Fortuna (Nova Vita Protocol, #1) by Kristyn Merbeth

Nov 06, 2019 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, review-copy

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/11/11/...

Kristyn Merbeth, AKA K.S. Merbeth, the author behind the rollicking Wastelanders novels Bite and Raid, takes her brand of riotous adventure and thrills to even greater heights in Fortuna. In this action-packed space opera about a dysfunctional family of smugglers, we journey with Scorpia Kaiser and her mother and siblings aboard their titular ship across a galaxy filled with conflict and chaos.

As the eldest daughter and th 4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/11/11/...

Kristyn Merbeth, AKA K.S. Merbeth, the author behind the rollicking Wastelanders novels Bite and Raid, takes her brand of riotous adventure and thrills to even greater heights in Fortuna. In this action-packed space opera about a dysfunctional family of smugglers, we journey with Scorpia Kaiser and her mother and siblings aboard their titular ship across a galaxy filled with conflict and chaos.

As the eldest daughter and the pilot of Fortuna, Scorpia is looking forward to inheriting the business and the ship from her mother one day. But a recent transmission has thrown a wrench into those plans. Three years ago, her older brother Corvus turned his back on the family, enlisting in a war to fight for his home planet of Titan. His decision broke Scorpia’s heart, and because of that she has never forgiven him for his betrayal. But now, Corvus’ tour of duty is over, and their mother has ordered the Fortuna to rendezvous with him while on their way to another job, which unexpectedly takes a calamitous turn right in the middle of the awkward reunion.

But what Corvus’ younger siblings don’t know is the truth of why he returned to Titan to fight in an unwinnable war. They have all changed a lot in the last three years, and his once beloved little sister Scorpia is clearly unhappy about his return. But with an entire planet dying around them, the Kaisers must now put aside their differences and work together in order to survive. Realizing how their mother had been used as a pawn in a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of interstellar politics, Scorpia and Corvus settle on a truce in order to protect what’s left of their family and prevent the galaxy from tearing itself apart from the inside out.

Told in the first-person, alternating between Scorpia and Corvus’ points of view, Fortuna is a non-stop thrill ride through a vividly imagined universe, where the planet on which you were born can mean as much as your family name, while those without a world to call home can be left vulnerable and without protection. Where you claim origin can affect your culture, your history, and how others perceive and treat you, and even among members of the same family, your birthplace can matter. Under such divisive conditions, it is no surprise that there is so much tension among the planets, leading to the development of deadly biological weapons including plants that can strangle the life out of an entire world. For a series opener, the world-building was simply superb, setting the stage for more adventures to be had in this most imaginative setting.

But the characterization was what made Fortuna stand out, and having it be a story about family was a brilliant move on Merbeth’s part. Anyone with a close sibling will probably find something familiar, heartwarming, or relatable in the characters’ interactions, because we understand how even though our brother or sister can get on our nerves, it’s simply impossible to imagine life without them. Corvus and Scorpia are complete opposites—him being serious and cool-headed, and her being impulsive and quick-tempered—but the two of them were close before his departure, which made the animosity between them upon his return all the more tragic. However, because of this impressively layered approach to their history, the ensuing steps to their reconciliation and eventual partnership were fascinating to watch.

Their voices, so different from each other, also complemented each other surprisingly well. Both of them have their issues, with Scorpia dealing with a drinking problem that often lands her in trouble and causes her to make all kinds of bad decisions, while Corvus has seen and done some things in the war which has left their mark on his soul. But when it’s time to take responsibility, the two of them admirably step up and show they have what it takes. Their contrasting personalities and problem-solving styles also meant a plotline that was always interesting and dynamic, and although dual narratives often make me wary, in this case there was never any confusion which character we were following. Better yet, once Scorpia and Corvus’ threads converged, the story got even better.

At the end of the day though, the plot’s trajectory and outcomes are pretty standard—but if you’ve come to Fortuna from the author’s Wastlanders books, you probably already know there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. When it comes to delivering a boatload of sci-fi action and rip-roaring entertainment, Merbeth knows exactly what she’s doing, keeping the story’s momentum raging along like a pro. Even when you know what’s coming, you just can’t help but hold your breath and keep your fingers crossed, and that’s exactly the kind of intensity and electrifying experience I look for in my space opera. The only question now then, is when does the next book come out already? ...more

flag 26 likes · Like · see review

Jan 16, 2020 Justine rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-read

Merbeth takes the family space crew trope and does a more than decent job with it. While this book isn't nearly as wackadoo as the author's excellent debut, Bite, it does share some of the same great qualities.

Merbeth's characters are real, and not just flawed, but downright seriously troubled. It is clear she has a good understanding of relationships and their complexity, and this provides a solid basis for an engaging story.

The two POV characters, Scorpia and her older brother Corvus, each ha ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Nov 14, 2019 Holly (The Grimdragon) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, i-am-a-bookcover-ho, the-infinite-library

"The moment we hit atmosphere, my nerves dissipate into a rush of adrenaline that makes me feel like I'm floating. I'm barely aware of my hands moving over the control board or my eyes roving the screens; instead the incoming information merges with my own thoughts, which flow seamlessly into responses from the ship, as if Fortuna is an extension of my body, another limb."

Fortuna is yet another book that caught my eye on Twitter when I initially saw the cover. I filed it away in my chaotic brain ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Feb 16, 2019 Sana marked it as anti-library

THIS IS ABOUT A WHOLE-ASS FAMILY OF SPACE SMUGGLERS, YESSSS

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2020 Lindsay rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

The Fortuna is a small crewed freighter in the Nova Vita system, a rarity in a time of increasing tension and isolationism in interplanetary politics. The Kaiser family survives through careful planning (each child of the family has a different planetary citizenship) and various legal and illegal jobs. Scorpia Kaiser is the ship's pilot who has lived her life in the shadow of her brother Corvus. Corvus has been off fighting a pointless and brutal war for three years, but he's about to return, an ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Jan 11, 2020 Denise rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020, women-2020

3.5 Promising space opera romp with (mostly) likable flawed characters with POV alternating between damaged sister and brother. Damage done quite realistically by their own cruel mother. Most of what know is through the sib’s internal thoughts. My main complaint was the inner thoughts became too wordy and repetitive. Ending gives foreshadowing of next book that promises more aliens in the plot.

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Aug 26, 2019 Koeur rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Rating: 1.7/5

Review: I think this is a new writer and I am the first one to plant an ol’ review on here. So I am thinking kind(er) thoughts and expressing in a more…voluble way.

This would have been great…IF the story line either shjt or got off the pot. The long winded and winding road that leads to a culmination in barely audible farts, left me bereft of the want I feel for characters. Take for instance, Scorpia. Well, how many times do we have to experience her stupid choices and drunkard life ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jun 29, 2020 Sarah B rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This was a great adventure story! Like all fantastic stories it pulled me in right away and kept my attention until the end. And I liked the characters too, which is a big plus. The plot sort of reminded me of Revenger by Alistair Reynolds, so if you like that one you might like this one too as the situation is very similar with a crew on a ship amid lots of danger.

The one character that brings this story to life is Scorpia. Without her this book would be pretty dead. Her siblings are nice but i This was a great adventure story! Like all fantastic stories it pulled me in right away and kept my attention until the end. And I liked the characters too, which is a big plus. The plot sort of reminded me of Revenger by Alistair Reynolds, so if you like that one you might like this one too as the situation is very similar with a crew on a ship amid lots of danger.

The one character that brings this story to life is Scorpia. Without her this book would be pretty dead. Her siblings are nice but it's her wild antics that really affects the plot. Scorpia, she's wild...she doesn't think before doing things (and that leads to huge problems), she has bad habits, she makes stuff up on the spot (also very, very bad) and she suffers from emotional issues. Plus she drinks hard liquor...while driving. But what can I say? I love Scorpia! She's the one who makes this book. And she grows up and changes as the book progresses too and none of it is easy for her.

The chapters alternate between Scorpia and her brother Corvus. Corvus is very different from his sister. He's more reserved. Maybe it's because he's a soldier...? I think he has a good head on his shoulders but I admit I like the chapters with Scorpia better. Yet I admit the icy planet where Corvus was living was very intriguing. Such a hostile place..! Great descriptions in those chapters too!

This is a huge adventure story that spans across several different planets within a single solar system. Each planet is very different than the other: a icy frozen one, a thick jungle, a world of salty seas and another place where the crops struggle to grow.. add to that groups that are hostile to each other plus smuggling... You don't want to get caught smuggling! Tons of action and intense scenes! Plot twists too. I must admit about in the middle of the book there was a huge twist I never expected that truly surprised me!

I did have a little problem with the very end of the book..I guess I grew very distrustful of a certain character and I kept expecting something else to happen...the villian in here is truly atrocious! I guess that says something about the author's writing skills...to make such a nasty, cold blooded person that even at the very end you expect the villian to do yet more, because they are so awful that you can't trust them at all.

A fast flowing story!

...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2020 Lata rated it really liked it

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, auth-f, x2020-read

A slow start to a plot that picks up eventually in this space opera with two PoVs: Scorpia and Corvus, half-siblings. They're part of a family that engages in trade between planets in a system. Each planet is markedly different from the other, and there are technological remnants of an extremely powerful alien race on these planets. This tech is central to some truly horrible happenings during this story. But what makes this book so enjoyable, though initially very painful, is the family dynamic ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2019 eriophora rated it liked it

This review and others can be read on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks.

Fortuna’s premise snagged me in an instant – a whole family of space smugglers! Devastating massacres! A young, roguish captain vying for power! How could I resist? Yet, while it didn’t disappoint… neither did it impress. Advertised as “Perfect for fans of Becky Chambers and Catherynne M. Valente,” I came in expecting both a fascinating, non-conventional setting combined with a cast of truly lovable and kind characters. Ultima ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Nov 07, 2019 FanFiAddict rated it liked it

Rating: ★★★☆☆+

Synopsis

Fortuna launches a new space opera trilogy that will hook you from the first crash landing.

Scorpia Kaiser has always stood in Corvus’s shadow until the day her older brother abandons their family to participate in a profitless war. However, becoming the heir to her mother’s smuggling operation is not an easy transition for the always rebellious, usually reckless, and occasionally drunk pilot of the Fortuna, an aging cargo ship and the only home Scorpia has ever known.

But wh ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Dec 15, 2019 Meshia Chatman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love this book. I enjoy reading form Scorpia and Corvus point of view and how the siblings doing everything they can to protect their family. Cant wait for the sequel. I recommend this book for people who want to get into a science fiction novels.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2020 Samantha (AK) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: setting-sf, genre-crime, read-in-2020

Stop me if you've heard this before:
A broken-down freighter with a rag-tag crew gets itself involved in shady business. Hijinks ensue, there is interpersonal drama, someone probably dies, but everyone comes out the other side stronger for the challenge. Reading the summary, what I expected from this book was found-family fluff with a side of action; perhaps a slightly edgier version of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that's NOT what this book is.

Som Stop me if you've heard this before:
A broken-down freighter with a rag-tag crew gets itself involved in shady business. Hijinks ensue, there is interpersonal drama, someone probably dies, but everyone comes out the other side stronger for the challenge. Reading the summary, what I expected from this book was found-family fluff with a side of action; perhaps a slightly edgier version of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that's NOT what this book is.

Some unspecified year in the future, humanity has fled to the stars, settling in a new system with 5 mostly-habitable planets. But the journey was long, and the planets don't trust each other. Landing on a planet requires citizenship there, and so most trade is done by automated drones.

Enter Fortuna. Auriga Kaiser (simply called 'Momma' through most of the book) has five children, each planned and born on a different planet, giving her trade access throughout the system. She's a hard woman, and difficult to get a read on for most of the book. I got the impression she was a very ends-and-means personality, but as much as she claimed to want the best for her family, what she considered 'best' seemed financial; not personal.

The story itself is told by Auriga's two eldest children in alternating first-person perspective. Scorpia is a shortsighted trainwreck with high ambitions, and Corvus has been away for three years fighting a civil war on his birth planet of Titan, and carries the trauma to match. The reunion is messy, filled with all the hurts and biases that siblings can throw at each other, and that's without counting the war crime that Fortuna is now responsible for.

Because yes, this is a book about a crew operating on the 'gray' side of the law that finds itself WAY over the line of acceptable rule-bending. People in this book make horrific choices for sometimes-stupid reasons, and then they have to deal with the fallout. Becky Chambers this is not. Family growing pains, space opera politics, a romantic subplot... there are a few things that turn out just a bit too neat, but overall it's an exceptionally well-realized drama.

Justly, the book doesn't cop out and close with "everyone wins." It's complex, bittersweet, and just a tad unsettling. As a standalone, I appreciate the way Merbeth closed the story. Knowing there's a sequel coming out shortly, I only hope it does justice to the rest of the fallout. 3.5*, rounding up because it defied my expectations. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 26, 2019 Elizabeth Tabler rated it liked it · review of another edition

I want to thank Orbit Books for providing me with a copy to read Fortuna in exchange for my open and honest review.

Imagine Momma Fratelli from Goonies is your mother and ship captain. Except your ship is in space, and you are part of a family of smugglers. Your family is spectacularly chaotic, and you are trying to save millions of people. Fortuna is this story told by author Kristyn Merbeth previously writing as author K.S Merbeth in the Wastelanders duology.

I have had my eye on this book for m I want to thank Orbit Books for providing me with a copy to read Fortuna in exchange for my open and honest review.

Imagine Momma Fratelli from Goonies is your mother and ship captain. Except your ship is in space, and you are part of a family of smugglers. Your family is spectacularly chaotic, and you are trying to save millions of people. Fortuna is this story told by author Kristyn Merbeth previously writing as author K.S Merbeth in the Wastelanders duology.

I have had my eye on this book for months. The synopsis, space opera, and family dynamics, as well as that gorgeous cover, had me sold long before copies were available to read. The cover, bright and glaring, reminds me of sunset on a desert planet with some serious Firefly vibes thrown in. Maybe Dune in space? I wasn't sure quite what to expect.

Scropia Kaiser is the second oldest of a family of 5 children and one spectacularly distant messed up mother. All Scorpia wants is to satisfy and make her mother proud and step into the boots of her older brother Corvus. Corvus had left home previously three years ago to join the Gaian military service and fight in an unwinnable war. His choice to enlist and abandon the Kaiser family is devastating to the Kaiser children and Scorpia in particular.

Corvus is finishing up his tour of service and wanting nothing more to come home to the life he has left. He is done with war and haunted by the deeds he had to do to battle in that war. It has left deep marks on his soul and a bought of PTSD that he does not know how to deal with.

Both characters have enormous hurdles to overcome. Scorpia cannot stop stepping on her own feet. She is continually screwing things up or drinking too heavily. Twice in the novel, she almost got her entire family killed due to the ramifications of her choices. There is winging it, and then there is suicidally and stupidly not thinking before your actions. Her actions were not redeemed to me because there were no offset qualities that help balance the scales. She was just a mouthy fuck up most of the story with a considerable ego and mommy issues. She would have been redeemed by the love she had for her brothers and sisters, but they were flat characters, and thus that love felt very flat and unreal.

This story is the pairing of two narratives, one told from Corvus's side while the other told from Scorpia's side. The unfortunate thing about this story is although the setting and the bare bones of the worldbuilding are there and exciting, I did not care about either character. Scorpia especially. Her decision making, alcoholism, naivete, and arrogance that is almost stupidity turned me off from her as a protagonist. Scorpia is a flawed character, as all people are imperfect, but there needs to be a point to her choices and chaos, including her addiction to alcohol. It is difficult to explain, but it almost seemed like her addiction lacked authenticity. It did not ring true. She was an alcholic, not someone addicted to sweets. Alcoholism is a real thing and can be devastating, it isn't something for pratfalls or rim shots. Corvus was a much cooler character. In the beginning, his brooding and aloofness were annoying, but as the story continued, the brooding led to some character growth and change. He fleshed out into a three-dimensional character.

With the difficult time I had connecting with the characters, the slow down of the plot and pacing destroyed my enjoyment of the book. It became a slog, which was unfortunate because it had such tremendous promise. I love the idea of a dysfunctional band of smugglers who happen to be family run by a matriarch - Very Firefly. But something did not cinch together, and the depth and love of the characters I would need to become emotionally invested in the story never became deeper than a superficial level. For example, Scropia's brother and sisters were nothing more than cardboard cutouts for most of the story. I know the familial connection was supposed to be there and implied by the author, but it never connected.

As far as the enjoyment level of this story, at about the 60% mark, I almost DNF'ed, which would have been a shame because the author brought everything together nicely in the last 20% of the book. The last 20% ended up being fun and not quite what I had imagined. I liked the spin she put on it and opening it up for the next book in the series, which is why I gave this a lukewarm 3 stars. I won't be continuing this story as I don't think I am the right audience, however much like other recent books I have read this book will find the right audience. I could imagine a considerable bunch of love for it, which is excellent. Every story will find it's readers.

Either way, come because of the gorgeous cover, and the synopsis is neat and stay for that last 20%. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 15, 2019 Amber rated it it was amazing

A great start to a trilogy from an excellent new author! I love SF and I love complicated family dynamics and I love how the Kaiser siblings react to finding themselves in an unexpectedly pivotal position. I very much appreciate the care and attention Merbeth put into the siblings personalities and relationships because they felt real, and their interactions reminded me of shenanigans with my own siblings.

There's a lot to love here, and the story moves right along and kept me fully engaged from ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 31, 2019 Hannah Vestal rated it it was amazing

The Kaiser family is my new favorite space family.

I read Fortuna as an eARC from NetGalley, so thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Space. A family of smugglers. Political drama. How could I resist reading Fortuna with this sort of content?

Fortuna follows the story of the Kaisers, particularly the eldest two, Scorpia and Corvus, who follow in their Momma’s footsteps to be ruthless smugglers. After a job goes south, the Kaisers must decide once and for all how far they are ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 31, 2019 John rated it did not like it

A dysfunctional family with an abusive parent; a depressive, alcoholic narrator who pilots the ship to a crash landing that somehow...isn’t; a military unit facing child suicide bombers—saw nothing in the opening that made me think that reading this might bring any sort of pleasure. DNF.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 16, 2019 NinjaMuse rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019, science-fiction, lgbtq

In brief: Scorpia Kaiser is a screw-up, the family pilot, and out to prove she has what it takes to take over smuggling operations from Mama. Corvus Kaiser, exiled from his family to fight a war he doesn’t believe in, is finally coming home. Then a smuggling deal goes massively south and suddenly, what was going to be a difficult time becomes much, much worse. First of a trilogy.

Thoughts: For a book that starts with a drunken crash landing, this did not go anywhere close to where I thought it wo In brief: Scorpia Kaiser is a screw-up, the family pilot, and out to prove she has what it takes to take over smuggling operations from Mama. Corvus Kaiser, exiled from his family to fight a war he doesn’t believe in, is finally coming home. Then a smuggling deal goes massively south and suddenly, what was going to be a difficult time becomes much, much worse. First of a trilogy.

Thoughts: For a book that starts with a drunken crash landing, this did not go anywhere close to where I thought it would, and that’s a good thing. Of course, Merbeth delivers on space battles and smuggling shenanigans and everything else you’d expect from that scene, but this is also very much a story about trauma, family, interplanetary politics, ethics, and morality. It gets dark and deep, and it keeps you guessing as the problems just keep piling on.

Scorpia is by far my favourite character, though everyone with a lot of say in the story is well-written. She’s got this relentless optimism and creativity, but also a dark streak of cynicism and fear, and a lot of her arc is about dealing with the trauma of Mama’s parenting and what it means to be a good person. (She also makes poor choices when pretty girls are involved, which is endearing.) Corvus has a sadness and determination about him, Mama is objectively awful and terrifying, other characters show surprising depths just when you think they’re one-note, but Scorpia is definitely the star.

But it’s not the characters that shine here as much as it’s the solar system and the themes Merbeth’s exploring. She’s taken the premise of Single Biome Space Opera planets, added in “they will all kill you” and extinct aliens, and then delved into how the cultures and politics would shake out. It’s not good. Sometimes it’s genuinely bad. It’s entirely complicated, and the Kaiser family’s caught right in the vice between it all. In some ways, it’s like that gag of plugging one hole just for three more to open up, or maybe Whack-a-Mole, if the moles occasionally exploded.

And the themes? I’m used to space opera that’s either an adventurous romp or that really goes at some external issue. (See: the Expanse series and exploitative corporations.) This one goes into emotions a lot more, asks questions about the nature of humanity, and yes, also delivers a lot of the wild political ride that the Expanse does. I found some of the “oh but wait” moments a little hard to follow sometimes—there is sometimes a lot in play—but that didn’t stop me fearfully turning pages to find out what happens now.

Oh, and the family dynamics are something else. There’s so much fear and misinterpretation and distrust that those almost make for a satisfying story on their own. And family history, especially childhoods, factor into the intrigue and adventure surprisingly often.

For all that I’m glowing about this book, though, I didn’t love-love it. Some of the narration kicked me out of the story, there were the moments I couldn’t always follow, and some of the more minor characters and moments just didn’t work for me. That said, it’s definitely a series I’m going to keep following and one I recommend, especially to fans of James S.A. Corey.

To bear in mind: Alcoholism. Maternal abuse. A really nasty bioweapon. A government that, if not fascist, is definitely getting there. PTSD and survivor’s guilt. Genre-typical violence and injury.

7.5/10 ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2019 Cat rated it liked it

Sci-fi adventure with complicated family dynamics

I was really frustrated with the first half of this book - it moved slowly and I absolutely hated one of our narrators, Scorpia (her brother Circus is the other). But once the main event finally kicked into gear, both horrible and fascinating, I couldn't put that book down. So in terms of pacing I guess you have to be patient and remember this is a planned trilogy, though there is a satisfying narrative arc in this book.

A little more on Scorpia, w ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 02, 2019 WS_BOOKCLUB rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.hom...

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available now.

Oh dear. I wanted to like this book, I really did. I’m a big fan of smuggling in stories in general, and especially in space (blame the incredible show Firefly). Unfortunately, this book was a giant resounding “meh” from me.

I can’t pinpoint anything really wrong with the book, it just didn’t keep my attention. The characters weren’t all tha ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 02, 2019 WS_BOOKCLUB rated it liked it · review of another edition

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available now.

Oh dear. I wanted to like this book, I really did. I’m a big fan of smuggling in stories in general, and especially in space (blame the incredible show Firefly). Unfortunately, this book was a giant resounding “meh” from me.

I can’t pinpoint anything really wrong with the book, it just didn’t keep my attention. The characters weren’t all that engaging, and Scorpia annoyed me. She w ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 29, 2020 Elizabeth Raines rated it really liked it · review of another edition

PROS
-I enjoyed the characters and the family dynamic that was in this book. I had not read anything like it before.
-Good world building, or should I say universe building. I'm really fascinated by this universe and cannot wait to read the next to books to explore it even more.
-This was a great plot and I never knew what would happen next.
-Enjoyable writing style!
-Also LGBT rep!

CONS
-I'm not sure how many years this takes place in the future but I felt like the technology wasn't very advanced.
-Thr ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2020 Tori Das rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbtqia, did-not-finish, sff

It's a good one, but I couldn't finish because my personal life was hell at the moment. I can't pick it up again to read now; I need new stories to get comfortable with, get used to the activity of reading itself. But I'm going to reread this before the end of the year. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 01, 2019 Will rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, net-galley, scifi, reviewed, spaceships, pirate-ships, 2019, space-opera

4.2 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...

Fortuna is the space opera debut from Wastelanders author Kristyn Merbeth. This one has been on my radar for a while, only partly due to its absolutely beautiful cover. Two siblings, separated by time and space, reunite at the turning point of all things.

Scorpia Kaiser once stood in her elder brother’s shadow. But when three years prior, he abandoned their family to fight in the war on his home world, she hoped this would change. Three years, and 4.2 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...

Fortuna is the space opera debut from Wastelanders author Kristyn Merbeth. This one has been on my radar for a while, only partly due to its absolutely beautiful cover. Two siblings, separated by time and space, reunite at the turning point of all things.

Scorpia Kaiser once stood in her elder brother’s shadow. But when three years prior, he abandoned their family to fight in the war on his home world, she hoped this would change. Three years, and Scorpia now only has one thought—becoming the new heir apparent of the family business and owner of its ship, Fortuna. It’s not a fancy ship—aged, battle-scarred, space-worn—but it’s the only home Scorpia’s ever known, and the only one she ever wants.

Three years prior Corvus Kaiser was abandoned on Titan, his home world, to fight in an unwinnable war. A war that he very much suspects will eventually claim his life. But recent events have changed his mind on this. In a split-second decision he calls his family, summoning them to his aid. But now faced with the choice of whether to leave or stay he must make a difficult decision between the team he never wanted and the family that doesn’t want him back.

Between the two of them there’s enough chaos to go around, but the universe seems dead-set on raising the stakes. Soon the Kaisers and Fortuna are in the middle of a war—one that may very well cost them their lives.

Fortuna is told using dual-1st person POV chapters—one following Scorpia and the other Corvus—which alternate every chapter. Initially, I found this impossible. In fact, I would read three of Scorpia’s then go back and do three or so of Corvus’s. But then the two reached the same point and place in time and—actually, it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

There’re only a couple other books I’ve read that had this format. The Girl the Sea Gave Back (by Adrienne Young) featured the same alternating man-woman 1PPOVs and I kept getting confused and lost between characters. In Iron Gold (by Pierce Brown), there are three POVs all 1P, that alternate around. I stopped this one for much the same reasons—confusion, mixing up characters, etc. Fortuna is the same, but not. I… don’t really know how to describe it. Maybe it’s because the characters are in close proximity for 2/3 of the book. Maybe it’s because they’re similar. Maybe it’s because the chapters are longer. But it didn’t bother me as much. I mean, it still bothered me, just less.

In the Afterword, Merbeth mentions that she added Corvus’s POV on the advice of her editor. Now, I dunno if this was doing him in 1P, alternating his chapters, or whatnot, but it seems to have payed off. I absolutely loved both of their stories—barring the end. The end (the final showdown, if you will) fairly well sucked. The outcome was never in question, and it was as if the author was trying to inject drama wherever possible. Which is a shame, considering the rest of the text is a treasure. While both Corvus and Scorpia have their own individual storylines, they share the main quite well. And while Scorpia tied all her threads off quite nicely, Corvus pretty much just took a flamethrower to his. Gradually, over the course of the book, though.

TL;DR

Fortuna was quite a treat. Kristyn Merbeth has weaved herself a masterful tale, one that I can’t wait to see more of. The writing, description and characters were all top-notch, and at no point did I lament reading one character’s chapter to get to the next. While the ending does have its issues, the post-showdown section manages to tie everything together rather nicely, leaving me with only a few loose ends to worry after. The divide between Corvus and Scorpia helps tell their story, something that their interconnection is more the better for. It helped me feel so much more for them, humanize them, almost made them seem like real siblings, even.

I definitely recommend Fortuna. And I can’t wait to see more from Kristyn Merbeth! ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2020 Lindsay Scott rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction, life-in-the-void, disappointing, 2020

The cover is so pretty and I wanted to like it so much. But there's just too many things about this that annoyed me.

Number one, for a book with a whole system full of inhabitable planets, the author sure did make the world feel small. Each planet seems to be condensed to a single community with particular defining traits. One planet has a president that represents the entire planet. I'm sorry, what? Can you imagine having a president of Earth? If it's something like only small parts of the plane The cover is so pretty and I wanted to like it so much. But there's just too many things about this that annoyed me.

Number one, for a book with a whole system full of inhabitable planets, the author sure did make the world feel small. Each planet seems to be condensed to a single community with particular defining traits. One planet has a president that represents the entire planet. I'm sorry, what? Can you imagine having a president of Earth? If it's something like only small parts of the planet being habitable, maybe I could understand that. But there's not much in the way of mapping to help me understand how big or small these worlds are. We don't spend much time on any of them, anyway. I think this book could have worked better if we were dealing with one planet that had different countries/continents, and then you could have the different cultures without it seeming like each planet is made up of only one area.

Number two, the characters are awful. Between the two narrators, Scorpia and Corvus, I guess I prefer Corvus, although only marginally. Scorpia is incredibly annoying. All she does is whine about how she can't do anything right, and drink. She acts more like she's twelve than twenty-seven. And Corvus lost my sympathies the moment he abandoned his army comrades, fully knowing what would happen to them if he did. I would feel more for him if he had even tried, but he didn't. He then proceeded to do...not much, as far as the story is concerned.

Number three, what the hell was that war about that Corvus was fighting on Titan at the beginning?? I kept waiting and waiting for it to be explained, and it never was. Then the book just moved on to the new war that was starting. I STILL WANT TO KNOW WHY THE PPL ON TITAN WERE FIGHTING. Also, starting out on planets with names like Titan and Gaia was confusing, because I thought for several chapters that we were in our own solar system, since Gaia is another name for Earth.

The middle parts were very boring and I basically slogged through the last two hundred pages. But at least I finished it. I'm tired of DNFing so many books. :( ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 07, 2020 Bonnie McDaniel rated it did not like it

Shelves: science-fiction, did-not-finish, space-opera, read-in-2020

I've had a run of bad books lately, and unfortunately this is another one. The worldbuilding in this one, while not outstanding, is adequate, and the setup could have been interesting. But the characters did this book in about halfway through.

I don't demand that my characters be likable. An unlikable character, if well-written with clear motivations and shades of grey, can be compelling. None of these characters meet that bar, except possibly for Corvus, and in the end he wasn't enough to overc ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2020 Troy rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction, audiobook

2.5 stars

I wanted to like this book. I really did. However, about the only thing that I can say that sums this book up for me is "meh". It was a real struggle to get through because it was just so boring. There were a couple of neat ideas sprinkled in, and I realize that it's supposed to be a character driven narrative, but the characters were really uninteresting. I won't be reading any other books in this series.

That cover though! Right? ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2020 Alexander Tas rated it really liked it

Read this review, and other Sci Fi/Fantasy reviews at The Quill to Live

I know it’s not exactly the best way to get excited about a book, but I was immediately attracted to Fortuna, by Kristyn Merbeth, when the eighties synthwave cover was revealed. When Orbit threw in a blurb likening the work to that of Becky Chambers, I was done for. No need to complete the chokehold with a synopsis about a family of space smugglers, but it was there anyway. Fortuna is a great book with a rollicking character- Read this review, and other Sci Fi/Fantasy reviews at The Quill to Live

I know it’s not exactly the best way to get excited about a book, but I was immediately attracted to Fortuna, by Kristyn Merbeth, when the eighties synthwave cover was revealed. When Orbit threw in a blurb likening the work to that of Becky Chambers, I was done for. No need to complete the chokehold with a synopsis about a family of space smugglers, but it was there anyway. Fortuna is a great book with a rollicking character-focused story that succeeds in emotional depth but reaches a little too far when it comes to large-scale destruction.

Fortuna is a nice mix of action and character driven narrative. It follows the Kaiser family, a small group of smugglers raised and managed by Auriga Kaiser, the biological mother of the crew. The main characters are Corvus, the eldest brother, and Scorpia, the second oldest. Upon hearing that Corvus is returning to the Fortuna(the name of the ship) after finishing his third year of service within the Titan planetary military, Scorpia hatches her latest plan to make her mother proud so she can take the captain’s reigns and continue the Kaiser legacy. However, Scorpia is not as competent as her confidence suggests, and the system itself has other plans that muddy the Kaiser’s ability to maintain their smuggling business. Amidst the family drama, resources become tight and rumors of war circulate as the planets begin to become more isolationist.

I want to start off by highlighting Merbeth’s exceptional writing ability. The chapters alternate between Corvus and Scorpia, both sides written in a first-person perspective. I normally have issues with first person, because I generally do not like how things are described from that perspective, but Merbeth really knocked it out of the park here. Not only do the two characters feel distinct as people, but it comes through in how they describe the people around them, or the environments they are in. Scorpia comes off as a confident, whip-smart, smooth operator who acknowledges she might drink too much and often looks at people in a buddy-buddy way. Often her descriptions feel as if they are pulled out of hat. Corvus, on the other hand, is reserved, disciplined and all too aware of himself. He constantly feels distanced from those around him, regardless of how close they are. His distance is often self imposed, exemplified by the directness with which he speaks to himself and those around him. It was very distinct and kept me pulled along through the whole ride.

In a similar vein, the characters are fairly deep even though some are built on recognizable foundations. Fortuna shines because of its characters and their relationships with each other. The Kaiser family feels alive, and they have a deep history with each other. They have been through a lot and it shows. Corvus’ return feels monumental, even though it’s subdued and carries a lot of baggage. Merbeth does an excellent job of revealing the experiences and motivations of characters in such a way that their interactions feel natural and uncontrived. I think a lot of people might feel beaten over the head with Scorpia’s flaws, but I think Merbeth nailed it. Scorpia is inconsistent, juvenile, and brash but wants to do what is best for her family and will go to whatever length she feels is necessary to keep them safe and happy. Her alcoholism runs deep, and it takes her a while to deal with it, while the rest around her see it day in and day out. Her flaws, as deep and heartbreaking as they were, were made endearing by her better qualities. Merbeth straddled the line of unbearable and loveable with Scorpia, and it made the book more engaging.

While the intense character drama drove the narrative, I felt that the plot was a little inconsistent. I enjoyed the smuggling and the politics between the different worlds. I also enjoyed that the smugglers were the connections in some sense between the worlds as they all slowly began to close their borders. My biggest issue with the plot was its sense of scale. The amount of destruction that occurs alongside the family drama felt unreal and made some of the arguments the Kaisers had a little garish and cartoonish. Pair that with the fact that a lot of it happened off-screen (for reasons that are apparent within the story that I want to avoid spoilers) also diminished the attachment. Merbeth did a good job in terms of set up and in explaining why the different members of the family would be affected by the events in the way that they were, but the events just felt too big. The planets, while fairly fleshed out, did not have a sense of scale. With the family drama in the forefront, it was hard to appreciate the threat, and just how much of an effect it had, and how the Kaisers were involved. I enjoyed the story and plotting of events in general, but I felt that some of the consequences were too big for a small family of smugglers.

In the end, I had a blast with Fortuna. It was a good ride with a lot of heart, and heavy family drama that felt well built within a well-realized world. The characters were likeable in the long run and felt distinct despite their rough beginnings. The book had its inconsistencies, but like its characters, the better qualities shone all the brighter because of it. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. If you are looking for a small-scale drama among the stars with heavy consequences, then Fortuna by Kristyn Merbeth is for you.

Rating: Fortuna – 8.0/10
-Alex ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 26, 2019 Elizabeth Tabler rated it liked it

I want to thank Orbit Books for providing me with a copy to read Fortuna in exchange for my open and honest review.

Imagine Momma Fratelli from Goonies is your mother and ship captain. Except your ship is in space, and you are part of a family of smugglers. Your family is spectacularly chaotic, and you are trying to save millions of people. Fortuna is this story told by author Kristyn Merbeth previously writing as author K.S Merbeth in the Wastelanders duology.

I have had my eye on this book for ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 23, 2019 Blue rated it liked it

Shelves: library-book, science-fiction, trilogy, audiobook-library, space-opera

Fortuna tells the story of a smuggler family in a human-settled planetary system. The family's leader is a ferocious, uncompromising woman, who seems to have calculated even the brith planets of her children to best benefit the family business. The story is told from the point of views of the eldest, perfect son, Corvus, and the second eldest, alcoholic fuck-up, Scorpia. Scorpia is bitter that Corvus left them with no word to fight in the war in his home/birth planet, Titan and has been gone for Fortuna tells the story of a smuggler family in a human-settled planetary system. The family's leader is a ferocious, uncompromising woman, who seems to have calculated even the brith planets of her children to best benefit the family business. The story is told from the point of views of the eldest, perfect son, Corvus, and the second eldest, alcoholic fuck-up, Scorpia. Scorpia is bitter that Corvus left them with no word to fight in the war in his home/birth planet, Titan and has been gone for three years. Corvus is bitter that their mother left him on Titan, another calculated move for the business. He has fought well in the war and is thoroughly traumatized by everything he has seen and done.

The story has the makings of a great read. However, the narration lacks finesse, often opting for repeating the same stuff over and over again without any subtlety in the underlying psychology. Scorpia and Corvus seem very much in touch with their emotions and their own motivations and avoidances, which does not fit the characterization otherwise. An alcoholic and abused by mother, Scorpia is less likable, but that's not really enough. We're told Corvus is traumatized, but he seems more upset than deeply traumatized. Still, I can accept all of that, but the real thing that bothered me was the repetitive nature of the narration. Sure, we all get hung up on the same thoughts, the same events, but the narration does not have to keep repeating things to make this point. That is, the author can stylize the narration so we get enough of these kinds of obsessive thoughts, but not too much that it bogs down the story.

Examples: both characters harp on about the "three years" Corvus has been away at the war like it is an eternity. Perhaps, to the younger, more juvenile and immature Scorpia, three years seemed like an eternity? Still, they both talk about three years like it is 10 or 20 years, a very long time. It's not that long to justify both characters going on and on and on about "three years." (Are you annoyed by how many times I said "three years" in this little paragraph. Well, know you know how it can be.) Another example is the words "siblings" used by both characters, which made me wonder if the two would sound different enough if I were reading the book instead of listening to the audiobook (in the audiobook, a man reads Corvus and a woman, Scorpia, so they do automatically sound different...) You'd think someone like Scorpia would call her siblings other things, like kids, monkeys, mama's boys, etc. But no, both Scorpia and Corvus incessantly use the word "siblings." I mean, many many many many times...

The planetary set-up seemed simplistic and highly improbable (there are, what, five planets in the system, all of which are inhabitable.) Whole planets are reduced to one government (for no apparent reason; maybe because they are relatively newly settled?) and one big city, like saying Earth has one government and its capital city is Hong Kong or something. Whole planets are also reduced to one climate, it seems. Just by the fact that these are planets with poles and axes and are (hopefully) roundish, they should have different climates within each planet. That one planet is all desert and one is all lush green made little sense.

The political intrigue was interesting and I liked reading about it, as well as about the now-extinct Primus culture with its very powerful weapons and ships and weird monuments. But this occupied much less of the narration compared to Corvus and Scorpia moaning about three years and siblings. Once the family really got in trouble in Titan, things picked up a bit, but I felt like this was too late in the story. I almost felt like the story could have started there, some of the key information leading up to that point could have been communicated in flashbacks or dialog. (I am sure the author has good reasons of choosing to do it this way, but reading it, I felt some restructuring would benefit the story. A writing teacher once told me to start the story and then cut all the stuff in the beginning until the story really begins... That's how I felt with this story.)

Overall, Fortuna was a fun read and a good listen. Recommended for those who like creeping plants, space pirates, and twins. ...more

flag Like · see review