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Star City

(Star City #1)

Edwin Peng (Goodreads Author)

3.42 · Rating details · 31 ratings · 22 reviews

An alien race, the Ba’ren, makes contact with Earth. To jumpstart diplomacy with humans, the Ba’ren offer their advanced medical technology, prompting the United States government to create a joint research project, and to call for the best of the best.

Eighteen-year-old Emma Smith, ready to capitalize on this historic opportunity, beats thousands of applicants for the posi ...more

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Published December 4th 2017 by Evolved Publishing

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Dec 06, 2017 Krystal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

With his debut novel, Star City, Edwin Peng delivered intergalactic intrigue and action, along with relevant commentary about historical and current politic dynamics affecting Earth!

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Oct 20, 2017 Mary Fan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult

Edwin Peng’s debut novel, STAR CITY, is a YA sci-fi tale that tells the story of alien first contact from the point of view of two teenagers: Emma Smith, a college freshman who’s given the coveted position of student ambassador, and Sepporinen, a young alien who’s assigned to be her counterpart. The alien race, called the Ba’ren, are a technologically advanced and peace-loving society that hopes to be Earth’s benevolent allies. To prove their goodwill, they offer medical technology that can cure Edwin Peng’s debut novel, STAR CITY, is a YA sci-fi tale that tells the story of alien first contact from the point of view of two teenagers: Emma Smith, a college freshman who’s given the coveted position of student ambassador, and Sepporinen, a young alien who’s assigned to be her counterpart. The alien race, called the Ba’ren, are a technologically advanced and peace-loving society that hopes to be Earth’s benevolent allies. To prove their goodwill, they offer medical technology that can cure a form of childhood cancer and team up with human scientists to develop the cure. However, not all humans welcome the Ba’ren’s presence, and not all Ba’ren want to form an alliance with Earth. Between extremists on Earth who believe the Ba’ren to be an invading force to isolationist Ba’ren factions, diplomacy gets harder and harder every day. Emma and Sepporinen soon find themselves at the heart of the conflict, working desperately to salvage the fragile relations between Earth and the Ba’ren.

Emma and Sepporinen start the book in polar opposite positions. Emma is thrilled at having beat out thousands of applicants for her role as student ambassadors and sees this as a wonderful opportunity. Sepporinen, on the other hand, never wanted anything to do with this mission. He cares more about prospecting for riches, but was thrust into the junior ambassador position by his government for reasons that are unclear to him. Both are intriguing characters, especially Sepporinen, whose alien culture is thoroughly explored through fantastic world-building. It’s practically hate at first sight when the two finally meet. Over the course of the book, their relationship develops and shifts, until they find themselves unlikely partners.

But though the narrative centers on the two young protagonists, the story of STAR CITY is much, much broader. It’s essentially the story of two clashing worlds filtered through Emma and Sepporinen. Through secondary characters and news reports, we see the impact of the aliens’ arrival on Earth on not only the Emma’s country, the United States, but the world as a whole. In addition, Sepporinen’s dialogue with his people shows how various Ba’ren are reacting to the attempted diplomacy. It’s an expansive and richly wrought feat of both world-building and storytelling. And much of it rings true. The Ba’ren society is developed in detail (and is quite different from Earth’s), and Earth’s reactions—from religious fundamentalists claiming the Ba’ren are demons to internet-conspiracy-fueled extremists—seem all too believable.

It’s hard to believe Peng was able to pack such a big story into such a little book (maybe not little, but certainly not the 1000-page tome it could have been!). Personally, I enjoyed the efficiency of his writing and how fast-paced the story was. It was a quick, addictive read that kept me glued to the pages (well, screen since I had a Kindle version!). STAR CITY is the first book of a trilogy, though it has a conclusion of sorts while leaving the door open for its two sequels. I, for one, can’t wait to get my hands on them! ...more

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Jan 19, 2018 Jenny rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, age-ya, genre-science-fiction

I was given a cope of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3 ⭐️

While an interesting concept, this novel fell a little flat for me.

The characters were interesting in the beginning, but I felt no real development from neither Emma nor Sepporinen. It was also quite heavy on the politics side, too heavy at times. I didn't feel the attraction between the main characters and the romance didn't feel real (view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 04, 2017 Lauren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It's always a special occasion when an author releases their debut novel, and it's just as special when said debut novel is a gem of a read. I can most certainly attest to this when it comes to Edwin Peng's "Star City."

I was given an ARC of the novel and I went into it with no expectations apart from what was revealed in the synopsis. I completed it this morning, already anticipating the next installment of the trilogy. While aliens arriving to Earth is not a new concept, how it unfolds in this ...more

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Dec 08, 2017 Kim rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017

This was a YA book, complete with aliens. It was just okay for me. Emma and Sepporinen together felt very forced, I did not get any real chemistry from them.

The world itself was well done and I enjoyed it, but did not connect with the main characters. I also found there was too many secondary characters to keep everyone straight.

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May 25, 2018 Dawn Cicchini rated it liked it · review of another edition

Simple and entertaining... Mostly

As an adult reader, I found this book to be a little below my usual reading level. The pacing was good and the chapters flew by but I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the characters. Other than the two protagonists, there wasn't much to distinguish the cast from typical YA stand-ins.

There was a little surprise near the end that I hoped would take the conclusion another direction, but this book stayed true to a proven formula.

For a younger sci fi fan or som ...more

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Jul 26, 2018 Julie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, ya, sff

I received an ARC copy of this from the author, but I’ve been a very slow reader.

Star City is set in Nebraska after an alien race makes contact with Earth. The mission is supposed to be a cooperative endeavor in which alien technology helps cure childhood cancers. The two main characters are Emma Smith, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed University of Nebraska freshman, and Sepporinen, a Ba’ren youth who would rather be mining than have anything to do with Earth. As the cultures clash, both young peopl I received an ARC copy of this from the author, but I’ve been a very slow reader.

Star City is set in Nebraska after an alien race makes contact with Earth. The mission is supposed to be a cooperative endeavor in which alien technology helps cure childhood cancers. The two main characters are Emma Smith, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed University of Nebraska freshman, and Sepporinen, a Ba’ren youth who would rather be mining than have anything to do with Earth. As the cultures clash, both young people do the best they can to try to get the best results for all, but it doesn’t come without sacrifice.

This story is supposed to be YA, but as Emma is already in college, it’s on that fuzzy border with NA. There isn’t much actual romance in the story because the leads spend half of it disliking each other, and not in a way that feels like disguised attraction. Later when they kiss, video of it causes a scandal all over the world. I was confused about the story logic as to why that was.

There were things I loved and things I didn’t. I found the writing oddly stilted. If it would have been in the alien point of view only, maybe that would have been easier to accept, but it was stilted even when it was Emma’s point of view. For example, Emma’s parents are referred to as Mom and Dad. They never have names, so I would have expected it to say “her mom” or “her dad,” but it doesn’t.

The alien race had several subcultures with their own names, appearances, and customs. Often the names were so odd to me that I didn’t even try to read them. I’m good with foreign earth languages, so I have some patience for it generally. Not with these characters.

The entire story is told from 3rd person POV, but when scenes changed and a different character had the lead POV, it was labelled. This is a pet peeve of mine because it’s completely unnecessary. If you’re reader can’t figure that out without a needless label, either your writing is too complicated or your reader doesn’t have any reading comprehension.

Other stuff was really fun. I’ve only ever driven through Nebraska, but it was fantastic to see a story like this set there. It’s not all Los Angeles and New York. The author makes use of his inside knowledge to the betterment of the story because the setting comes alive in small details.

Sepporinen’s subculture, the Saamaa, reminded me of Finland and the Saami. The author did take several earth cultures and twist them into something new for the Ba’ren aliens. This was one that I rather enjoyed since I know Finnish and have lived in several parts of the country. There is even one character who’s name is a twist on the demi-god Väinämöinen.

Another thing that I enjoyed was that the Ba’ren race communicate with smell. They have several idioms that go along with it, such as smelling the news. I got great joy when I read those parts because it felt like a fleshed out culture.

There are also lots of jokes and Easter eggs pertaining to various scifi entertainment from the last 50 years. The people who are already fans will love picking them out, and they will likely go over the heads of those who don’t care. But then again, the people who are likely to read this book ARE scifi fans.

The bottom line is this debut novel tries to tell a realistic story about what might happen in a first diplomatic mission. It shows humanity at its best and worst because we are nothing if not a dichotomy. The technical terms used in this book are more earth-bound since it deals with real situations like curing cancer. There isn’t talk about warp drives and reactor coils and whatnot. It is the first of a trilogy, so it might hook you into reading more since the stars of Star City are clearly not done. ...more

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May 03, 2018 Stephanie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, fantasy-paranormal-sci-fi, romance, young-adult

Aliens have come to Earth. The Ba'ren have come to Earth looking for peaceful diplomacy, trade and to help with medical research. Part of the diplomacy efforts include two human student ambassadors paired with two Ba'ren ambassadors at the University of Nebraska where ongoing osteosarcoma treatment is taking place that the Ba'ren believe they have a cure for. Emma Smith has been chosen to be one of the student ambassadors to the Ba'ren; as a freshman, Emma hopes to advance her career in biomedic
Aliens have come to Earth. The Ba'ren have come to Earth looking for peaceful diplomacy, trade and to help with medical research. Part of the diplomacy efforts include two human student ambassadors paired with two Ba'ren ambassadors at the University of Nebraska where ongoing osteosarcoma treatment is taking place that the Ba'ren believe they have a cure for. Emma Smith has been chosen to be one of the student ambassadors to the Ba'ren; as a freshman, Emma hopes to advance her career in biomedical engineering and get to know the Ba'ren. Sepporinen is one of the Ba'ren ambassadors chosen. Unlike Emma, he has no desire to meet another species. Sepporinen would much rather explore the mining opportunities of the asteroids that orbit our Solar System. Emma and Sepporinen are paired together for classes and diplomacy for better or worse, and things quickly get worse as some humans push back against the Ba'ren's involvement on Earth. Things take another strange turn as Emma and Sepporinen find themselves inexplicably drawn towards one another.

Star City is an interesting Young Adult Science Fiction story that follows a story line that we know well, boy meets girl, boy hates girl and then boy and girl and girl fall in love. One aspect that makes this story unique are the reasons why they fall in love. Emma and Sepporinen are both unlikely candidates for the student diplomat positions, the reasoning is not clear until the end, but creates another layer of suspense throughout the story. Another aspect of the story that created tension throughout was the very realistic way that the human population responded to the Ba'ren. There were many parallels between the perception of the Ba'ren coming to Earth and any change that we try to implement on Earth. When the Ba'ren attempted to help humans, there were factions of people that became violent and racist, people that protested, people who responded with fear as well as governments from other countries that attempted to interfere with the way the USA interacted with the Ba'ren. I was very interested in the Ba'ren, their planet and the many cultures and technology that they have. I hope that this is explored more in the second book. I did like the diversity in the book as well, although I felt that Emma's character could have been fleshed out a little more. The uncertainty between the two species reaches it's apex near the end and the truth of the relationship that each species wanted with the other comes out. Overall, Star City complements inter-species romance with plenty of action and adventure and I can't wait to read the next installment.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ...more

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May 29, 2018 James Hughes rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

How I got this book:
I purchased the Kindle edition of Star City for £2.99 from Amazon.co.uk

Summary:
An alien race, the Ba’ren, have arrived on earth offering trade, peace and the answer to many of our current woes. Star City revolves around Emma Smith (who is given the prestigious position of student ambassador) and her alien counterpart, Sepporinen. Things appear to be going well as typical diplomacy - under rather unusual circumstances - takes place; although things take a turn for the worse as ...more

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Dec 11, 2017 laurel [the suspected bibliophile] rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-read, arcs, sci-fi, ya-books, small-press

We are not alone.

When advanced space-faring aliens came to Earth, they established delegations around the world. Finally, they came to the U.S. with the offer to cure children affected with a specific kind of cancer using one of their own compounds. Emma Smith, an ambitious freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is delighted when she is chosen to be one of two student ambassadors selected to liaise with the aliens. Sepporinen, her Ba'ren counterpart, is less pleased to be part of the d ...more

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Feb 06, 2018 Erik McManus rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book was pretty good. The main characters were Emma (the youthful student ambassador) and Sepporinen (the chosen Alien delegate). They work together to cure diseases with the use of the alien technology. But a lot of the world doesn't agree with working with aliens and choose to start anti-Bar'en groups (Bar'en is the alien race that Sepporinen is a part of).

There was some teen love but I found that most of it wasn't exactly believable. It just seemed like a very elementary school kind of r ...more

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Dec 28, 2017 Ruth Turner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Amazing book!!! If I could give this 100 stars I would. Completely unique and unputdownable. I read this book in one sitting, I just couldn't tear myself away! What would happen if a superior alien race made contact on earth? How would we react? Written from the dual point of view of 2 teens, one earthing and one alien, this book has a truly authentic feel to it. Not only does it deal with the day to day challenges faced by these 2 teens and their life at uni, it tackles head on issues that are ...more

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Apr 15, 2018 Wahid Akash rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I will just say that I won't ask for my money back but the reading was definitely a waste of my time. If you are familiar with 90's poorly made (we all liked those at that time though) sci-fi/alien based tv series or movies, you can definitely associate this book with those. The characters were far away from development, dialogues are not well-written. Most importantly, I could predict every single thing that was going to take place.

If that would have come from a well-established author, I woul ...more

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Mar 26, 2018 Caroline Walker rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

When I first started reading this book, I was little bored. Once the book got going however, it gained momentum and I was genuinely interested in it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of parallels with today's world that this book has. I think it does a great job of talking about what would happen if aliens showed up and wanted to help us. The political climate in America at least, is tumultuous at best and I think this book does a great job of representing it while adding aliens into the mix. ...more

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Mar 23, 2018 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

When a bright, young college women is chosen to be a human ambassador to new aliens, they work on a joint study to heal children with cancer.
Unfortunately, it feels they are all pawns to the fabrications and manipulations of the governments, religion and media.
This is a great book that really gets you thinking about what and how we would all react if aliens did arrive!
I put a full review here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/a9x1MeQB4FA ...more

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Dec 01, 2017 ShinyObject rated it liked it · review of another edition

I received a copy of Star City by Edwin Peng from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the summary of this YA novel and wanted so much to immerse myself in the story, but I just couldn't. The writing style was solid, but the main characters just lacked some chemistry so the plot didn't gel to me. ...more

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Apr 20, 2018 Neil rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, science-fiction

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is a young adult science fiction / romance.
Unfortunately it just felt too long and slow for me.
The characters were also very wooden with very little emotion.
OK but not brilliant.

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Mar 23, 2018 Sharon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

great story
good read win (thank you)
enjoyed and looking forward to the next installment

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Jan 01, 2018 Lynda Stevens rated it really liked it

A great deal of early SF was preoccupied with how humanity might react were they to encounter an intelligent species from another planet. Surely they would react quite well......

Enter the Bah'ren, a humanoid species a notch or two more evolved both technologically and socially than humans.

The aliens are trying to help humans by producing a cure for osteosarcoma in children. Emma Smith, 18, is selected to be a diplomat and get to know her counterpart in thev equally youthful Sepporinin. Neither ...more

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James rated it liked it
Mar 25, 2018

May 24, 2019 Wendy rated it did not like it

I tried. I really, really tried. But I just couldn't finish the book. And it made me sad. Because Edwin Peng has gone through great lengths to describe a world where aliens (Ba'ren) have just landed on earth. And they came with a wonderful gift: a potential new medicine to help cure cancer! So a group of students and researchers is chosen to work with the aliens to study and develop this cure.
So Emma, one of the chosen biomedical engineers is honored to be working with the aliens. She didn't cou ...more

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Dec 16, 2017 John Piper rated it it was amazing

I enjoyed the book. Well written, and the characters draw you in. Dialog was great too. Definitely worth the read!

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About Edwin Peng

Edwin Peng

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Edwin Peng lives in beautiful Lincoln, Nebraska with his beloved Pokémon buddy, Eevee. During the day, he indulges in super-villainy by performing high-power laser research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. At night, his secret identity is that of a literary superhero fighting to make the Young Adult Science Fiction genre less clichéd and more inclusive.

Edwin is the author of the Star City se ...more