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The Kitra Saga #2
Sirena
One starship, six friends, 10,000 lives in the balance
Young captain-for-hire Kitra Yilmaz has gotten her first contract: escort the mysterious Princess of Atlántida beyond the Frontier and find her a new world. It's a risky job, fraught with the threat of pirates, dangerous squatters, and rising romantic tensions.
Still, Kitra and her crew are up for anything — until they find a lush world, perfect for settlement...with an enormous ghost ship already in orbit.
What secret does the crippled vessel hide? And is Kitra ready to take responsibility for its precious cargo?
Young captain-for-hire Kitra Yilmaz has gotten her first contract: escort the mysterious Princess of Atlántida beyond the Frontier and find her a new world. It's a risky job, fraught with the threat of pirates, dangerous squatters, and rising romantic tensions.
Still, Kitra and her crew are up for anything — until they find a lush world, perfect for settlement...with an enormous ghost ship already in orbit.
What secret does the crippled vessel hide? And is Kitra ready to take responsibility for its precious cargo?
181 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2021
21 people want to read
About the author
Gideon Marcus
10 books25 followersFounder of Journey Press, an independent publisher focused on unusual and diverse speculative fiction, three time Hugo Finalist Gideon Marcus also runs the time machine project, Galactic Journey. He is a professional space historian, member of the American Astronautical Society's history committee.
In 2019, he edited Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1958-1963) a seminal anthology of some of the best works of science fiction’s Silver Age. His most recent works, Kitra and Sirena, comprise books one and two of a YA space adventure featuring themes of isolation, teamwork, and hope, and starring a queer protagonist of color.
Gideon lives in San Diego County with his writer/editor wife, Janice, and their polymath artist daughter, Lorelei…along with a cat, a snake, and an immense library. He is currently hard at work on Hyvilma, third book in the Kitra Saga.
In 2019, he edited Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1958-1963) a seminal anthology of some of the best works of science fiction’s Silver Age. His most recent works, Kitra and Sirena, comprise books one and two of a YA space adventure featuring themes of isolation, teamwork, and hope, and starring a queer protagonist of color.
Gideon lives in San Diego County with his writer/editor wife, Janice, and their polymath artist daughter, Lorelei…along with a cat, a snake, and an immense library. He is currently hard at work on Hyvilma, third book in the Kitra Saga.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 11, 2021
Based on my positive review of
Kitra
, the previous book in the series (and, happily, it does look like becoming a series), the author contacted me to alert me to the fact that this one was going on Netgalley. He told me that, if anything, it was a better book.
I don't know if I think it's better (we are probably using different criteria), but it's certainly good. It's firmly in the tradition of the grand old early-Heinlein and Andre Norton space opera "juveniles," but updated; women exist (if you think I'm joking, read Norton's Sargasso of Space ), they have equal agency, and apparently all the crew apart from the alien are bisexual - though romance and sex are given passing mention and serve as an emotional complication during the action, rather than being a focus at all.
It walks a mostly successful tightrope between not allowing the tropes of the genre to pop up anything too egregiously against known science and not falling into the complexities of hard SF, which keeps the action moving. There were a couple of moments when I questioned the likelihood of a dramatic event that seemed to rely on engineers failing to think about safety measures to any degree whatsoever, or wondered why there were space princesses; I'm not generally a fan of princesses (literal or figurative) in fiction, and I find the idea of a revival, in a space-opera setting, of the long-superseded political organization that was aristocracy unlikely at best. It's a popular trope, though, and I ended up ignoring it, since it didn't affect the plot materially, and just enjoying the story.
There are tense moments, rescues, escapes, all the good action stuff, but with a cast that isn't made up of action heroes, so they have to work hard at it and there's always the sense they could fail. The plot does rely on one coincidence (arriving at the right place at the right time to make a difference, by complete chance), but again I'll let it go, because overall, this is a well-paced, varied, exciting, well-executed YA space opera featuring principled, courageous and capable protagonists.
Recommended.
I don't know if I think it's better (we are probably using different criteria), but it's certainly good. It's firmly in the tradition of the grand old early-Heinlein and Andre Norton space opera "juveniles," but updated; women exist (if you think I'm joking, read Norton's Sargasso of Space ), they have equal agency, and apparently all the crew apart from the alien are bisexual - though romance and sex are given passing mention and serve as an emotional complication during the action, rather than being a focus at all.
It walks a mostly successful tightrope between not allowing the tropes of the genre to pop up anything too egregiously against known science and not falling into the complexities of hard SF, which keeps the action moving. There were a couple of moments when I questioned the likelihood of a dramatic event that seemed to rely on engineers failing to think about safety measures to any degree whatsoever, or wondered why there were space princesses; I'm not generally a fan of princesses (literal or figurative) in fiction, and I find the idea of a revival, in a space-opera setting, of the long-superseded political organization that was aristocracy unlikely at best. It's a popular trope, though, and I ended up ignoring it, since it didn't affect the plot materially, and just enjoying the story.
There are tense moments, rescues, escapes, all the good action stuff, but with a cast that isn't made up of action heroes, so they have to work hard at it and there's always the sense they could fail. The plot does rely on one coincidence (arriving at the right place at the right time to make a difference, by complete chance), but again I'll let it go, because overall, this is a well-paced, varied, exciting, well-executed YA space opera featuring principled, courageous and capable protagonists.
Recommended.
September 22, 2021
Kitra Yilmaz has been busy since the last book. She and her crew have taken on a new client and they are off to find a new home on a undiscovered planet. They find more than they bargained for when 10000 lives depend on their action. A fun filled book with a lot of tension and great characters. Looking forward to more books by this author.
March 22, 2023
Sirena
In the second book of The Kitra Saga, the crew has settled into their roles aboard the Majera - Kitra has even dutifully donned her (very important) captain's hat. It's not merely an experiment or a one-off extra credit experience for Peter, Marta, and Fareedh. Along with Pinky, they are committed. Not only is the crew more solid in their footing, Majera gets an update! The ship gains some useful new features that fit right in with its atypical configuration.
The world is expanded on, with moments that explore timekeeping between planets that have different lengths of days and years, ways culture and faiths have developed across space, and how humanity changes itself and its surroundings to adapt to vastly different environments.
The eponymous Sirena is a wonderful addition to the group. She has a mission to accomplish, but still finds ways to enjoy her time. Once you get past her initial barriers, she is an effusive and vibrant woman who brings a whimsical air to the conversation. Since the rest of the people on Majera are all from the same planet, Vatan, it gives plenty of opportunity to see how an entirely different planet would have cultural differences, beyond the range found on Vatan.
This book shows another side of Pinky, some of which was present but more subtle in "Kitra". While he's still great at relieving the tension among the group, and makes goofy jokes, he also has some of his own issues come to the front.
"Sirena" explores the budding romance between Kitra and Fareedh in "Kitra", as well as handling Kitra's still complex feelings regarding her ex, Marta. (One thing I especially like in The Kitra Saga is how even when feelings get messy, characters still know how to respect boundaries. It makes for a much better romance reading experience!)
The useful but dangerous Jump is revisited, answering some questions and prompting more. It seems like it will be an ongoing mystery in the series, and one I look forward to seeing continued.
Another piece of tech is Sirena's hoverchair, this future's equivalent of a wheelchair. Like many mobility devices, hers has a few modifications and she uses it creatively, but it doesn't "magically" make her disability go away. She is still treated as an adult and is an incredibly competent individual - she isn't just royalty! But she has limits the others don't. A hovering device was the perfect way to go, so she can navigate the ship regardless of gravity levels, and it works as an all-terrain device when she's off the ship. My own disability rarely requires that I use a mobility device, but the similarities in how accomodations are treated meant that this was a pleasant way to read about a character getting to just... be part of an adventure, without their disability being either made into a token or having it be "fixed"/erased.
The ghost ship was spooky, echoing the eerie mystery of the abandoned city from "Kitra". Discoveries on the ship lead to a tense, fast-paced series of events that I don't want to spoil but had me forgetting to breathe.
The illustrations were fantastic, my personal favorites were the final picture and one that included Pinky in a spacesuit.
In the second book of The Kitra Saga, the crew has settled into their roles aboard the Majera - Kitra has even dutifully donned her (very important) captain's hat. It's not merely an experiment or a one-off extra credit experience for Peter, Marta, and Fareedh. Along with Pinky, they are committed. Not only is the crew more solid in their footing, Majera gets an update! The ship gains some useful new features that fit right in with its atypical configuration.
The world is expanded on, with moments that explore timekeeping between planets that have different lengths of days and years, ways culture and faiths have developed across space, and how humanity changes itself and its surroundings to adapt to vastly different environments.
The eponymous Sirena is a wonderful addition to the group. She has a mission to accomplish, but still finds ways to enjoy her time. Once you get past her initial barriers, she is an effusive and vibrant woman who brings a whimsical air to the conversation. Since the rest of the people on Majera are all from the same planet, Vatan, it gives plenty of opportunity to see how an entirely different planet would have cultural differences, beyond the range found on Vatan.
This book shows another side of Pinky, some of which was present but more subtle in "Kitra". While he's still great at relieving the tension among the group, and makes goofy jokes, he also has some of his own issues come to the front.
"Sirena" explores the budding romance between Kitra and Fareedh in "Kitra", as well as handling Kitra's still complex feelings regarding her ex, Marta. (One thing I especially like in The Kitra Saga is how even when feelings get messy, characters still know how to respect boundaries. It makes for a much better romance reading experience!)
The useful but dangerous Jump is revisited, answering some questions and prompting more. It seems like it will be an ongoing mystery in the series, and one I look forward to seeing continued.
Another piece of tech is Sirena's hoverchair, this future's equivalent of a wheelchair. Like many mobility devices, hers has a few modifications and she uses it creatively, but it doesn't "magically" make her disability go away. She is still treated as an adult and is an incredibly competent individual - she isn't just royalty! But she has limits the others don't. A hovering device was the perfect way to go, so she can navigate the ship regardless of gravity levels, and it works as an all-terrain device when she's off the ship. My own disability rarely requires that I use a mobility device, but the similarities in how accomodations are treated meant that this was a pleasant way to read about a character getting to just... be part of an adventure, without their disability being either made into a token or having it be "fixed"/erased.
The ghost ship was spooky, echoing the eerie mystery of the abandoned city from "Kitra". Discoveries on the ship lead to a tense, fast-paced series of events that I don't want to spoil but had me forgetting to breathe.
The illustrations were fantastic, my personal favorites were the final picture and one that included Pinky in a spacesuit.
July 5, 2025
Sirena is book two in the continuing voyages into adventure, of Kitra, Peter, Marta, Fareedh and the intense, but affable, alien, Pinky. Sirena, a princess, who, we later learn, is also a medical doctor, charters the Majera to find a new home world for her people.
As in the previous book, Kitra, the story opens with a fast, action packed, pace of events. Never a dull moment! After introducing Sirena and her quest, the adventure begins!
Throughout, all of the original character’s personalities are further developed. As is that of Sirena. This renders them “alive” as opposed to wooden, “cutout” characters.
Rather than follow a linear, predictable plot, the absolutely unexpected happens, then happens again! A perfect world for Sirena’s people is located—BUT unfortunately, a damaged colony ship, filled with cryogenically frozen colonists is found orbiting the planet. If they are revived and saved, Sirena will likely lose title to this planet. But to leave them on the rapidly deteriorating ship is unthinkable to Kitra and crew—including Sirena. Yet successfully reviving and rescuing the sleepers appears to be impossible…
If you enjoyed Kitra, you’ll like this book even more!
Gideon MarcusSirenaSirenaSirena
As in the previous book, Kitra, the story opens with a fast, action packed, pace of events. Never a dull moment! After introducing Sirena and her quest, the adventure begins!
Throughout, all of the original character’s personalities are further developed. As is that of Sirena. This renders them “alive” as opposed to wooden, “cutout” characters.
Rather than follow a linear, predictable plot, the absolutely unexpected happens, then happens again! A perfect world for Sirena’s people is located—BUT unfortunately, a damaged colony ship, filled with cryogenically frozen colonists is found orbiting the planet. If they are revived and saved, Sirena will likely lose title to this planet. But to leave them on the rapidly deteriorating ship is unthinkable to Kitra and crew—including Sirena. Yet successfully reviving and rescuing the sleepers appears to be impossible…
If you enjoyed Kitra, you’ll like this book even more!
Gideon MarcusSirenaSirenaSirena
August 29, 2021
When I was offered this book to review I jumped at the chance. The first book in the series Kitra was a thrilling, young adult science fiction novella, and I couldn’t wait to find out what the sequel had in store for us.
One of the things I did struggle with while reading Kitra was the character development. But in this book we got to know the team a lot better, and that really helped to pull the story together.
We also have the addition of a new character, the Princess of Atlántida, and the dynamics between the princess and the group were a lot of fun to witness. To make things even more awesome, she’s in a wheelchair (well, a flying space-age version of a wheelchair), and this just added another level to an already majorly diverse set of characters. Gideon represents different races, gender, backgrounds, religions and sexual orientations in his series. And now there’s this awesome, bad-ass wheelchair bound princess too.
I did find the book a little slow to start, but as soon as the crew embarked on their quest to find the Princess a new world, the story really found it’s feet.
The world building is fantastic, I love how Gideon explains the science as we go along, it really helps us to understand the world we are exploring. Their adventures were also really exciting to read, you didn’t know what was around the corner, and the stakes were so high in this book. As the description mentions; there’s 10,000 lives in the balance, and that made for some tense, but thrilling reading.
SUMMARY
Sirena is a cross-universe novella, full of high stakes, found family and fantastic puns. It’s perfect for fans of Becky Chambers and anyone wanting a quick read that’s packed full of character and adventure.
CAWPILE: 7.86
One of the things I did struggle with while reading Kitra was the character development. But in this book we got to know the team a lot better, and that really helped to pull the story together.
We also have the addition of a new character, the Princess of Atlántida, and the dynamics between the princess and the group were a lot of fun to witness. To make things even more awesome, she’s in a wheelchair (well, a flying space-age version of a wheelchair), and this just added another level to an already majorly diverse set of characters. Gideon represents different races, gender, backgrounds, religions and sexual orientations in his series. And now there’s this awesome, bad-ass wheelchair bound princess too.
I did find the book a little slow to start, but as soon as the crew embarked on their quest to find the Princess a new world, the story really found it’s feet.
The world building is fantastic, I love how Gideon explains the science as we go along, it really helps us to understand the world we are exploring. Their adventures were also really exciting to read, you didn’t know what was around the corner, and the stakes were so high in this book. As the description mentions; there’s 10,000 lives in the balance, and that made for some tense, but thrilling reading.
SUMMARY
Sirena is a cross-universe novella, full of high stakes, found family and fantastic puns. It’s perfect for fans of Becky Chambers and anyone wanting a quick read that’s packed full of character and adventure.
CAWPILE: 7.86
September 1, 2021
This book takes the main character, a 20-year-old spaceship pilot, and her crew beyond known space looking for a habitable planet for her first and only client. The first planet they discover is occupied by religious zealots who capture the crew and who later are thwarted in their intent to enslave them. The crew escapes, re-fuels the ship, and continues its search for another habitable planet.
The suspense and adventure start with the discovery of the second habitable planet. As they approach the planet, they find a damaged colony settlement ship with 10,000 civilians housed in cryogenic chambers. The ship is severely damaged from an accident incurred in hyperspace, its crew is dead, and life support has failed. The only way to save the cryogenic population that is poised to revive in the damaged ship’s airless environment is to land the ship on the planet’s surface. Getting it ready for that landing and the setbacks faced create the suspense and love entanglements that enliven the story. After a harrowing descent, they successfully land the ship.
The book is written as a young adult science fiction story. It uses young characters who coexist as crew on a ship in harmony. They are given responsibility for finding an inhabitable planet for one colony and solving a life and death failure that could lead to the death of 10,000 citizens from another colony. Of course, all of these challenges are met and both colonies mutually claim the planet as their new home. It’s a feel-good story that everyone likes to read from time to time.
The suspense and adventure start with the discovery of the second habitable planet. As they approach the planet, they find a damaged colony settlement ship with 10,000 civilians housed in cryogenic chambers. The ship is severely damaged from an accident incurred in hyperspace, its crew is dead, and life support has failed. The only way to save the cryogenic population that is poised to revive in the damaged ship’s airless environment is to land the ship on the planet’s surface. Getting it ready for that landing and the setbacks faced create the suspense and love entanglements that enliven the story. After a harrowing descent, they successfully land the ship.
The book is written as a young adult science fiction story. It uses young characters who coexist as crew on a ship in harmony. They are given responsibility for finding an inhabitable planet for one colony and solving a life and death failure that could lead to the death of 10,000 citizens from another colony. Of course, all of these challenges are met and both colonies mutually claim the planet as their new home. It’s a feel-good story that everyone likes to read from time to time.
July 24, 2025
The Kitra series by Gideon Marcus are rollicking good reading. Hard science fiction, space travel, interesting aliens, action and adventure, great character development with some complicated interactions…it would be downright unreasonable to ask for more. It’s hard to believe that so much story can be packed into books that are relatively short.
And regardless of it being described by the author as young adult science fiction, this elderly adult loved every minute of it.
Hollywood, are you listening? You’re always looking for a new story line that will appeal to people of all ages, gain a guaranteed fanbase, and lend itself to sequels, prequels, and spin-offs. Well, here it is!
I’m looking forward to the movies!
Ramona Griffin
And regardless of it being described by the author as young adult science fiction, this elderly adult loved every minute of it.
Hollywood, are you listening? You’re always looking for a new story line that will appeal to people of all ages, gain a guaranteed fanbase, and lend itself to sequels, prequels, and spin-offs. Well, here it is!
I’m looking forward to the movies!
Ramona Griffin
July 14, 2022
Sirena continues the story of Kitra Yilmaz and the crew of the Majera. Now that they've gotten their feet wet and proven they can survive the dangerous unpredictability of space travel, they are ready to take on their first customer. Not only do they have to accommodate the mysterious Sirena, but they end up in a situation where not just their lives but the lives of many people hang in the balance. They will have to rely on their problem-solving skills and their trust in each other to make it out in one piece. A fun adventure that balances thrills and danger with humor and engaging characters.
January 27, 2026
Having now read the first three books in this series, I can say it's one of the most grounded (no pun intended) space adventure book series I've ever read. It's warm and relatable while retaining the excitement of space exploration, and the advancement of plot never comes at the expense of developing the characters as people we could actually become invested in. There's no avoiding becoming fully immersed in the world of Kitra's crew as they navigate through the cosmos - both within and without. Would definitely recommend this series to anyone, and would love to see it on the big screen one day!
August 31, 2021
2/5 stars!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The premise of this book is so cool and interesting, it made me really excited to read this one. I liked the direction the story went to, however, I was constantly being taken out of the story because of the overly long descriptions of every chapter. This book would have been enjoyable if the author did not overwrite it and if it undergoes another set of edits.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The premise of this book is so cool and interesting, it made me really excited to read this one. I liked the direction the story went to, however, I was constantly being taken out of the story because of the overly long descriptions of every chapter. This book would have been enjoyable if the author did not overwrite it and if it undergoes another set of edits.
February 15, 2022
Sirena was a fantastic read. Picking up just after the first book, we get to see the adventures continue, even further abroad. We get the same colorful cast along with a new, just as wonderful, crew member. This book leaned much more into mystery and while mystery is generally not my preference, I very much enjoyed the book. This book also continued with the great art! I cannot wait for the next book.
August 3, 2021
Sirena takes the strong start established in Kitra and brings it to the next level! More lovable interactions between the crew, neat alien worlds, and high stakes that this time don't only involve the life of the crew.
February 11, 2023
A fantastic world to let you mind wander in. Perfect for the young adult genre.
November 10, 2025
Sirena is a fantastic follow-up to Kitra. I love the characters and Gideon's voice. the story, despite being almost a millennium in the future, is relatable and endearing.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews