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The Sol Majestic
The Sol Majestic is a big-hearted intergalactic adventure for fans of Becky Chambers and The Good Place
Kenna, an aspirational teen guru, wanders destitute across the stars as he tries to achieve his parents' ambition to advise the celestial elite.
Everything changes when Kenna wins a free dinner at The Sol Majestic, the galaxy's most renown restaurant, giving him access to the cosmos's one-percent. His dream is jeopardized, however, when he learns his highly-publicized "free meal" risks putting The Sol Majestic into financial ruin. Kenna and a motley gang of newfound friends -- including a teleporting celebrity chef, a trust-fund adrenaline junkie, an inept apprentice, and a brilliant mistress of disguise -- must concoct an extravagant scheme to save everything they cherish. In doing so, Kenna may sacrifice his ideals -- or learn even greater lessons about wisdom, friendship, and love.
Utterly charming and out of this world, The Sol Majestic is will satisfy the appetites of sci-fi aficionados and newcomers alike.
Kenna, an aspirational teen guru, wanders destitute across the stars as he tries to achieve his parents' ambition to advise the celestial elite.
Everything changes when Kenna wins a free dinner at The Sol Majestic, the galaxy's most renown restaurant, giving him access to the cosmos's one-percent. His dream is jeopardized, however, when he learns his highly-publicized "free meal" risks putting The Sol Majestic into financial ruin. Kenna and a motley gang of newfound friends -- including a teleporting celebrity chef, a trust-fund adrenaline junkie, an inept apprentice, and a brilliant mistress of disguise -- must concoct an extravagant scheme to save everything they cherish. In doing so, Kenna may sacrifice his ideals -- or learn even greater lessons about wisdom, friendship, and love.
Utterly charming and out of this world, The Sol Majestic is will satisfy the appetites of sci-fi aficionados and newcomers alike.
384 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2019
109 people are currently reading
3339 people want to read
About the author
Ferrett Steinmetz
50 books290 followersFerrett Steinmetz’s latest novel THE DRAGON KINGS OF OKLAHOMA, a.k.a. "The Tiger King but with baby dragons," will be out in September 2024. He was once nominated for the Nebula, for which he remains moderately stoked, and lives in Cleveland with his very clever wife and an occasionally friendly ghost.
He has become wise enough to no longer spray the world with ill-advised words in blogs or social media, but sporadic updates are posted on his website at www.theferrett.com.
He has become wise enough to no longer spray the world with ill-advised words in blogs or social media, but sporadic updates are posted on his website at www.theferrett.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
January 14, 2020
I've been a fan of Steinmetz ever since Flex, so it doesn't matter what he writes because I'll be there, enjoying the strong creativity and stronger characters.
I honestly didn't even bother to read the blurb. Silly me. But what really woke me up was the fact that I was now reading a FOODIE novel. Yes, indeed, this is a THING. Not only that, it's becoming more and more common in fantasy and SF.
AND I LOVE IT.
So now that Steinmetz is jumping into the mashup stew, mixing a weird social SF with a more traditional Space Opera and making it focus hard on food, food preparation, the restaurant biz (Sol Majestic, baby!), and the wonderful world of the MAGIC OF FOOD, I knew that I was in for a real treat.
This particular novel brings in philosophies as a political and religious foundation and it messes with people in very interesting ways, but for the most part, as we follow Kenna, a nearly starving outsider to the whole rat-race, we're focused on survival and the blossoming LGBT love and even stronger love associated with FOOD. :) In particular, he makes dear friends with the restaurant and is catapulted into the Philosophy royalty that seems rather preoccupied with a galactic internet popularity contest... of which he has won the jackpot. :)
Add some funny but dire mishaps, business decisions threatening to destroy the restaurant and a FREAKING TON OF BROTH, not to mention a lot of growing up to do, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the tale.
I admit, I now have a problem. I'm addicted to foodie fiction. This is probably worse than watching Gordon Ramsey because there simply isn't enough of this particular sub-genre to fill my stomach properly. I CRAVE so much more!
BTW, if you don't think that Foodie Genre fiction is a thing, I invite you to read Andrew Hiller's A Halo of Mushrooms and full sequence of books by Mathew Wallace starting with Envy of Angels. Fantasy, SF, wild adventures and all of it about FOOD. :)
I honestly didn't even bother to read the blurb. Silly me. But what really woke me up was the fact that I was now reading a FOODIE novel. Yes, indeed, this is a THING. Not only that, it's becoming more and more common in fantasy and SF.
AND I LOVE IT.
So now that Steinmetz is jumping into the mashup stew, mixing a weird social SF with a more traditional Space Opera and making it focus hard on food, food preparation, the restaurant biz (Sol Majestic, baby!), and the wonderful world of the MAGIC OF FOOD, I knew that I was in for a real treat.
This particular novel brings in philosophies as a political and religious foundation and it messes with people in very interesting ways, but for the most part, as we follow Kenna, a nearly starving outsider to the whole rat-race, we're focused on survival and the blossoming LGBT love and even stronger love associated with FOOD. :) In particular, he makes dear friends with the restaurant and is catapulted into the Philosophy royalty that seems rather preoccupied with a galactic internet popularity contest... of which he has won the jackpot. :)
Add some funny but dire mishaps, business decisions threatening to destroy the restaurant and a FREAKING TON OF BROTH, not to mention a lot of growing up to do, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the tale.
I admit, I now have a problem. I'm addicted to foodie fiction. This is probably worse than watching Gordon Ramsey because there simply isn't enough of this particular sub-genre to fill my stomach properly. I CRAVE so much more!
BTW, if you don't think that Foodie Genre fiction is a thing, I invite you to read Andrew Hiller's A Halo of Mushrooms and full sequence of books by Mathew Wallace starting with Envy of Angels. Fantasy, SF, wild adventures and all of it about FOOD. :)
July 12, 2019
It's not often I doubt my tastes as a reader, but every once in a while a book like this comes along.
Kenna is a teenager of philosophy - specifically, an archaic form called the Inevitable Philosophies. His parents scrape across the galaxy trying to bring their "altruistic" (read: privileged) outlook on life to the unenlightened folks. Dragged along with them on cramped transport ships with barely two nutricrackers to keep his belly full, Kenna stumbles upon a mysterious restaurant during a space station stopover. This is the grand and glorious eatery known as The Sol Majestic, a hybrid of Milliways and Dorsia catering to the richest clientele who book their tables with years' worth of waiting and saving. Kenna happens to win a free meal at The Sol Majestic, taken in by its eccentric owner Paulius and his army of sous chefs. While making his meal over six weeks, the restaurant is sent into massive debt over its extravagant prep work, leading Kenna to help compose a dinner ceremony that, if successful, will install Kenna as a new Inevitable Philosopher and prevent The Sol Majestic from being shut down.
This is an odd duck, folks. On its face, the plot, characters and style are all really solid. The book's conceit evokes Willy Wonka, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the filmography of Wes Anderson, an immediately immersive world contained in a restaurant that's both opulent and outrageous. Kenna is an consistently sympathetic protagonist, from his opening scene with food-stealing bullies all the way through his journey of self-discovery and coming-of-age. The supporting cast are all varied and memorable: special mention goes to the restaurant's resident sensate Montgomery, a goggle-eyed thrillseeker toting a cask of sentient bread dough and requiring a new experience each day or else be condemned to a slow death. The plot handles its character development and narrative trajectory well, striking a good balance somewhere between Iron Chef and Moonrise Kingdom as Kenna navigates early adulthood through an insane kitchen. While the humour is there, it never overwhelms, and the book hits some pretty dark dramatic beats in its serious exploration of exiting one's teenage years. It's also very LGBT-friendly, which is always a plus.
Oh, and a central plot element is a young man repeatedly trying to create the perfect chicken broth as a metaphor for entering adulthood. Trust me, by the end of this book you will either know more than enough or way too much about the preparation of chicken broth. So. Much. Chicken broth.
On paper it all works really well, and it's delivered in a present-tense style that is never off-putting. But folks, I just couldn't crack this one all the way.
The reason I doubt my tastes is, in part, because the book's getting plaudits aplenty here on Goodreads. I know one's own opinion shouldn't be wholly governed by the likes and dislikes of others, and there have been plenty of good books that fail to click with me (The Black Prism comes to mind). But something about The Sol Majestic and my tepid reaction to it doesn't make it quite as simple as that. Maybe it's the way the tone wavers too far in either direction at times: once you've calibrated expectations for a serious dramatic interlude, the story does a hard one-eighty and heads for the funnies. Maybe it's the book's middle being a bit ponderous as it juggles a few plot turns that are interesting but disjointed, only coming together in meager fashion towards the end.
It might also be because some of the elements informing the central plot strain the plot's respective uses of realism and absurdism. For example, a key part of the story and one of the reasons behind The Sol Majestic's mammoth debt is an over-purchase of expensive clothing for Kenna's dinner, which doesn't quite work for me as either a realistic or ridiculous reason for needing to save the restaurant from foreclosure. Elements like this show the book's at-times awkward hybridising of weird and grounded storytelling, boomeranging back to the above issues with hard-changing tone. I'm all for a genre- and tone-mashing story, and it's possible to have strange elements that have serious impact (Sebastien de Castell does this really well), but something about this book's specific aims and the culmination of its main plot made me wish it had settled a bit more on one side of the railroad tracks.
But having said all of that, I certainly can't call The Sol Majestic a bad book by any means. The characters are endearing, the plot runs a great course, and the ending brought a big smile to my face. It may not have resonated with me quite like the folks on GR, but I still felt it was a solid, heartwarming book about food and finding yourself (and chicken broth, did I mention that?). Those looking for a recipe of whimsy, drama, and food prep as moments of intense catharsis will probably get a kick out of walking through The Sol Majestic's opulent doors.
Kenna is a teenager of philosophy - specifically, an archaic form called the Inevitable Philosophies. His parents scrape across the galaxy trying to bring their "altruistic" (read: privileged) outlook on life to the unenlightened folks. Dragged along with them on cramped transport ships with barely two nutricrackers to keep his belly full, Kenna stumbles upon a mysterious restaurant during a space station stopover. This is the grand and glorious eatery known as The Sol Majestic, a hybrid of Milliways and Dorsia catering to the richest clientele who book their tables with years' worth of waiting and saving. Kenna happens to win a free meal at The Sol Majestic, taken in by its eccentric owner Paulius and his army of sous chefs. While making his meal over six weeks, the restaurant is sent into massive debt over its extravagant prep work, leading Kenna to help compose a dinner ceremony that, if successful, will install Kenna as a new Inevitable Philosopher and prevent The Sol Majestic from being shut down.
This is an odd duck, folks. On its face, the plot, characters and style are all really solid. The book's conceit evokes Willy Wonka, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the filmography of Wes Anderson, an immediately immersive world contained in a restaurant that's both opulent and outrageous. Kenna is an consistently sympathetic protagonist, from his opening scene with food-stealing bullies all the way through his journey of self-discovery and coming-of-age. The supporting cast are all varied and memorable: special mention goes to the restaurant's resident sensate Montgomery, a goggle-eyed thrillseeker toting a cask of sentient bread dough and requiring a new experience each day or else be condemned to a slow death. The plot handles its character development and narrative trajectory well, striking a good balance somewhere between Iron Chef and Moonrise Kingdom as Kenna navigates early adulthood through an insane kitchen. While the humour is there, it never overwhelms, and the book hits some pretty dark dramatic beats in its serious exploration of exiting one's teenage years. It's also very LGBT-friendly, which is always a plus.
Oh, and a central plot element is a young man repeatedly trying to create the perfect chicken broth as a metaphor for entering adulthood. Trust me, by the end of this book you will either know more than enough or way too much about the preparation of chicken broth. So. Much. Chicken broth.
On paper it all works really well, and it's delivered in a present-tense style that is never off-putting. But folks, I just couldn't crack this one all the way.
The reason I doubt my tastes is, in part, because the book's getting plaudits aplenty here on Goodreads. I know one's own opinion shouldn't be wholly governed by the likes and dislikes of others, and there have been plenty of good books that fail to click with me (The Black Prism comes to mind). But something about The Sol Majestic and my tepid reaction to it doesn't make it quite as simple as that. Maybe it's the way the tone wavers too far in either direction at times: once you've calibrated expectations for a serious dramatic interlude, the story does a hard one-eighty and heads for the funnies. Maybe it's the book's middle being a bit ponderous as it juggles a few plot turns that are interesting but disjointed, only coming together in meager fashion towards the end.
It might also be because some of the elements informing the central plot strain the plot's respective uses of realism and absurdism. For example, a key part of the story and one of the reasons behind The Sol Majestic's mammoth debt is an over-purchase of expensive clothing for Kenna's dinner, which doesn't quite work for me as either a realistic or ridiculous reason for needing to save the restaurant from foreclosure. Elements like this show the book's at-times awkward hybridising of weird and grounded storytelling, boomeranging back to the above issues with hard-changing tone. I'm all for a genre- and tone-mashing story, and it's possible to have strange elements that have serious impact (Sebastien de Castell does this really well), but something about this book's specific aims and the culmination of its main plot made me wish it had settled a bit more on one side of the railroad tracks.
But having said all of that, I certainly can't call The Sol Majestic a bad book by any means. The characters are endearing, the plot runs a great course, and the ending brought a big smile to my face. It may not have resonated with me quite like the folks on GR, but I still felt it was a solid, heartwarming book about food and finding yourself (and chicken broth, did I mention that?). Those looking for a recipe of whimsy, drama, and food prep as moments of intense catharsis will probably get a kick out of walking through The Sol Majestic's opulent doors.
September 1, 2020
This was the first book I picked up this author. However, it is the second book by this author that I've finished. Brace yourself, some timey-wimey stuff might be ahead.
Back in May, I wanted to read this along with DNA's Hitchhiker books. And it did fit. But then the everything-slump hit thanks to this terrible excuse of a year and I finally found myself drained of energy. Thus, this delicious beauty had to wait far too long to be finished.
The Sol Majestic is a very special restaurant on a space station. It is run by an artist (a celebrity chef) and a bookkeeper desperate to come up with the money needed for his artful cooking. But it's not just the meals themselves that are expensive. You see, every meal at the Sol Majestic is an experience. And the latest fait de la cuisine is very special indeed.
Kenna is the son of two Inevitable Philosophers. As such, his way is supposed to be preordained. But how can he find his philosophy when he's busy starving? When he is found and fed by the Sol Majestic's chef and offered a free meal, he cannot fathom how life - for everyone - is about to change.
I seriously LOVED the wonderfully loving descriptions the author used for the cooking process as well as the different tastes. I loved even more how he combined that artful streak with profound usings on modern slavery, growing up, friendship, love and true freedom (mental, emotional and physical).
Moreover, the author had a way to really make you either love or hate the people in this book. Sure, there were more obscure characters such as the other cooks at the Sol Majestic or many of the wealthy patrons coming toKenna's ceremony, but most people were characterized very intricately. For example, I loathed Kenna's parents' arrogance both towards any non-philosopher (while pretending to be such woderful benefactors) and their aloof stupidity. I mean, how can your Inevitable Philosophy be about feeding the masses but then you don't care one bit about your own son starving?!
Then there was the relationships between Scrimshaw and Paulius as well as Kenna and Benzo that were nothing short of beautiful. The author took his time developing them but did it so lovingly, it warmed my heart.
Last but not least, there was the world itself. Not just the station but the galaxy this story takes place in and the people populating it, the politics shaping everyone's lives. So much to discover and hate or love.
Paulius, at the beginning of the book, called the Sol Majestic a temple of transformation ... and it definitely lived up to that description.
This was so different from the author's other book I've read, proving how versatile he is, and yet it was at least as utterly delightful if not more.
Back in May, I wanted to read this along with DNA's Hitchhiker books. And it did fit. But then the everything-slump hit thanks to this terrible excuse of a year and I finally found myself drained of energy. Thus, this delicious beauty had to wait far too long to be finished.
The Sol Majestic is a very special restaurant on a space station. It is run by an artist (a celebrity chef) and a bookkeeper desperate to come up with the money needed for his artful cooking. But it's not just the meals themselves that are expensive. You see, every meal at the Sol Majestic is an experience. And the latest fait de la cuisine is very special indeed.
Kenna is the son of two Inevitable Philosophers. As such, his way is supposed to be preordained. But how can he find his philosophy when he's busy starving? When he is found and fed by the Sol Majestic's chef and offered a free meal, he cannot fathom how life - for everyone - is about to change.
I seriously LOVED the wonderfully loving descriptions the author used for the cooking process as well as the different tastes. I loved even more how he combined that artful streak with profound usings on modern slavery, growing up, friendship, love and true freedom (mental, emotional and physical).
Moreover, the author had a way to really make you either love or hate the people in this book. Sure, there were more obscure characters such as the other cooks at the Sol Majestic or many of the wealthy patrons coming toKenna's ceremony, but most people were characterized very intricately. For example, I loathed Kenna's parents' arrogance both towards any non-philosopher (while pretending to be such woderful benefactors) and their aloof stupidity. I mean, how can your Inevitable Philosophy be about feeding the masses but then you don't care one bit about your own son starving?!
Then there was the relationships between Scrimshaw and Paulius as well as Kenna and Benzo that were nothing short of beautiful. The author took his time developing them but did it so lovingly, it warmed my heart.
Last but not least, there was the world itself. Not just the station but the galaxy this story takes place in and the people populating it, the politics shaping everyone's lives. So much to discover and hate or love.
Paulius, at the beginning of the book, called the Sol Majestic a temple of transformation ... and it definitely lived up to that description.
This was so different from the author's other book I've read, proving how versatile he is, and yet it was at least as utterly delightful if not more.
August 2, 2020
My first (AFAIK) hopepunk novel was not as delicious as its premise. A fine dining restaurant in a space station. The setting itself and the Kindle sample got me interested. Yet it became tasteless at time due to overdescription, and having not able to connect with the main POV was also a drawback for me. I really struggled reading his thoughts. Some characters were far more interesting, like Montgomery the Sensate and her weird dough alien thingy, the strict manager Scrimshaw and the mercurial Paulius. The found family concept was interesting enough.
The food scene itself was wonderful. Clearly the author is an enthusiast foodie and in his acknowledgement he mentioned some restaurants that became his inspiration. I enjoyed that acknowledgement part. Well, I have another hopepunk book to read, I hope it's better.
The food scene itself was wonderful. Clearly the author is an enthusiast foodie and in his acknowledgement he mentioned some restaurants that became his inspiration. I enjoyed that acknowledgement part. Well, I have another hopepunk book to read, I hope it's better.
June 18, 2019
It was Inevitable this book would turn out to be awesome.
April 15, 2022
3.5 Stars
Review:
The description for this book really doesn’t fit, in my opinion. Technically it describes the book, but it doesn’t capture the right vibe. It makes it sounds like the book is about a quirky ragtag team having a fun space adventure. But this was sedate and slow-paced. It took place entirely on one space station. The characters described were there but also kinda sedate and doing their own things to help or having separate relationships with Kenna, rather than forming a real team. Kenna is described as a “teen guru,” but he was really just a sort of sad, lonely, lost boy living in poverty who didn’t really know much about life because of how he was raised.
This was a quirky take on space life though! There was a lot of weird space stuff. Like the whole Inevitable Philosophy religion. Some weird sentient dough thing one character was keeping alive by feeding it constantly. Stasis cubes to keep food from spoiling. A machine that could speed up time while you were in it.
The whole Inevitable Philosophy thing was so strange and never fully explained, so I had a hard time understanding that whole aspect. The philosophies themselves, at least Kenna’s parents’ philosophies, were so absurd and so not philosophies that I can’t imagine anyone would buy them, though I think their absurdity was kind of the point. They were ridiculous, and finally being exposed to life outside of them and away from his parents, working in a kitchen, making friends, etc., made Kenna realize that.
What I did understand was the message about class inequality and the selfishness of the uber rich, how they get their money from the toil of laborers whom they look down on and don’t even pay enough, and damn, Kenna really brought it at the end!
There was kind of a lot in this book, I’m realizing now that I’m thinking about it. Space. Messages about the greed and the value of the working class. Slavery. Poverty. Neglect. Romance. Friendship. Fine dining and food prep. A lot of those make the book sound dark, but I wouldn’t say it was. There were touching elements. The ending is somewhat bittersweet, but more on the sweet side.
There was what I would call a side plot m/m romance between Kenna and Benzo, and it was nice, though I didn’t feel the supposed deep connection there, at least not until near the end (and even then, I think I kind of accepted it more than truly felt it). Before that, they tasted cheese together, they talked maybe twice that the reader saw, they almost kissed, and then Kenna was using the word love. Whether or not he meant it as romantic love or friend love at that point, I still didn’t feel that strength of emotion. But they were two lonely, struggling teens with difficult lives, so I was rooting for their happiness together.
My favorite part of the book was when Kenna and Benzo were inside the time-accelerating machine, though it was only a small part. It was the most riveting part and made me really want to keep listening. Emotionally, I felt more for and from the characters. It was a situation that really pushed them beyond their limits and nearly broke them, bringing out thoughts and feelings and actions we would’ve never seen otherwise. It was also what finally made me believe the feelings between them more. I think this part alone bumped my rating up half a star.
The audiobook narration by James Fouhey was enjoyable. He was a good choice, as his somewhat calm style matched the feel and pace of the story. Character voices were differentiated well enough that I was never confused.
Overall, though a slow story with some darker themes, this was a touching sort of book with some good messages, a character with lots of growth, a bit of romance, fun and quirky space life, and lots of food!
Trigger/Content Warnings: Slavery. Torture. Suicidal thoughts. For more in-depth info… *SPOILER* *END SPOILER*
*Rating: 3.5 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes a quirky take on space life, food, slow and sedate stories, a bit of m/m romance, and some touching relationships.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
The description for this book really doesn’t fit, in my opinion. Technically it describes the book, but it doesn’t capture the right vibe. It makes it sounds like the book is about a quirky ragtag team having a fun space adventure. But this was sedate and slow-paced. It took place entirely on one space station. The characters described were there but also kinda sedate and doing their own things to help or having separate relationships with Kenna, rather than forming a real team. Kenna is described as a “teen guru,” but he was really just a sort of sad, lonely, lost boy living in poverty who didn’t really know much about life because of how he was raised.
This was a quirky take on space life though! There was a lot of weird space stuff. Like the whole Inevitable Philosophy religion. Some weird sentient dough thing one character was keeping alive by feeding it constantly. Stasis cubes to keep food from spoiling. A machine that could speed up time while you were in it.
The whole Inevitable Philosophy thing was so strange and never fully explained, so I had a hard time understanding that whole aspect. The philosophies themselves, at least Kenna’s parents’ philosophies, were so absurd and so not philosophies that I can’t imagine anyone would buy them, though I think their absurdity was kind of the point. They were ridiculous, and finally being exposed to life outside of them and away from his parents, working in a kitchen, making friends, etc., made Kenna realize that.
What I did understand was the message about class inequality and the selfishness of the uber rich, how they get their money from the toil of laborers whom they look down on and don’t even pay enough, and damn, Kenna really brought it at the end!
There was kind of a lot in this book, I’m realizing now that I’m thinking about it. Space. Messages about the greed and the value of the working class. Slavery. Poverty. Neglect. Romance. Friendship. Fine dining and food prep. A lot of those make the book sound dark, but I wouldn’t say it was. There were touching elements. The ending is somewhat bittersweet, but more on the sweet side.
There was what I would call a side plot m/m romance between Kenna and Benzo, and it was nice, though I didn’t feel the supposed deep connection there, at least not until near the end (and even then, I think I kind of accepted it more than truly felt it). Before that, they tasted cheese together, they talked maybe twice that the reader saw, they almost kissed, and then Kenna was using the word love. Whether or not he meant it as romantic love or friend love at that point, I still didn’t feel that strength of emotion. But they were two lonely, struggling teens with difficult lives, so I was rooting for their happiness together.
My favorite part of the book was when Kenna and Benzo were inside the time-accelerating machine, though it was only a small part. It was the most riveting part and made me really want to keep listening. Emotionally, I felt more for and from the characters. It was a situation that really pushed them beyond their limits and nearly broke them, bringing out thoughts and feelings and actions we would’ve never seen otherwise. It was also what finally made me believe the feelings between them more. I think this part alone bumped my rating up half a star.
The audiobook narration by James Fouhey was enjoyable. He was a good choice, as his somewhat calm style matched the feel and pace of the story. Character voices were differentiated well enough that I was never confused.
Overall, though a slow story with some darker themes, this was a touching sort of book with some good messages, a character with lots of growth, a bit of romance, fun and quirky space life, and lots of food!
Trigger/Content Warnings: Slavery. Torture. Suicidal thoughts. For more in-depth info… *SPOILER* *END SPOILER*
*Rating: 3.5 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes a quirky take on space life, food, slow and sedate stories, a bit of m/m romance, and some touching relationships.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
September 15, 2019
I regularly scour clean my YouTube feed for book recommendations. The Booktube SFF community is small but plucky and my main source of inspiration tends to be there. However, until now most of the books in those videos were either “I’ve already read it” or “the third book in a not very popular series”.
So when I saw an unboxing of this book and heard the premise, I just wanted to get my hands on it. It sounded vaguely like a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory cross with Moulin Rouge and a Master Chef reality show.
Enter Kenna, a teenager whose job is to tag along his proud and domineering, self-aggrandizing but dwindling philosopher parents. He will learn to stand for himself and others after winning a free meal at the Sol Majestic: A critically acclaimed restaurant only a few can pay.
Despite a beginning that feels like it can’t find its footing, the book soon gathers some throttle when the restaurant gets into trouble and our MC needs to be put in a moral quandary to try to save the day. As some reviewers have mentioned, the justification of such trouble is very feeble and relies on one of the main characters’ stupidity.
I don’t often say this about books, but I felt that it would have been much better with one or two more characters (a waiter with some backstory on why is he working at the Majestic to round more the plight of the workers of the station) or with an additional subplot (moving away from the station to get a difficult ingredient and putting the restaurant in further trouble as a result). The book felt at times like one of the consommés described: the flavor is there and is delicate, but does not linger in the palate.
Kenna evolves well, finding his voice and love in an aspiring cook called Benzo. His story and the story of a novelty addicted non-employee of the restaurants are the ones that catalyze Kenna’s evolution. Also and much like Ernest Cline, Steinmetz displays that characteristic rust belt populism, even giving the book a red flag touting but stirring climax.
Overall, I’d say it’s a recommendable read. Steinmetz’s characters aren’t as maudlin as Becky Chambers’ ones but the intent and the portrayal point in the same direction. It’s a nice, at times bittersweet but fun ride.
So when I saw an unboxing of this book and heard the premise, I just wanted to get my hands on it. It sounded vaguely like a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory cross with Moulin Rouge and a Master Chef reality show.
Enter Kenna, a teenager whose job is to tag along his proud and domineering, self-aggrandizing but dwindling philosopher parents. He will learn to stand for himself and others after winning a free meal at the Sol Majestic: A critically acclaimed restaurant only a few can pay.
Despite a beginning that feels like it can’t find its footing, the book soon gathers some throttle when the restaurant gets into trouble and our MC needs to be put in a moral quandary to try to save the day. As some reviewers have mentioned, the justification of such trouble is very feeble and relies on one of the main characters’ stupidity.
I don’t often say this about books, but I felt that it would have been much better with one or two more characters (a waiter with some backstory on why is he working at the Majestic to round more the plight of the workers of the station) or with an additional subplot (moving away from the station to get a difficult ingredient and putting the restaurant in further trouble as a result). The book felt at times like one of the consommés described: the flavor is there and is delicate, but does not linger in the palate.
Kenna evolves well, finding his voice and love in an aspiring cook called Benzo. His story and the story of a novelty addicted non-employee of the restaurants are the ones that catalyze Kenna’s evolution. Also and much like Ernest Cline, Steinmetz displays that characteristic rust belt populism, even giving the book a red flag touting but stirring climax.
Overall, I’d say it’s a recommendable read. Steinmetz’s characters aren’t as maudlin as Becky Chambers’ ones but the intent and the portrayal point in the same direction. It’s a nice, at times bittersweet but fun ride.
September 17, 2020
This is a really cool book and yet, it took me a long time to get through it, because I just didn't pick it up. Why?
What I liked
- The characters - they are diverse, interesting and flawed.
- The worldbuilding - a lot of interesting ideas done well.
- The story - it's not as action-packet, but more introspect and develops slowly, but I found this was done very well and I liked it.
- James Fouhey as audiobook speaker - he's the only one I've heard so far who can read the dialogue of women without me finding it cringy. People should hire him more often.
All in all, this book should have been right up my alley.
I think what put me off a bit was something that is not the book's fault but the marketing's and my personal preference: Despite Kenna's journey being super interesting, there was a bit too much teenage angst and whining for me, combined with instalove and a lot of descriptions of how great the love interest is. On top of it, everything was very on the nose, every lession was spelled out.
All of this makes me think this is more of a middle grade or YA book, which I just don't generally go for. In fact, I chose this book, despite its teenage protagonist, especially because it is advertised as "adult".
So I just expected something different from what I got. But I do think it is a good YA book and maybe people who like YA a lot more than I do will enjoy this.
I did like the ending a lot, though.
What I liked
- The characters - they are diverse, interesting and flawed.
- The worldbuilding - a lot of interesting ideas done well.
- The story - it's not as action-packet, but more introspect and develops slowly, but I found this was done very well and I liked it.
- James Fouhey as audiobook speaker - he's the only one I've heard so far who can read the dialogue of women without me finding it cringy. People should hire him more often.
All in all, this book should have been right up my alley.
I think what put me off a bit was something that is not the book's fault but the marketing's and my personal preference: Despite Kenna's journey being super interesting, there was a bit too much teenage angst and whining for me, combined with instalove and a lot of descriptions of how great the love interest is. On top of it, everything was very on the nose, every lession was spelled out.
All of this makes me think this is more of a middle grade or YA book, which I just don't generally go for. In fact, I chose this book, despite its teenage protagonist, especially because it is advertised as "adult".
So I just expected something different from what I got. But I do think it is a good YA book and maybe people who like YA a lot more than I do will enjoy this.
I did like the ending a lot, though.
February 25, 2021
This was a long and very satisfying science fiction story with lots of depth. And like the best kind of stories that I favor, it's character driven. In here you'll really get to know many characters, who they are and what makes them tick...not to mention the problems they have. Of course the person with the biggest problem is the main character, Kenna. Kenna, by the way, is a teenager.
When we meet Kenna he's starving on a spaceship and seriously considering stealing a bag of beef jerky from a girl much younger than he is...but he doesn't have enough guts to actually do it. Then somehow he ends up before this super exquisite restaurant where only the filthy rich can dine. Somehow he gets chosen for a free meal, but how can he appreciate the odd but expensive food they serve when he has no idea about the stuff at all - I mean this is a kid who's been living on old dry crackers? But that's just the beginning. He's supposed to be a prince and make some huge proclamation on how to save the galaxy from itself. And he has no idea what to say...he only wants to fill his belly...
And so starts Kenna's quest to discover who he is as a person and what his world changing goals will be. I had actually figured out what his goal was going to be early on - it's kind of obvious - but I had no idea how he was going to do it. And that was a very interesting journey as he meets many people and learns new things, like getting some self confidence. For a prince, he's a very humble person who's used to suffering so others can have it better. And there's some very unique characters in here too, like the lady who carries a bucket everywhere that contains a living blob of mold (bread dough?) that's like a pet.
There's some nifty sci-fi ideas in here too, like that big gadget they got in the restaurant's kitchen...very clever! It's a special room where things work differently (I don't want to give it away) and it does play into the plot big time. The story is also about human rights and freedom.
Oh, you might want to know there is some male X male in here.
Reading this kept me entertained all day and yes, I read the whole thing in a day. Wasn't bored at all. And I had no idea how he was going to handle the big mess he was in - it's amazing how authors can come up with solutions to these situations they write the characters into. And yes, I was satisfied with the ending.
Very fun read!
When we meet Kenna he's starving on a spaceship and seriously considering stealing a bag of beef jerky from a girl much younger than he is...but he doesn't have enough guts to actually do it. Then somehow he ends up before this super exquisite restaurant where only the filthy rich can dine. Somehow he gets chosen for a free meal, but how can he appreciate the odd but expensive food they serve when he has no idea about the stuff at all - I mean this is a kid who's been living on old dry crackers? But that's just the beginning. He's supposed to be a prince and make some huge proclamation on how to save the galaxy from itself. And he has no idea what to say...he only wants to fill his belly...
And so starts Kenna's quest to discover who he is as a person and what his world changing goals will be. I had actually figured out what his goal was going to be early on - it's kind of obvious - but I had no idea how he was going to do it. And that was a very interesting journey as he meets many people and learns new things, like getting some self confidence. For a prince, he's a very humble person who's used to suffering so others can have it better. And there's some very unique characters in here too, like the lady who carries a bucket everywhere that contains a living blob of mold (bread dough?) that's like a pet.
There's some nifty sci-fi ideas in here too, like that big gadget they got in the restaurant's kitchen...very clever! It's a special room where things work differently (I don't want to give it away) and it does play into the plot big time. The story is also about human rights and freedom.
Oh, you might want to know there is some male X male in here.
Reading this kept me entertained all day and yes, I read the whole thing in a day. Wasn't bored at all. And I had no idea how he was going to handle the big mess he was in - it's amazing how authors can come up with solutions to these situations they write the characters into. And yes, I was satisfied with the ending.
Very fun read!
July 19, 2019
Holy shit! This book was incredible!!! You could say it was... Majestic.
I have never read such sumptuous descriptions of food, such evocative language around taste and smell and heat. This book made me crave dishes that don't exist yet. But most of all, it made me appreciate the simple perfection of a well made soup. And how food can bring you home. How food is love.
Kenna is the child of a dying religion with no prospects and no influence, traveling in cargo ships. When we meet him he hasn't eaten in three days and is considering mugging a girl for her lunch. He waits in line at the Sol Majestic, which always keeps one table free each night, reserved for someone who wishes to eat there only for the joy of food. When he gets accepted as that night's guest, he gets swept up in the inner workings of the kitchen and the passionate gaze of the genius behind the food - Paulius.
In his journey to help the Sol Majectic keep its lights on he learns about food, about love, about lies, and about his own religion that he has grown up outside of.
Kenna meets his first love in the kitchen staff, forms a family with the motley kitchen crew, and finds himself. And it's all woven together with the making and tasting of food. The sweat and tears that go to making the perfect meal, and what it is that makes a meal perfect. The food tells a story.
This book was an emotional journey. I really really loved it. Highly recommend. Keep snacks nearby.
I have never read such sumptuous descriptions of food, such evocative language around taste and smell and heat. This book made me crave dishes that don't exist yet. But most of all, it made me appreciate the simple perfection of a well made soup. And how food can bring you home. How food is love.
Kenna is the child of a dying religion with no prospects and no influence, traveling in cargo ships. When we meet him he hasn't eaten in three days and is considering mugging a girl for her lunch. He waits in line at the Sol Majestic, which always keeps one table free each night, reserved for someone who wishes to eat there only for the joy of food. When he gets accepted as that night's guest, he gets swept up in the inner workings of the kitchen and the passionate gaze of the genius behind the food - Paulius.
In his journey to help the Sol Majectic keep its lights on he learns about food, about love, about lies, and about his own religion that he has grown up outside of.
Kenna meets his first love in the kitchen staff, forms a family with the motley kitchen crew, and finds himself. And it's all woven together with the making and tasting of food. The sweat and tears that go to making the perfect meal, and what it is that makes a meal perfect. The food tells a story.
This book was an emotional journey. I really really loved it. Highly recommend. Keep snacks nearby.
August 29, 2019
I really thought I would like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. Lots of stuff happens, some of it interesting, yet all those things never really created a plot. Read about 1/3 of the book and could not think of a reason to keep going.
July 2, 2019
Welp, I meant to go to bed 2 hours ago, decided to read a bit more of this book, and just marathoned through the last third of it.
I have some issues with the main character, as he seems... untethered and unpredictable. Bland, with fits of emotion that come almost at random. But I think that's almost the point. Like with the Shadow in American Gods, who is just so vacant for most of the book. And in the end, you realize that's the point - because he, like Kenna, doesn't know who he really is until the end.
The vibrance of the other characters throws this into sharp contrast, but it's truly a magical cast of characters. I had a special fondness for Benzo and the romance that blossomed there. Montgomery, Scrimshaw, Paulius all reminded me of personalities I've worked with in my career as a cook.
The climactic scene at the wisdom ceremony made all of Kenna's moaning and self flagellation so worth it. It was absolutely glorious.
In the acknowledgements, and in another guest post of the author's that brought me to read the book, he talks about how this is what he wrote when he nearly gave up. And you can feel it in Kenna's honest desperation. I feel it now, as I embark on fooling people into thinking I'm really an author. Something Paulius said toward the end reminded me to stick to my passion, and inspired me:
"Only suckers and the desperate sell things they don't love. Instead, ignite your passion. Next, find a way to market the things you love. Make the money nourish you. Anything else auctions off pieces of your soul."
I have some issues with the main character, as he seems... untethered and unpredictable. Bland, with fits of emotion that come almost at random. But I think that's almost the point. Like with the Shadow in American Gods, who is just so vacant for most of the book. And in the end, you realize that's the point - because he, like Kenna, doesn't know who he really is until the end.
The vibrance of the other characters throws this into sharp contrast, but it's truly a magical cast of characters. I had a special fondness for Benzo and the romance that blossomed there. Montgomery, Scrimshaw, Paulius all reminded me of personalities I've worked with in my career as a cook.
The climactic scene at the wisdom ceremony made all of Kenna's moaning and self flagellation so worth it. It was absolutely glorious.
In the acknowledgements, and in another guest post of the author's that brought me to read the book, he talks about how this is what he wrote when he nearly gave up. And you can feel it in Kenna's honest desperation. I feel it now, as I embark on fooling people into thinking I'm really an author. Something Paulius said toward the end reminded me to stick to my passion, and inspired me:
"Only suckers and the desperate sell things they don't love. Instead, ignite your passion. Next, find a way to market the things you love. Make the money nourish you. Anything else auctions off pieces of your soul."
February 29, 2020
This is a remarkable book on many levels.
The "food" writing is amazing, in and of itself, how the author connects food to the story, and as speculative fiction about dining in the future.
That's all wrapped into an alternately moving, frustrating, engaging, and offputting tale about a teenager who may, someday, resurrect the philosophical cult movement his parents are still flogging to the ruling classes. There were times I wanted to give Kenna a hug, and times I wanted to toss him out the airlock. His naivete, and beaten-down passivity made him a mixed bag, and I never felt as engaged with him and his struggle as with the food he was immersed in.
It's also a book that felt like it could and should end a dozen times, just to have the author send it jinking off in a new direction, sometimes with eyebrow-raising implausibility, but usually with results that restoked my interest to keep at it.
The end product is one that I may never well read again, but that I'm glad I purchased and read this once, and that I'll pass on to at least one foodie I know, because it's just that damned crazy and interesting of a tale. Bravo.
The "food" writing is amazing, in and of itself, how the author connects food to the story, and as speculative fiction about dining in the future.
That's all wrapped into an alternately moving, frustrating, engaging, and offputting tale about a teenager who may, someday, resurrect the philosophical cult movement his parents are still flogging to the ruling classes. There were times I wanted to give Kenna a hug, and times I wanted to toss him out the airlock. His naivete, and beaten-down passivity made him a mixed bag, and I never felt as engaged with him and his struggle as with the food he was immersed in.
It's also a book that felt like it could and should end a dozen times, just to have the author send it jinking off in a new direction, sometimes with eyebrow-raising implausibility, but usually with results that restoked my interest to keep at it.
The end product is one that I may never well read again, but that I'm glad I purchased and read this once, and that I'll pass on to at least one foodie I know, because it's just that damned crazy and interesting of a tale. Bravo.
November 9, 2019
As I was reading this, I kept thinking of snarky ways to review it, but the truth is the art in the story-telling is solid and doesn't deserve ridicule. There were even parts I found compelling, like when Kenna and Benzo enter the escargone, but overall it just wasn't for me. It reads like a vague allegory that I just don't get, the plot is vague, and there are moments of implausibility that pulled me out of the story. It is imaginative, at times uncomfortably so, but the view of the future leaves the reader without hope.
September 29, 2019
Some cool concepts, I suppose, but the detailed descriptions of food over and over again were tedious and there were so many lengthy sections of the book that I was just waiting to be over.
I know that this is supposed to be "philosophical", but it just came off as pretentious.
I know that this is supposed to be "philosophical", but it just came off as pretentious.
January 19, 2022
4.5 out of 5
This book is equal parts opaquely weird, achingly brilliant, and extremely frustrating. "The Sol Majestic" is neither science fiction nor fantasy - I'm not sure why it's categorized as such. Yes, it takes place in the future and it's set in space but there is no science involved (okay, maybe a single paragraph when they discuss the effects of the vacuum of space). Yes, it's fantastical but a whimsical way - not in a dragons and elves LOTR fantasy way.
I notice that numerous people have compared this to works by Becky Chambers but I haven't read anything by Becky Chambers, so I don't know if that's an apt (or favorable even) comparison. This did, however, bring to mind Erin Morgenstern's "The Night Circus" if you need a metric for comparison. I think this story is perhaps best described as a fever-dream retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Emperor's New Clothes."
The story centers around an MC who at turns is hopelessly sweet and naive, begging for the reader's love and affection, and at other times a selfish, shortsighted, shallow sixteen year old that you want to strangle until he sees the light. Often, the MC engenders both sentiments within a single paragraph. Underlying it all is Ferrett Steinmetz's prose which is both evocative and breathtakingly lovely. I haven't annotated a novel as much as The Sol Majestic in quite some time. (See my highlights for examples.)
This one is going to haunt me for quite some time.
TW: food insecurity, extreme poverty, wealth disparity, slavery/indentured servitude, drug use, bullying, suicidal ideation.
This book is equal parts opaquely weird, achingly brilliant, and extremely frustrating. "The Sol Majestic" is neither science fiction nor fantasy - I'm not sure why it's categorized as such. Yes, it takes place in the future and it's set in space but there is no science involved (okay, maybe a single paragraph when they discuss the effects of the vacuum of space). Yes, it's fantastical but a whimsical way - not in a dragons and elves LOTR fantasy way.
I notice that numerous people have compared this to works by Becky Chambers but I haven't read anything by Becky Chambers, so I don't know if that's an apt (or favorable even) comparison. This did, however, bring to mind Erin Morgenstern's "The Night Circus" if you need a metric for comparison. I think this story is perhaps best described as a fever-dream retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Emperor's New Clothes."
The story centers around an MC who at turns is hopelessly sweet and naive, begging for the reader's love and affection, and at other times a selfish, shortsighted, shallow sixteen year old that you want to strangle until he sees the light. Often, the MC engenders both sentiments within a single paragraph. Underlying it all is Ferrett Steinmetz's prose which is both evocative and breathtakingly lovely. I haven't annotated a novel as much as The Sol Majestic in quite some time. (See my highlights for examples.)
This one is going to haunt me for quite some time.
TW: food insecurity, extreme poverty, wealth disparity, slavery/indentured servitude, drug use, bullying, suicidal ideation.
December 23, 2020
3.5 stars in a true good reads sense - it was fun, well written, the audiobook was incredibly well narrated, enjoyed the message, but I don’t know if it necessarily blew my mind. The writing is great though, full of character. Very good at capturing the heights of teen emotion without feeling like a teeny bopper book, but sometimes the story was moved along a little too much by Giant Realizations and Revelations.
July 5, 2019
This one took me a little bit to catch the rhythm -- the language, the idea of inevitable philosophy -- but once I settled in, what a delightful read! There's some fun stuff about food in the future, less fun stuff about how, despite reaching the stars, we're the same broken species comprised of haves and have-nots. But at its core, a wonderful exploration of what motivates us, what's truly important. One of my favorite things about Steinmetz's characters is how rich and well developed they are -- and also, every single one of them, even the heroes, messes up, makes bad decisions, has moments of weakness or being ruled by their flaws. And then has to somehow salvage the situation. It's very human, very real, very satisfying.
June 26, 2019
*won a copy from a Goodreads giveaway*
Very odd and very original. I wasn't really feeling it at first, I felt like the style was kind of dorky (if that even makes sense), but then all of a sudden I got swept away by the story. Some parts dragged but overall I had fun reading it. And the food descriptions! I've had more grilled cheeses in the past week than I have in years. Thanks for making me so hungry, book!
Very odd and very original. I wasn't really feeling it at first, I felt like the style was kind of dorky (if that even makes sense), but then all of a sudden I got swept away by the story. Some parts dragged but overall I had fun reading it. And the food descriptions! I've had more grilled cheeses in the past week than I have in years. Thanks for making me so hungry, book!
July 24, 2019
I loved this book so much. A teenage boy is meant to become a great philosopher, but philosophy isn't filling his belly. Instead he's starving. But then he wins a free meal at the best restaurant in the universe.
After a life of eating nothing except to survive, he discovers real food, the joy of cooking, a cute boy to fall in love with, and the truth about the people who work the worst jobs in the universe. And it's brilliant. The author captures so much of the process of self discovery and he does it while he also displays the beauty of cooking. I love to cook and learned as an adult, so a lot of this was familiar. I loved it. I loved the love story. I loved that the queer love story wasn't chaste and sterile. I loved the conclusion. I just can't recommend this book enough.
After a life of eating nothing except to survive, he discovers real food, the joy of cooking, a cute boy to fall in love with, and the truth about the people who work the worst jobs in the universe. And it's brilliant. The author captures so much of the process of self discovery and he does it while he also displays the beauty of cooking. I love to cook and learned as an adult, so a lot of this was familiar. I loved it. I loved the love story. I loved that the queer love story wasn't chaste and sterile. I loved the conclusion. I just can't recommend this book enough.
January 29, 2021
Oh boy I disliked this. This book is trying to do too many things and it gets so muddled - like a bad broth ;) No but seriously. The plot was paper-thin. The characters were horrible to each other and somehow understanding the reasons for their behaviour lead to this weird state of grace and then those actions were never discussed again. The moral message tries to simultaneously be "sacrifices (which includes exploiting people) have to be made in the name of great art" (which, in this book, is de facto synonymous with luxury) and "exploitation is bad" (no, really?); simultaneously "there is dignity in labour" (explicitly so) and "the only worthwhile labour is the one that leads to art" (implicitly).
The Good Guys do the exact same things as the Bad Guys (I mean, the Sol Majestic de facto profits directly from slavery!) but bc they do it for The Right Reasons TM (Art and Bringing People Happiness) it's? Supposedly not as bad as when The Bad Guys do it? The bad guys are cruel and calculating, and the good guys are quirky and single-minded and "don't meeeeaaan it that waaaay" so the exact same exploitation is? Fine I guess?
And once you follow any of the elements this book tries to include to its logical conclusion, it often ends up directly contradicting another essential element.
And seriously, the central relationship includes horrifyingly uncompassionate and borderline abusive actions, but the power of Sex and Haute Cuisine exalts them into a Wonderful Romance, I guess? And the main character has a martyr/Jesus complex so gigantic it turns right back around into the exceptionalism and superiority the book tells you he is working so hard to avoid.
Two stars for the concept of luxury restaurant in space, for the seeds of space communism, for the exploration of the importance of art, and for the gay. But only two stars bc the execution of all of these concepts was almost soul-crushingly disappointing and completely missed the mark. This book could have been good if it was coherent and consistent with the themes it explored in the text, but the subtext is so muddled and so contrary to the text that it just ruins the whole thing.
The Good Guys do the exact same things as the Bad Guys (I mean, the Sol Majestic de facto profits directly from slavery!) but bc they do it for The Right Reasons TM (Art and Bringing People Happiness) it's? Supposedly not as bad as when The Bad Guys do it? The bad guys are cruel and calculating, and the good guys are quirky and single-minded and "don't meeeeaaan it that waaaay" so the exact same exploitation is? Fine I guess?
And once you follow any of the elements this book tries to include to its logical conclusion, it often ends up directly contradicting another essential element.
And seriously, the central relationship includes horrifyingly uncompassionate and borderline abusive actions, but the power of Sex and Haute Cuisine exalts them into a Wonderful Romance, I guess? And the main character has a martyr/Jesus complex so gigantic it turns right back around into the exceptionalism and superiority the book tells you he is working so hard to avoid.
Two stars for the concept of luxury restaurant in space, for the seeds of space communism, for the exploration of the importance of art, and for the gay. But only two stars bc the execution of all of these concepts was almost soul-crushingly disappointing and completely missed the mark. This book could have been good if it was coherent and consistent with the themes it explored in the text, but the subtext is so muddled and so contrary to the text that it just ruins the whole thing.
November 11, 2019
I’m always telling people who don’t read science fiction that it’s not just space ships and aliens and Star Wars (no shade), but that good science fiction tackles larger stories of humanity. But maybe in space.
The Sol Majestic is one of the best examples I’ve unearthed of a science fiction novel that just feels like a social commentary set in space. The main character’s arc provides a stark look at the consequences of staggering socioeconomic inequity, the tensions between familial loyalty and moral courage, and how we become our truest selves under fire.
Crumbling under the pressure to revive his parents’ dying religion by “realizing” his cut and dry purpose in life (called his “Inevitable Philosophy”), the protagonist, Kenna, stumbles into the head chef and owner of the Sol Majestic, the most famous restaurant in the galaxy. After a life of asceticism, Kenna discovers food, and tries to balance his parents expectations with the new types of love he’s discovering at the Majestic, including the romantic love he bears towards another young man, an indentured servant in the kitchen, Benzo.
The passages describing food are the most evocative in the book, with the ability to make you crave chicken broth, grilled cheese, and oily noodles. The writing is terrific, and the book only really struggles with consistent pacing in the middle third but is a great 4/5 read for me. #SimilarBooks include This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
The Sol Majestic is one of the best examples I’ve unearthed of a science fiction novel that just feels like a social commentary set in space. The main character’s arc provides a stark look at the consequences of staggering socioeconomic inequity, the tensions between familial loyalty and moral courage, and how we become our truest selves under fire.
Crumbling under the pressure to revive his parents’ dying religion by “realizing” his cut and dry purpose in life (called his “Inevitable Philosophy”), the protagonist, Kenna, stumbles into the head chef and owner of the Sol Majestic, the most famous restaurant in the galaxy. After a life of asceticism, Kenna discovers food, and tries to balance his parents expectations with the new types of love he’s discovering at the Majestic, including the romantic love he bears towards another young man, an indentured servant in the kitchen, Benzo.
The passages describing food are the most evocative in the book, with the ability to make you crave chicken broth, grilled cheese, and oily noodles. The writing is terrific, and the book only really struggles with consistent pacing in the middle third but is a great 4/5 read for me. #SimilarBooks include This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
December 14, 2021
a impoverished teenaged heir to a once important or powerful religion becomes entangled with the best restaurant in the galaxy, and his fate the restaurant's fate are from then on linked.
this was kind of messy. the worldbuilding was flimsy (i could tell you almost nothing of substance about that "religion"!), didn't feel the characters - often especially the main character..., it had the worst instance of instalove i ever saw, random weirdness , an off the rocker plot and i also hated the ending . almost dnf'ed this several times. the book at least will renew your appreciation for food.
btw this was another book i read because it was advertised as being "for fans of becky chambers"...to which i say, not for me. (the other book was The Vanished Birds and it was much much better, i gave it 5 stars. you win some you lose some, i guess)
this was kind of messy. the worldbuilding was flimsy (i could tell you almost nothing of substance about that "religion"!), didn't feel the characters - often especially the main character..., it had the worst instance of instalove i ever saw, random weirdness , an off the rocker plot and i also hated the ending . almost dnf'ed this several times. the book at least will renew your appreciation for food.
btw this was another book i read because it was advertised as being "for fans of becky chambers"...to which i say, not for me. (the other book was The Vanished Birds and it was much much better, i gave it 5 stars. you win some you lose some, i guess)
October 15, 2019
4.5 stars, and an absolutely delightful read. As a big fan of both cooking and scifi, I was immediately hooked by this premise of The Sol Majestic, the galaxy's most renowned restaurants. But the characters and their plights are ultimately what kept me reading, and this was the perfect fun pick-me-up as I nursed a bad head cold last week. The third person present tense does take some adjusting to, as does Kenna's stilted and scholarly way of talking, but Steinmetz makes it work. The middle did seems like it was wandering at first with one too many twists, but everything came back together in the end for a truly satisfying conclusion. This appears to be a standalone, at least for now, but I'd happily read more of these character's adventures. After all, who wouldn't want to dine at The Sol Majestic?
January 21, 2020
I really enjoyed this very hard to classify book. It was both fun and moving. It is science fiction, but also a think piece about belief systems and their role in society. Some people compare it to The Good Place, which makes sense. It is about very serious things, like relationships with parents, love, the need for meaning, slavery, capitalism, marketing, and the value we place on crafting food. It also explores the hard work and risk-taking that can be part of a creative life. If any of those matter to you, I recommend you read it.
PS Mostly it was really enjoyable and much better than average "fun" reading. It took me a few chapters to really feel engaged, but then I was all in!
LGBTQ friendly, imaginative, honest about romance (idealism gets tested), shows the importance of accounting, humor (you might like this book if you enjoyed Hitchhiker's Guide)
PS Mostly it was really enjoyable and much better than average "fun" reading. It took me a few chapters to really feel engaged, but then I was all in!
LGBTQ friendly, imaginative, honest about romance (idealism gets tested), shows the importance of accounting, humor (you might like this book if you enjoyed Hitchhiker's Guide)
May 28, 2019
I really enjoyed The Sol Majestic, even though I got a little depressed by the weight of the middle. Pushing through paid off and there's a great warmth in my heart for these characters. Says quite a lot that I cared so much for the characters that I almost couldn't handle the challenges they had to face.
December 6, 2025
CWs: slavery and implied torture, child abuse, implied suicidal thoughts
February 3, 2023
I am sure some people will love this book, but I was not one of them.
First, sometimes when someone touches your shoulder or you sip broth... it is just that, not everything needs to have 5000 adjectives described to it and dear God was the word orgasmic used a lot.
Second, there are so many nonsensical plot points. For example, they have supersonic ultra hand washers but they still use toilet paper?! And he uses his hand because he is poor!? It is called a bidet .... and it already exists. Also, I did not need 200 pages of him realizing his parents were trash, that was pretty clear seconds after meeting them. They are abusive narcissistic butt plugs and obviously their religion is too like they "wanna help the starving" but poor people are icky so don't touch them?
Third, it is the future where there is literally space travel and machines for everything, and not only do we still have crazy terrible slave labor (but only one lady for some reason?) But also gays are still bad? And the reasoning is that gay people can't have children? Again this is not a real problem, what about a surrogate or adoption? Or some crazy birth tube cause again, it is the future. That is a dumb reason to hate on being gay. And the brief scene where Kenna is confused by someone with a gender identity they did not expect is dumb, they literally have implants that keep people alive till 150 and this kid has been all over the universe and THIS is what confuses him.
Last, well not actually last but I am gonna wrap up here. What is with this world-building? There is only one place in the universe that doesn't have vending machines as the main food source and it is like on the outskirts of the universe? There is slave labor but no capitalist has figured out that opening up a chain of olive gardens would make them a fortune in this entirely untapped market? And in a world where there is sanitizing spray every couple of minutes why does everything have to smell like pee? And for a book almost exclusively about futuristic food, why is all they talk about broth? Not even broth, consumé, the boringest broth that is only consumed pre-colonoscopy.
Obviously this book is for some people, and it is not like I could or have written anything better, however I have not thought of a person I know yet that I would recommend this too.
If you are looking for a sci-fi, world-building, character-driven book with an LGBTQ+ romance. This is not it. If you want hundreds of flowery poetry-like sentences this book could be for you.
First, sometimes when someone touches your shoulder or you sip broth... it is just that, not everything needs to have 5000 adjectives described to it and dear God was the word orgasmic used a lot.
Second, there are so many nonsensical plot points. For example, they have supersonic ultra hand washers but they still use toilet paper?! And he uses his hand because he is poor!? It is called a bidet .... and it already exists. Also, I did not need 200 pages of him realizing his parents were trash, that was pretty clear seconds after meeting them. They are abusive narcissistic butt plugs and obviously their religion is too like they "wanna help the starving" but poor people are icky so don't touch them?
Third, it is the future where there is literally space travel and machines for everything, and not only do we still have crazy terrible slave labor (but only one lady for some reason?) But also gays are still bad? And the reasoning is that gay people can't have children? Again this is not a real problem, what about a surrogate or adoption? Or some crazy birth tube cause again, it is the future. That is a dumb reason to hate on being gay. And the brief scene where Kenna is confused by someone with a gender identity they did not expect is dumb, they literally have implants that keep people alive till 150 and this kid has been all over the universe and THIS is what confuses him.
Last, well not actually last but I am gonna wrap up here. What is with this world-building? There is only one place in the universe that doesn't have vending machines as the main food source and it is like on the outskirts of the universe? There is slave labor but no capitalist has figured out that opening up a chain of olive gardens would make them a fortune in this entirely untapped market? And in a world where there is sanitizing spray every couple of minutes why does everything have to smell like pee? And for a book almost exclusively about futuristic food, why is all they talk about broth? Not even broth, consumé, the boringest broth that is only consumed pre-colonoscopy.
Obviously this book is for some people, and it is not like I could or have written anything better, however I have not thought of a person I know yet that I would recommend this too.
If you are looking for a sci-fi, world-building, character-driven book with an LGBTQ+ romance. This is not it. If you want hundreds of flowery poetry-like sentences this book could be for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
ugh
June 25, 2021DNF - PG 54
...I'm not really sure what this is. Look, I grabbed it because it was compared to The Good Place, but mostly because I came across someone that said it was about a restaurant in space. I mean, it sort of seems to be, but... (They also tried to compare it to the cooking reality shows. Which it's not even close to that.)
I listened to the audio book. I work cleaning houses and sometimes I'm at work alone and I like listening to music or, less often, audio books. I didn't want music and this was the only 'audio book only' on my library borrow list. If I hadn't been at work, I wouldn't have made it past the first two chapters, where our main character is first beat up then, near starvation, almost steals from a little girl.
Some of the description that day was making my stomach turn, by the way, something that didn't stop as the next day I was listening to it again and got to deal with a 'new food experiences addict' eating raw eggs - egg shells and all, and we get treated to a description of them cutting her mouth.
I don't really know what this is, the main character is poor, but his family was wealthy at one point, he's almost starving, but his parents are, apparently, fine with going off and...look, they are quite possibly the worst parents ever and they've instilled in him this phobia of work and laborers because he has to keep himself pure so he can have this mental vision or something that the ruling elite want - only no one wants to hire his parents because these people with mental visions are not seen as all the rage nowadays - or something - and they don't even try to keep their son from starving by, you know, doing something beyond trying to sell their mental visions and... Urgh.
This was partially a rage quit, but also, I don't know what this book is supposed to be? Is it humor? There were moments, but it's way too creepy for me to call it humor. Is is satire? I kind of think it may be and if so, right there's the reason I should have never read it because I can't deal with satire.
(Please, please tell me this isn't supposed to be taken seriously.)
...I'm not really sure what this is. Look, I grabbed it because it was compared to The Good Place, but mostly because I came across someone that said it was about a restaurant in space. I mean, it sort of seems to be, but... (They also tried to compare it to the cooking reality shows. Which it's not even close to that.)
I listened to the audio book. I work cleaning houses and sometimes I'm at work alone and I like listening to music or, less often, audio books. I didn't want music and this was the only 'audio book only' on my library borrow list. If I hadn't been at work, I wouldn't have made it past the first two chapters, where our main character is first beat up then, near starvation, almost steals from a little girl.
Some of the description that day was making my stomach turn, by the way, something that didn't stop as the next day I was listening to it again and got to deal with a 'new food experiences addict' eating raw eggs - egg shells and all, and we get treated to a description of them cutting her mouth.
I don't really know what this is, the main character is poor, but his family was wealthy at one point, he's almost starving, but his parents are, apparently, fine with going off and...look, they are quite possibly the worst parents ever and they've instilled in him this phobia of work and laborers because he has to keep himself pure so he can have this mental vision or something that the ruling elite want - only no one wants to hire his parents because these people with mental visions are not seen as all the rage nowadays - or something - and they don't even try to keep their son from starving by, you know, doing something beyond trying to sell their mental visions and... Urgh.
This was partially a rage quit, but also, I don't know what this book is supposed to be? Is it humor? There were moments, but it's way too creepy for me to call it humor. Is is satire? I kind of think it may be and if so, right there's the reason I should have never read it because I can't deal with satire.
(Please, please tell me this isn't supposed to be taken seriously.)
June 13, 2019
Quirky and original Sci fi tale
The Sol Majestic is a hugely hopefull and joyful book that celebrates the bonds of found family and the power that can be found when you move beyond the expectations that are imposed on you both by your self and others.
Kenna is a destitute 16 year old the heir or prince to the Inevitable philosophy a sort of self help religion that is powered by the will power and determination of there followers when they find there philosophy, the personal truth or ephiany that drives there every action unfortunately most princes find there truth by the time there 15 and even Kenna’s parents, cold and distant as they are, begin to doubt him.
Living from transport ship to transport ship surviving on diet of nutri crackers and vending machines Kenna finds himself days from starving to death when after a impassioned speech he wins a contest for a free meal at the Sol Majestic the universes premiere restaurants where people travel for years to sample there wares, catching the interest of Paulius eccentric master chef and owner a ambitious and fool hardy plan is hatched to give Kenna a meal of a life time, when the consciences become known it is up to Kenna to save his new home.
In a sea of dark and depressing titles or at the other end of the spectrum completely lightweight and forgettable The Sol Majestic stands as it’s own things it’s very hopeful but deals with dark themes, celebrates found family’s as the staff and owners of the Sol Majestic become a family to him yet shows the coldness and abusive nature of Kenna’s parents.
Normally what transpires in the end as a actual meanacing villain shows up and the events that a mentioned in a throwaway line in the epilogue would be where most books had there storylines in showing Kenna being a great man in war or protest but The Sol Majestic is interested in how the foundations of greatness are laid and the other people that help make it happen.
Quirky, warm hearted it was simply a delight to read if you enjoy this I recommend Uploaded by the same author or if your willing to stretch out of sci fi into urban fantasy he has a wonderfully strange series flex. Either way this author has joined my automatic must read pile I hope he joins yours.
The Sol Majestic is a hugely hopefull and joyful book that celebrates the bonds of found family and the power that can be found when you move beyond the expectations that are imposed on you both by your self and others.
Kenna is a destitute 16 year old the heir or prince to the Inevitable philosophy a sort of self help religion that is powered by the will power and determination of there followers when they find there philosophy, the personal truth or ephiany that drives there every action unfortunately most princes find there truth by the time there 15 and even Kenna’s parents, cold and distant as they are, begin to doubt him.
Living from transport ship to transport ship surviving on diet of nutri crackers and vending machines Kenna finds himself days from starving to death when after a impassioned speech he wins a contest for a free meal at the Sol Majestic the universes premiere restaurants where people travel for years to sample there wares, catching the interest of Paulius eccentric master chef and owner a ambitious and fool hardy plan is hatched to give Kenna a meal of a life time, when the consciences become known it is up to Kenna to save his new home.
In a sea of dark and depressing titles or at the other end of the spectrum completely lightweight and forgettable The Sol Majestic stands as it’s own things it’s very hopeful but deals with dark themes, celebrates found family’s as the staff and owners of the Sol Majestic become a family to him yet shows the coldness and abusive nature of Kenna’s parents.
Normally what transpires in the end as a actual meanacing villain shows up and the events that a mentioned in a throwaway line in the epilogue would be where most books had there storylines in showing Kenna being a great man in war or protest but The Sol Majestic is interested in how the foundations of greatness are laid and the other people that help make it happen.
Quirky, warm hearted it was simply a delight to read if you enjoy this I recommend Uploaded by the same author or if your willing to stretch out of sci fi into urban fantasy he has a wonderfully strange series flex. Either way this author has joined my automatic must read pile I hope he joins yours.
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