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Grayline Sisters #1
The Daughter Star
What a rotten way for everything to turn out. Freighter pilot Marta Grayline is grounded, trapped on her miserable home planet by an intrasystem war that’s separated her from her beautiful girlfriend, her career, and everything she loves.
When her sister Beth offers her a way out by enlisting in the Novan Emergency Fleet, Marta jumps at the opportunity to get back into space.
But when her ship is attacked and destroyed, she finds herself stranded on a mysterious space station with a crew that won’t answer her questions.
And, of course, then there’s the aliens – the planet-destroying Abrax that somehow seem to have a hold on Beth.
They’re coming for Marta, too.
She’ll have to face ancient forces, her own doubts, and the inside of an alien mind if she wants to get some answers, complete her mission, and unlock her own latent potential. The Daughter Star, the red beacon in the night sky, may yet be the key to the freedom and understanding Marta so desperately wants.
When her sister Beth offers her a way out by enlisting in the Novan Emergency Fleet, Marta jumps at the opportunity to get back into space.
But when her ship is attacked and destroyed, she finds herself stranded on a mysterious space station with a crew that won’t answer her questions.
And, of course, then there’s the aliens – the planet-destroying Abrax that somehow seem to have a hold on Beth.
They’re coming for Marta, too.
She’ll have to face ancient forces, her own doubts, and the inside of an alien mind if she wants to get some answers, complete her mission, and unlock her own latent potential. The Daughter Star, the red beacon in the night sky, may yet be the key to the freedom and understanding Marta so desperately wants.
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2013
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447 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 4, 2013
There’s something recognizably Bigelow about Susan Jane’s writing that seeps into each of her books and proves them to be just that perfect read for a certain mood. She understands human nature so well, and even though it may be through a sullen lens I find her characters and stories utterly refreshing. As with her Extrahumans series, The Daughter Star should not be turned to if you’re seeking a happily ever after, but if you want a very real portrait of relationships, nonconformity, and an uncomfortable desire to belong, she ought to be at the top of your list.
The Daughter Star was an out of the box read for me because it is strait up SciFi. Not the easier earthy SciFi with futuristic tech I tend to read, but SciFi of the hard-core we live on other planets and travel in space variety. And you know what? I think it’s going to be a new goal of mine to seek out more such reads that I will enjoy, because SJB has proven to me that they can be exciting, quick paced, and scientific without drowning me in technobabble I’m unable to grasp. It is somewhat militaristic SciFi without being overly so. Political but not stifling.
The Daughter Star takes place three centuries after the evacuation and destruction of our planet. When the Abrax came, claiming the need to harvest our atmosphere for their further existence and offering two habitable planets as exchange, humans struck a deal, believing that if they didn’t they’d be destroyed by a race with far fewer considerations for our continued survival. Marta Grayline is a pilot who’s escaped from the less comfortable of these two planets, only to be forced home again when war breaks out between the two surviving human refuges.
The thing I love about Susan Jane Bigelow’s female characters is how uncomfortable they seem. Marta isn’t a character we instantly fall for, but one we can’t help but sympathize with because in so many ways viewing her internal struggles is like holding up a mirror to parts your own inner-self. That driving need to belong somewhere and with someone, the fear of backlash from your family, but inability to do as they desire, the fierce need to protect those you love even as you chafe against others doing the same to you. Marta is a character searching desperately for a cause, and there are so many factions clamoring to recruit, but continually she seems unable to really settle her mind to anything. Moreover, Marta is the unexpected character. She is not the chosen one, but someone acting out of love and need–quite possibly the only one able to save those around her from themselves despite being such a small player in the game.
The Daughter Star is a book that recognizes that people go through major changes in their lives, and that we very rarely remain the people those around us expect us to eternally stay. I love that, as with her previous work, SJB takes on LGBT issues with a deft balance that acknowledges a continued struggle to fit into society while simultaneously professing complete normality of these relationships. It is a work full of unexpected turns that come at a pace set to remind readers not to get too comfortable in any situation, it is certain to change.
As much as I enjoyed the overarching story and character of Marta, I admit that I had a hard time connecting to The Daughter Star on any emotional level. Marta is a woman struggling to connect with any cause, and as she is unable to commit her emotions, so are we. I was unable to invest myself in her various personal connections because of the pace and turns. Yes, they kept the story moving and made it quite a quick and enjoyable read, but they also left me a little empty at the close. I want to be invested in Marta’s future, in the futures of Beth, humanity, and the Abrax, but with this first installment I am unconvinced. Still, I remain faithful in Bigelow’s ability to look at big picture issues through the small scope of individuals, and to connect me with the story that is to come.
Original review posted at Bunbury in the Stacks.
The Daughter Star was an out of the box read for me because it is strait up SciFi. Not the easier earthy SciFi with futuristic tech I tend to read, but SciFi of the hard-core we live on other planets and travel in space variety. And you know what? I think it’s going to be a new goal of mine to seek out more such reads that I will enjoy, because SJB has proven to me that they can be exciting, quick paced, and scientific without drowning me in technobabble I’m unable to grasp. It is somewhat militaristic SciFi without being overly so. Political but not stifling.
The Daughter Star takes place three centuries after the evacuation and destruction of our planet. When the Abrax came, claiming the need to harvest our atmosphere for their further existence and offering two habitable planets as exchange, humans struck a deal, believing that if they didn’t they’d be destroyed by a race with far fewer considerations for our continued survival. Marta Grayline is a pilot who’s escaped from the less comfortable of these two planets, only to be forced home again when war breaks out between the two surviving human refuges.
The thing I love about Susan Jane Bigelow’s female characters is how uncomfortable they seem. Marta isn’t a character we instantly fall for, but one we can’t help but sympathize with because in so many ways viewing her internal struggles is like holding up a mirror to parts your own inner-self. That driving need to belong somewhere and with someone, the fear of backlash from your family, but inability to do as they desire, the fierce need to protect those you love even as you chafe against others doing the same to you. Marta is a character searching desperately for a cause, and there are so many factions clamoring to recruit, but continually she seems unable to really settle her mind to anything. Moreover, Marta is the unexpected character. She is not the chosen one, but someone acting out of love and need–quite possibly the only one able to save those around her from themselves despite being such a small player in the game.
The Daughter Star is a book that recognizes that people go through major changes in their lives, and that we very rarely remain the people those around us expect us to eternally stay. I love that, as with her previous work, SJB takes on LGBT issues with a deft balance that acknowledges a continued struggle to fit into society while simultaneously professing complete normality of these relationships. It is a work full of unexpected turns that come at a pace set to remind readers not to get too comfortable in any situation, it is certain to change.
As much as I enjoyed the overarching story and character of Marta, I admit that I had a hard time connecting to The Daughter Star on any emotional level. Marta is a woman struggling to connect with any cause, and as she is unable to commit her emotions, so are we. I was unable to invest myself in her various personal connections because of the pace and turns. Yes, they kept the story moving and made it quite a quick and enjoyable read, but they also left me a little empty at the close. I want to be invested in Marta’s future, in the futures of Beth, humanity, and the Abrax, but with this first installment I am unconvinced. Still, I remain faithful in Bigelow’s ability to look at big picture issues through the small scope of individuals, and to connect me with the story that is to come.
Original review posted at Bunbury in the Stacks.
June 17, 2013
Originally posted at Kirkus
Freighter pilot Marta Grayline is caught in the middle of an impending war between her home planet Nea and its neighbor Adastre. When the war starts, she has nowhere to go but back to her family home in Gideon, a traditionalist, backward country in Nea, where women have little freedom. Away from her beloved job, her friends and her Adastran girlfriend and at odds with her conservative family, Marta feels incredibly isolated in Gideon. So, when the opportunity arises for her and her younger sister, Beth, to join the Novan Emergency Fleet, she takes it, no questions asked.
I love Susan Jane Bigelow’s science fiction novels because they are an incredibly complex mixture of awesome personal character arcs and great stories which often contain thoughtful elements including politics, social commentary and gender issues without ever making her books any less fun.
The Daughter Star takes us to a different universe than that of her excellent Extrahuman series. The gist of the story is: It’s hundreds of years in the future and, in the Family Ternary Star System, war has just been declared between its two main planets Adastre and Nea. The main reason for this war is, ostensibly, an attempt to control Haven, a third habitable planet that orbits the Daughter Star. Beneath this reasoning, though, lie hundreds of years of tension stemming from their shared history. The humans that inhabit these planets are the sole humans in the universe, forcibly moved to this Star System after Earth was destroyed by an alien species called the Abrax, who showed up to harvest the Earth’s atmosphere. Nobody has heard from the Abrax in ages (cue sound of Impending Doom).
It’s in this context that Marta’s—and to an extent her sister’s—arc develops. And it’s a story that is extremely personal but which does not happen in a vacuum. Marta is a member of a family, a citizen of a country, an employee of a government, a person with a diverse group of friends as well as a girlfriend whom she hasn’t seen in months. All of those inform her arc in different ways: There is her sense of freedom at constant war with the impediments imposed by Gideon’s government; her sense of self-worth that is a result of her talent as a pilot and which is constantly questioned by her family, who feels her worth is diminished because she is not married to a man.
Most of what surrounds Marta is conflicting, so it’s not surprising that she remains for most of the novel a confused mess who doesn’t know where her loyalty belongs: Which side should she support in this war? Who is right, who is wrong? Are the Abrax to be trusted? Is anybody to be trusted? Are her feelings for her girlfriend (the first girl she ever hooked up with) real love or a passing infatuation, and, if the latter, maybe she can get together with other women she meets along the way, right? But how can she even make her mind up when every single person or group she meets has a different story to tell and a different horse to back? History comes into play too, as the true story behind the settlement in Adastre and Nea come to light, showcasing corruption, class and social issues that still survive in the present.
The beauty in Bigelow’s stories is…that life is a complicated mass of different influences and there are absolutely no easy answers. This makes up for an engaging read as we follow Marta’s transformation from a somewhat naïve, hesitant girl who is a little bit oblivious and a lot impulsive into a mature, confident woman.
This is a new trilogy, each book following one of the Grayline sisters. I can’t wait for the next one.
In Book Smugglerish, a starry-eyed 8 out of 10.
Freighter pilot Marta Grayline is caught in the middle of an impending war between her home planet Nea and its neighbor Adastre. When the war starts, she has nowhere to go but back to her family home in Gideon, a traditionalist, backward country in Nea, where women have little freedom. Away from her beloved job, her friends and her Adastran girlfriend and at odds with her conservative family, Marta feels incredibly isolated in Gideon. So, when the opportunity arises for her and her younger sister, Beth, to join the Novan Emergency Fleet, she takes it, no questions asked.
I love Susan Jane Bigelow’s science fiction novels because they are an incredibly complex mixture of awesome personal character arcs and great stories which often contain thoughtful elements including politics, social commentary and gender issues without ever making her books any less fun.
The Daughter Star takes us to a different universe than that of her excellent Extrahuman series. The gist of the story is: It’s hundreds of years in the future and, in the Family Ternary Star System, war has just been declared between its two main planets Adastre and Nea. The main reason for this war is, ostensibly, an attempt to control Haven, a third habitable planet that orbits the Daughter Star. Beneath this reasoning, though, lie hundreds of years of tension stemming from their shared history. The humans that inhabit these planets are the sole humans in the universe, forcibly moved to this Star System after Earth was destroyed by an alien species called the Abrax, who showed up to harvest the Earth’s atmosphere. Nobody has heard from the Abrax in ages (cue sound of Impending Doom).
It’s in this context that Marta’s—and to an extent her sister’s—arc develops. And it’s a story that is extremely personal but which does not happen in a vacuum. Marta is a member of a family, a citizen of a country, an employee of a government, a person with a diverse group of friends as well as a girlfriend whom she hasn’t seen in months. All of those inform her arc in different ways: There is her sense of freedom at constant war with the impediments imposed by Gideon’s government; her sense of self-worth that is a result of her talent as a pilot and which is constantly questioned by her family, who feels her worth is diminished because she is not married to a man.
Most of what surrounds Marta is conflicting, so it’s not surprising that she remains for most of the novel a confused mess who doesn’t know where her loyalty belongs: Which side should she support in this war? Who is right, who is wrong? Are the Abrax to be trusted? Is anybody to be trusted? Are her feelings for her girlfriend (the first girl she ever hooked up with) real love or a passing infatuation, and, if the latter, maybe she can get together with other women she meets along the way, right? But how can she even make her mind up when every single person or group she meets has a different story to tell and a different horse to back? History comes into play too, as the true story behind the settlement in Adastre and Nea come to light, showcasing corruption, class and social issues that still survive in the present.
The beauty in Bigelow’s stories is…that life is a complicated mass of different influences and there are absolutely no easy answers. This makes up for an engaging read as we follow Marta’s transformation from a somewhat naïve, hesitant girl who is a little bit oblivious and a lot impulsive into a mature, confident woman.
This is a new trilogy, each book following one of the Grayline sisters. I can’t wait for the next one.
In Book Smugglerish, a starry-eyed 8 out of 10.
May 31, 2013
Nobody writes a sullen woman like Susan Jane Bigelow. Don’t get me wrong; they have their reasons for their moodiness. Stuck on something of a forced sabbatical with their repressive family in a repressive country, girlfriend unreachable, this corner of the galaxy about to get into an interplanetary war—there are a lot of stresses on young women like Marta Grayline. Bigelow settles us into the tension almost immediately with two quick flashes of prologue, and then we’re immersed in Marta’s world, a familiar story for some of us, even in this far-future science fiction setup: can I hide my queerness while I’m spending time with my relatives?
Marta has tried in full earnestness mode to find her place, even if her choices began with an intense need to leave her home country, Gideon, on the gravity-heavy planet Nea. It’s almost as if it took so much energy to get distance from her preacher father and smothering family that Marta doesn’t have much left for self-confidence. And yet it’s that very sense of self that Marta needs to make a difference in the war between Nea and Adastre. And maybe conversely, it’s the painfulness of coming from a closed family in a closed country on a less-than planet that fuels Marta’s drive. Bigelow does a great job of layering on the sadness and strife that come with the legacy of paternal choices made for an entire people.
Marta finds herself commanded to join her planet’s forces in the war effort, and her little sister Beth worms her way in as an enlistee. Beth is a great foil for Marta: we’re not sure of her intentions for a good long while, and although she’s certainly from the same building blocks as Marta, she seems to be making different choices than her big sister has. There are a few warning flags as they find their way out of Gideon, but Marta is so excited to be back in her element that she overlooks them. Bigelow gives us just enough in the way of tone and word choice that we should be worried for the sisters, because of course outer space during war is not the same as piloting a trade ship in peacetime. Soon enough Marta’s ship is destroyed and she finds herself a captive on a space station, a clear prisoner of the crew there. And now the alien Abrax who were responsible for the Earth’s demise and who have been unseen for hundreds of years, make their reappearance. Bigelow does a great job of touching these presumably distant points back together—what does one young woman’s legacy, one man’s decision made once upon a time, one family’s grip on a made-up tradition all have in common?
Read the book and find out. Highly recommended. The Daughter Star will stick around in my head for a long while.
Marta has tried in full earnestness mode to find her place, even if her choices began with an intense need to leave her home country, Gideon, on the gravity-heavy planet Nea. It’s almost as if it took so much energy to get distance from her preacher father and smothering family that Marta doesn’t have much left for self-confidence. And yet it’s that very sense of self that Marta needs to make a difference in the war between Nea and Adastre. And maybe conversely, it’s the painfulness of coming from a closed family in a closed country on a less-than planet that fuels Marta’s drive. Bigelow does a great job of layering on the sadness and strife that come with the legacy of paternal choices made for an entire people.
Marta finds herself commanded to join her planet’s forces in the war effort, and her little sister Beth worms her way in as an enlistee. Beth is a great foil for Marta: we’re not sure of her intentions for a good long while, and although she’s certainly from the same building blocks as Marta, she seems to be making different choices than her big sister has. There are a few warning flags as they find their way out of Gideon, but Marta is so excited to be back in her element that she overlooks them. Bigelow gives us just enough in the way of tone and word choice that we should be worried for the sisters, because of course outer space during war is not the same as piloting a trade ship in peacetime. Soon enough Marta’s ship is destroyed and she finds herself a captive on a space station, a clear prisoner of the crew there. And now the alien Abrax who were responsible for the Earth’s demise and who have been unseen for hundreds of years, make their reappearance. Bigelow does a great job of touching these presumably distant points back together—what does one young woman’s legacy, one man’s decision made once upon a time, one family’s grip on a made-up tradition all have in common?
Read the book and find out. Highly recommended. The Daughter Star will stick around in my head for a long while.
June 4, 2013
LOVED this. Great characters, great writing, great story. Bring on the next one, ASAP!!
June 22, 2016
I was invested enough in Marta that I felt her frustration in Gideon, felt her anger at people trying to sabotage her choices, and then felt her elation as she found a new way to get to space again (when she left, my notes just say: “yay!”). She’s one of my favorite characters in some time. I like the fact that she’s crude and rough, sometimes mystified at why her methods don’t get the best results. I felt a bit protective of her by the end of the book. She’s bullish and stubborn, and I absolutely loved her.
Beth and Marta end up falling into the company of a handful of people who call themselves Shadow Runners. When they reach the Shadow Station, everything seems strange. There’s only a small group of people for such a large station. They don’t seem happy to see the new people, even though they themselves rescued Beth and Marta. They’re hiding an awful lot of secrets, ones which can’t help coming out eventually.
The Abrax aren’t around so much lately, but it turns out that there are still a few hidden away.
The plot is riveting, the characters totally pulled me in, and I want to read this volume again to get some of the less-obvious details.
Original review on my site, including premise: http://www.errantdreams.com/2016/06/r...
Beth and Marta end up falling into the company of a handful of people who call themselves Shadow Runners. When they reach the Shadow Station, everything seems strange. There’s only a small group of people for such a large station. They don’t seem happy to see the new people, even though they themselves rescued Beth and Marta. They’re hiding an awful lot of secrets, ones which can’t help coming out eventually.
The Abrax aren’t around so much lately, but it turns out that there are still a few hidden away.
The plot is riveting, the characters totally pulled me in, and I want to read this volume again to get some of the less-obvious details.
Original review on my site, including premise: http://www.errantdreams.com/2016/06/r...
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September 13, 2013I don't know how to rate this book. Yes I compulsively read to the end and wanted to find out what happened next. And it's hallelujah amazing to read a book about women doing things, women talking, women snarking about men as if there were no male gaze affecting the writer's process. And a lesbian MC with the romantic elements woven through matter of factly? Awesome. But...
BUT the writing is a hot mess. This is a draft, not a finished book. The story is barely sketched in, the characterization is inconsistent and shallow, the writing is at times painful, there are inconsistencies from scene to scene, the narrative jerks from scene to scene, the MC is passive as all hell and NEVER does the logical thing or asks the logical question or makes a decision for herself (even the start of the big climax is something she happens to do without intent or reflection and she doesn't fight for a different outcome, just gives in), and the science in the science fiction is so suspect I kept stopping to think, huh? There's not even a hand-waving excuse for how or why things happen. And to top it all off, there's no explanation for why women would be second-class citizens in the MC's homeland, except default that's what restrictive societies would be like.
BUT the writing is a hot mess. This is a draft, not a finished book. The story is barely sketched in, the characterization is inconsistent and shallow, the writing is at times painful, there are inconsistencies from scene to scene, the narrative jerks from scene to scene, the MC is passive as all hell and NEVER does the logical thing or asks the logical question or makes a decision for herself (even the start of the big climax is something she happens to do without intent or reflection and she doesn't fight for a different outcome, just gives in), and the science in the science fiction is so suspect I kept stopping to think, huh? There's not even a hand-waving excuse for how or why things happen. And to top it all off, there's no explanation for why women would be second-class citizens in the MC's homeland, except default that's what restrictive societies would be like.
January 25, 2019
Love it! I loved all three of Susan Bigelow's books in the Extrahuman Union series, so I knew I was going to love this too. She has the gift of the great science fiction writer--to make fantastical places and futures seem vivid and real. The characters in all of her books are also incredibly three dimensional for science fiction. My only regret is that the next book in this series, The Seeker Star, is not out yet. You can be sure I'll read it when it does!
September 6, 2013
I used read sci fi all the time but about ten years ago I just drifted away. lately I have been reading a lot of fantasy and mysteries. I have to say.......Susan J. Bigelow....you have made me want to read sci fi again! I can't wait for the next book in the series.
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June 28, 2013trying to decide what I feel about this book....
May 30, 2015
2.5 stars
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