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

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 ...more

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

Shelves: review-copy, science-fiction, wishlist

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 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

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

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

"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

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Feb 16, 2019 Sana marked it as to-read-so-bad-it-hurts

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

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Oct 22, 2019 Christine Sandquist (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. ...more

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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, ...more

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Jan 11, 2020 Denise rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020, 2020-january, free-ebook-2020, women-2020

3.5 Promising space opera romp with likable flawed characters (mostly) with POV alternating between a sister and brother’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.

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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 ...more

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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 when a ...more

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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.

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Dec 26, 2019 Elizabeth 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 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

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

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

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 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

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Nov 06, 2019 Cat C 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, ...more

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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 ...more

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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 ...more

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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.

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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

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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

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Dec 26, 2019 Elizabeth 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

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Nov 23, 2019 Blue rated it liked it

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

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

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

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

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

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Nov 11, 2019 Amy A rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviews

3.5

Originally posted at Vampire Book Club

From a young age the five Kaiser siblings have been instilled with the idea that you can only count on your family. In a family of smugglers, it’s pretty sound advice. That is, until oldest brother Corvus abandons them to fight in the civil war on his home planet of Titan.

At least, that’s how Scorpia Kaiser felt the day her older brother left without so much as a goodbye. But in the three years of his absence, Scorpia has taken over the captain’s seat, 3.5

Originally posted at Vampire Book Club

From a young age the five Kaiser siblings have been instilled with the idea that you can only count on your family. In a family of smugglers, it’s pretty sound advice. That is, until oldest brother Corvus abandons them to fight in the civil war on his home planet of Titan.

At least, that’s how Scorpia Kaiser felt the day her older brother left without so much as a goodbye. But in the three years of his absence, Scorpia has taken over the captain’s seat, and she’s gunning for running the whole smuggling operation once their controlling and manipulative mother deigns to hand it over to her.

Except their mother has taken up a new mysterious job that leads the family right back to Titan, and Corvus. When the job goes completely, and unexpectedly, off the rails, Scorpia, Corvus, along with their siblings Lyre, Andromeda, and Apollo will have to learn how to trust one another again, and work together as a family, if they want to avoid a war of intergalactic proportions.

From the onset it’s clear that family will be the most important aspect of this story and, I’m assuming, this series. The point of view shifts between Corvus and Scorpia and, for the most part, I understand why Kristyn Merbeth made this decision. I believe that Corvus’s leaving impacted Scorpia the most – even if she’d would never outright admit that—as they were closest in age to one another.

The thing is, I just didn’t feel like we delved as far into the family dynamic as we should have. Trust me, there’s plenty to unpack about the Kaisers, there’s no way we could have gotten through it all in just this one book, but to put Corvus and Scorpia front and center and not fully deal with their issues in a more head-on way left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

It takes a good chunk of setting up the world and the family before Corvus and Scorpia are even in the same space together. The anticipation for these two to come face to face after three years with no contact drives much of the first part of the book. When they do meet up again, they basically avoid the much-needed clearing of the air required to happen so they can actually work together cohesively. Otherwise it’s basically them running circles around each other. The good news is that when they do make some headway, those are the best parts of the book hands down.

I would say potentially Fortuna is a good setup and more will come, but I really want siblings Lyre, Apollo, and Andromeda to get their own time in the spotlight. If that happens, I fear the potential for other issues to get swept under the rug. It’s just one of those things we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.

As far as the rest of the world, Kristyn Merbeth gives an interesting future that has an even more tantalizing history as to how it came to be. Complete with alien creatures who are seemingly extinct, but whose presence is still deftly felt throughout the galaxy. I look forward to—in addition to the family stuff—exploring this more in the next book as well.

Despite feeling like the story could have gone a little further with the siblings, I’m holding out hope we’ll get a good continuation with the next book. Plus, mysterious alien lifeforms! ...more

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Nov 12, 2019 Amy A rated it really liked it · review of another edition

From a young age the five Kaiser siblings have been instilled with the idea that you can only count on your family. In a family of smugglers, it’s pretty sound advice. That is, until oldest brother Corvus abandons them to fight in the civil war on his home planet of Titan.

At least, that’s how Scorpia Kaiser felt the day her older brother left without so much as a goodbye. But in the three years of his absence, Scorpia has taken over the captain’s seat, and she’s gunning for running the whole From a young age the five Kaiser siblings have been instilled with the idea that you can only count on your family. In a family of smugglers, it’s pretty sound advice. That is, until oldest brother Corvus abandons them to fight in the civil war on his home planet of Titan.

At least, that’s how Scorpia Kaiser felt the day her older brother left without so much as a goodbye. But in the three years of his absence, Scorpia has taken over the captain’s seat, and she’s gunning for running the whole smuggling operation once their controlling and manipulative mother deigns to hand it over to her.

Except their mother has taken up a new mysterious job that leads the family right back to Titan, and Corvus. When the job goes completely, and unexpectedly, off the rails, Scorpia, Corvus, along with their siblings Lyre, Andromeda, and Apollo will have to learn how to trust one another again, and work together as a family, if they want to avoid a war of intergalactic proportions.

From the onset it’s clear that family will be the most important aspect of this story and, I’m assuming, this series. The point of view shifts between Corvus and Scorpia and, for the most part, I understand why Kristyn Merbeth made this decision. I believe that Corvus’s leaving impacted Scorpia the most – even if she’d would never outright admit that—as they were closest in age to one another.

The thing is, I just didn’t feel like we delved as far into the family dynamic as we should have. Trust me, there’s plenty to unpack about the Kaisers, there’s no way we could have gotten through it all in just this one book, but to put Corvus and Scorpia front and center and not fully deal with their issues in a more head-on way left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

It takes a good chunk of setting up the world and the family before Corvus and Scorpia are even in the same space together. The anticipation for these two to come face to face after three years with no contact drives much of the first part of the book. When they do meet up again, they basically avoid the much-needed clearing of the air required to happen so they can actually work together cohesively. Otherwise it’s basically them running circles around each other. The good news is that when they do make some headway, those are the best parts of the book hands down.

I would say potentially Fortuna is a good setup and more will come, but I really want siblings Lyre, Apollo, and Andromeda to get their own time in the spotlight. If that happens, I fear the potential for other issues to get swept under the rug. It’s just one of those things we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.

As far as the rest of the world, Kristyn Merbeth gives an interesting future that has an even more tantalizing history as to how it came to be. Complete with alien creatures who are seemingly extinct, but whose presence is still deftly felt throughout the galaxy. I look forward to—in addition to the family stuff—exploring this more in the next book as well.

Despite feeling like the story could have gone a little further with the siblings, I’m holding out hope we’ll get a good continuation with the next book. Plus, mysterious alien lifeforms! ...more

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Dec 08, 2019 Halez rated it really liked it

I received an advance ebook copy of Cosmic Fever from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Big thanks to netgalley and the publishers!

Fortuna is about a FAMILY OF SPACE SMUGGLERS (awesome, right?!), with the main focus on the oldest sister and brother (Scorpia and Corvus, respectively). Corvus has been fighting in a war for three years, while Scorpia struggles with drinking yet wants to take over the smuggling business.

While Merbeth does put the main focus on the characters' struggles I received an advance ebook copy of Cosmic Fever from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Big thanks to netgalley and the publishers!

Fortuna is about a FAMILY OF SPACE SMUGGLERS (awesome, right?!), with the main focus on the oldest sister and brother (Scorpia and Corvus, respectively). Corvus has been fighting in a war for three years, while Scorpia struggles with drinking yet wants to take over the smuggling business.

While Merbeth does put the main focus on the characters' struggles with their demons and the family drama surrounding this somewhat strange (maybe I should say somewhat EStranged) family, there are still battles with space pirates to look forward to and multiple planets to explore.

The premise of this book sounded right up my alley (kind of how I imagined a Han Solo backstory before I saw the Han Solo movie), so I was really excited to read it. I was surprised when I found I was putting the book down often around the middle. Once I got close to the end, though, I was on the edge of my seat.

I think I just got annoyed with how many times so many of the characters made awful choices. Especially Scorpia. I get why, and it fits her character, but by time 4 or 5 I was a bit tired of reading about it. Other disappointments were not learning a bit more about the war Corvus was fighting in, and the lack of descriptions of the various planets. I felt like I got a very matter-of-fact description of each planet, but not enough to really feel immersed in it. The exception was Deva - I could really feel the essence of the city here, and it made me wonder if maybe Merbeth lives in a busy city!

There were a lot of positives to outweigh these negatives, though. Scorpia and Corvus were incredibly well developed, as was Lyre. The other Kaisers will hopefully come to the front in later books. The family interactions were realistic and frustrating (in a good way - almost too real for me!) and SPACE BATTLES!

I hope the descriptions are filled in more in the next books, and I'm also dying to learn more about Primus history (and what's up with Apollo. I don't want to give spoilers here, but... ah)! Fortuna might have had a lull in the middle, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it and wanting to read the next.

If you're a fan of Firefly, space operas (think Star Wars), or like sci fi with several different worlds meshing, then try Fortuna! ...more

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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 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

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Nov 06, 2019 Edwin Howard rated it really liked it

FORTUNA, by Kristyn Merbeth, is about a family (the Kaisers) of ethically questionable traders/smugglers who live on a ship called the Fortuna. In this this epic space novel, the reader finds the family in flux, the mother of the group is looking towards retirement, the oldest daughter, Scorpia, eyes taking over the ship and the business, but being an impulsive drunk holds her back. A surprise return of the eldest child, Corvus, makes line of succession even more complicated and the rest of the ...more

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Dec 16, 2019 Eric rated it really liked it

3.5/5 really, interested to see where it goes but it had some issues. Essentially about a family led by a matriarch who engage in smuggling between four planets that mankind has colonized after abandoning Earth. When a deal goes bad and the resulting fallout results in a genocide of sorts, the crew have to decide what to do: whether that involves taking responsibility to trying to prevent future events. So it was an interesting story and I liked that it was different and distinctly more sci-fi ...more

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

Shelves: science-fiction, space-opera, did-not-finish, 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 ...more

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Dec 21, 2019 Thomas rated it liked it

Merbeth, Kristyn. Fortuna. Nova Vita Protocol No. 1. Orbit, 2019.
A dysfunctional family crewing a spaceship involved in an interplanetary smuggling business, doing battle with pirates and warring planetary governments—all this has promise, but there are a lot of dropped stitches. While we expect dysfunctional families to have flaws, there needs to be something savable in one of them, and we badly wish they did not take themselves so boringly seriously. The best character, the ...more

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Nov 10, 2019 Shaun rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This was such a quick and easy 500 page read that I can't call it anything except Young Adult Fiction with a small bit of swearing and a fair amount of violence (New Adult Fiction?). The main character is a 27 year old woman who essentially talks and acts like a 17 year old girl. Not sure why people are going out of their way to tag this 'adult' when it's truly not.

In saying that it is a very interesting premise and story set into a promising solar system setting. I had no problem with any of ...more

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