobook like I did, you might be able to do so for free through if your public library offers audiobooks through the Libby app. Otherwise, you can support your local bookstore by signing up for a Libro.fm membership [referral link], where you can get Sisters of the Forsaken Stars for one credit (and you get a free credit when you first sign up).
Despite these disappointments I'm interested in reading a third book if it materializes. It sounds like the story is going to venture even further toward the outer reaches of colonization, into the mysterious and less Earth-influenced System Four.
I continued to enjoy audiobook narration by Adenrele Ojo. If you're interested in listening to this book as an audiobook like I did, you might be able to do so for free through if your public library offers audiobooks through the Libby app. Otherwise, you can support your local bookstore by signing up for a Libro.fm membership [referral link], where you can get Sisters of the Forsaken Stars for one credit (and you get a free credit when you first sign up).
November 22, 2022
I have to admit I wasn’t to keen on getting into this book. I didn’t enjoy reading the first book as much as I hoped, but I wanted to continue anyway to see where the plot takes us. It’s definitely on me, that I hadn’t such a great time.
The writing is good, solid at least, but this book heavily relies on characters and not so much on plot and that’s something I tend to not like, with some exceptions. I also didn’t remember much about the first book, only some small details, and I think it would have been easier to follow the characters and their stories if I would have remembered more or read the books closer together.
If you liked the first book though, I think you will enjoy this one as well. For me it had a similar feeling.
The writing is good, solid at least, but this book heavily relies on characters and not so much on plot and that’s something I tend to not like, with some exceptions. I also didn’t remember much about the first book, only some small details, and I think it would have been easier to follow the characters and their stories if I would have remembered more or read the books closer together.
If you liked the first book though, I think you will enjoy this one as well. For me it had a similar feeling.
July 4, 2023
I enjoyed this, but liked it less than Sisters of the Vast Black. To a great extent that's because this book felt a little more meandering, a little less cohesive—I've got to imagine that Lina Rather is banking on this being the middle book in an eventual trilogy, because the A plot and B plot don't really interact and Sisters of the Forsaken Stars doesn't so much "have an ending" as "end." I did like Rather's continuing emphasis on community, however, and her grappling with questions of humanity and the personal vs political and the responsibilities of myth making.
March 6, 2022
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous book. The Sister’s banter was sparse. Although we did get to see more of Gemma in her new life.
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