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Space Story
A quietly powerful graphic novel of hope, separation, and perseverance in the journey to reunite with those you love
It started on earth, where two women meet at the space academy and fall in love. Told in three interwoven stories with beautiful art, Space Story is an interstellar tale of a family separated when the planet becomes uninhabitable by humans. Safe travel to the space station at first seemed a matter of time, then restricted, then… improbable. Yet despite the sadness, anxiety, and frustration in the void of space, hope kindles silently deep inside, whispering of a future and new beginnings on the horizon. By debut author Fiona Ostby, Space Story weaves a poignant, moving story of discovering love and finding strength and courage—even in the darkest moments.
It started on earth, where two women meet at the space academy and fall in love. Told in three interwoven stories with beautiful art, Space Story is an interstellar tale of a family separated when the planet becomes uninhabitable by humans. Safe travel to the space station at first seemed a matter of time, then restricted, then… improbable. Yet despite the sadness, anxiety, and frustration in the void of space, hope kindles silently deep inside, whispering of a future and new beginnings on the horizon. By debut author Fiona Ostby, Space Story weaves a poignant, moving story of discovering love and finding strength and courage—even in the darkest moments.
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
July 9, 2022
***SPOILERS HIDDEN***
Set sometime in the future, Space Story is a graphic novel about Leah and Hannah, who meet in a class that’s preparing them to live on board a residential spaceship floating near a dying Earth. They soon become a couple and later have a daughter together, but the blissful life they’re enjoying ends up taking a sad turn.
Space Story flashes back and forth between present and past as it tells the story from three different angles. Author and illustrator Fiona Ostby differentiated these by bright color: The present-day story is split so that the story of some characters is in red and others in blue. The flashback sections are in yellow.
Unfortunately, I disliked Ostby’s artistic style overall. It’s not very detailed, and, although it’s admirable that she tried to draw realistic bodies, these just ended up looking oddly disproportionate. On the other hand, I noted that she included just enough detail to see the settings clearly and to tell the characters apart easily. Her use of color to divide the sections was smart too. Space Story does succeed as a graphic novel.
I enjoyed the story more for its deep emotion than for its plot. The plot makes sense, but it could have been more complex and interesting with detail about the dying state of Earth and the program training people to live in space. It’s easy enough to understand the general gist of the story, but it’s also easy to see the ways Ostby could have gone further. Serious suspension of disbelief also is required toward the end , but this doesn’t ruin the story and it concludes on a warm note.
NOTE: I received this as a complimentary finished copy from LibraryThing in July 2022.
Set sometime in the future, Space Story is a graphic novel about Leah and Hannah, who meet in a class that’s preparing them to live on board a residential spaceship floating near a dying Earth. They soon become a couple and later have a daughter together, but the blissful life they’re enjoying ends up taking a sad turn.
Space Story flashes back and forth between present and past as it tells the story from three different angles. Author and illustrator Fiona Ostby differentiated these by bright color: The present-day story is split so that the story of some characters is in red and others in blue. The flashback sections are in yellow.
Unfortunately, I disliked Ostby’s artistic style overall. It’s not very detailed, and, although it’s admirable that she tried to draw realistic bodies, these just ended up looking oddly disproportionate. On the other hand, I noted that she included just enough detail to see the settings clearly and to tell the characters apart easily. Her use of color to divide the sections was smart too. Space Story does succeed as a graphic novel.
I enjoyed the story more for its deep emotion than for its plot. The plot makes sense, but it could have been more complex and interesting with detail about the dying state of Earth and the program training people to live in space. It’s easy enough to understand the general gist of the story, but it’s also easy to see the ways Ostby could have gone further. Serious suspension of disbelief also is required toward the end , but this doesn’t ruin the story and it concludes on a warm note.
NOTE: I received this as a complimentary finished copy from LibraryThing in July 2022.
March 2, 2022
A thoughtful story, told in three timelines, about a family trying to escape to a space station from a dying Earth. I have to be honest, it actually took a while before I understood the three storylines (each coloured in their own primal colour), were about the same family - when the penny finally dropped, I was pleasantly surprised.
The book is about a family being ripped apart, and keeping the hope alive they will be reunited. I like the sentiment more than the actual story, which I found faintly underwhelming. The characters are never really developed, so it becomes hard to become very involved.
The art is quite cartoony, leaning towards Popeye-like for one of the main characters, which can be slightly startling.
(Thanks to West Margin Press for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)
July 7, 2022
A gay couple find themselves separated during the mass evacuation of a doomed planet. One is safely aboard a space station while the other is stuck on the ground in the path of danger with their daughter. Regularly placed flashbacks show the start and development of their relationship over the years.
The storytelling is so straightforward that there aren't any surprises in the two timelines, but this book is really about the emotions of the characters and their different ways of coping with their different perspectives on the situation, and I couldn't help but be drawn to them and syncing up with their highs and lows.
Nice.
The storytelling is so straightforward that there aren't any surprises in the two timelines, but this book is really about the emotions of the characters and their different ways of coping with their different perspectives on the situation, and I couldn't help but be drawn to them and syncing up with their highs and lows.
Nice.
July 9, 2022
Emotional and beautiful
Short and sweet but pulls at your heart strings. Gets the whole story and emotions across in very little words, and it makes you think as well for the future. I loved the graphics.
Short and sweet but pulls at your heart strings. Gets the whole story and emotions across in very little words, and it makes you think as well for the future. I loved the graphics.
June 6, 2022
Space Story is, in many ways, exactly what it says on the tin: a story about space, and about how love can bridge it. Fill it. Make all that space worthwhile. Told in 3 primary colors across 3 different time periods, Space Story is the very definition of "deceptively simple." Are you looking for a quick-reading comfy lesbian love story set in the near-future with characters who aren't stick-thin for once? Fiona Ostby's got you covered. Are you looking for a story that will settle in your ribs and warm your gay little heart? Space Story is for you.
Ostby's world-building is sparse and character focused -- a doomsday in microcosm -- which makes it easy to overlook everything that goes carefully unspoken. How intensely hopeful is the love that drives a couple to have a child mid-apocalypse? What does it mean to be an elder dyke after the end of the world?
Space Story is a rarity among graphic novels: I read it in an hour, but I've been thinking about it for weeks.
Ostby's world-building is sparse and character focused -- a doomsday in microcosm -- which makes it easy to overlook everything that goes carefully unspoken. How intensely hopeful is the love that drives a couple to have a child mid-apocalypse? What does it mean to be an elder dyke after the end of the world?
Space Story is a rarity among graphic novels: I read it in an hour, but I've been thinking about it for weeks.
May 30, 2024
This graphic novel said surprisingly a lot with very few words. The events of the dire situation on Earth is not totally clear but that is not as important as the focus on emotions among loved ones far apart, their depression and determination. Cute story and neat storytelling with a color for each perspective; past, current time with one character, and current time with another. Unique play with color until it blends at the end. I recommend this book for a feel-good escapist story with a happy ending that is emotional and tense at times; this is especially great to read for June for Pride Month for this reason.
October 4, 2022
This was short and (very) sweet. A story about family, longing, separation, and that kind of love that won't acknowledge any limits and overcomes all obstacles.
I really enjoyed the form and narrative here, with an almost minimalist use of dialogue, and a cute art style, that resorts to three different colors to mark the three different timelines: here, there and, the past. Simple but so effective.
I really enjoyed the form and narrative here, with an almost minimalist use of dialogue, and a cute art style, that resorts to three different colors to mark the three different timelines: here, there and, the past. Simple but so effective.
January 16, 2023
I'd say 3.5 stars for this one (also, read this last summer 2022 but forgot to review). I know color was an important element in the story telling of this graphic novel. But I wish more dialogue was used and flushing out of the characters' stories.
November 27, 2023
Space Story is a sweet and gentle sci-fi story told in three colour-coded timelines. With a focus on love, family, and loneliness, it touches the heart. The art is really nice and the colour-coding is aesthetic and helpful. I'd recommend it, and I'd be willing to check out future works from Ostby.
October 12, 2024
Aww, this was a slightly sad but eventually sweet and hopeful graphic novel! I love how the different colors were used to indicate different timelines and how the colors all blended together in the end. The story itself was simple but very good and sweet.
August 11, 2023
lovely story, i would’ve cried if i wasn’t sitting at a pool surrounded by old people
August 13, 2024
Sweet story, I really enjoyed that the different perspectives as well as past/present were color coded
July 15, 2022
This was SO CUTE.
As some other reviewers mentioned, it was a little confusing at first, although I'm also generally not one for graphic novels & that's not unusual for me when I do give them a go. The artwork was beautiful, the characters developed beautifully in a short amount of time. A very sweet story about love and hope and perseverance. And space.
Thanks to LibraryThing for the ARC!
As some other reviewers mentioned, it was a little confusing at first, although I'm also generally not one for graphic novels & that's not unusual for me when I do give them a go. The artwork was beautiful, the characters developed beautifully in a short amount of time. A very sweet story about love and hope and perseverance. And space.
Thanks to LibraryThing for the ARC!
October 30, 2024
Hannah’s story, for me, was the most intense. We see her slowly coming out of her shell and meeting people, letting people care for her and understand her pain. The emotions in all of that hit me so hard I was actually sobbing at one point. Leah’s story is more one of strength and resilience in the face of hopelessness—a determination to not give up. And setting both amongst the history of their love story was an extra, glorious, punch in the feels.
A slightly longer review can be found on my book blog: Marvel at Words.
A slightly longer review can be found on my book blog: Marvel at Words.
May 7, 2024
This story made me feel so many feelings. Very beautiful
January 29, 2022
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)
Set in the probably-not-so-distant future, SPACE STORY introduces us to a family fractured by a dying earth and the limitations of space exploration and colonization.
Hannah and Leah met years ago, when they attended the same space academy as young adults. After a rather adorable courtship, the two women married and had a daughter, Birdie. Beset by a series of environmental catastrophes, the government(s) of earth began relocating many of its its citizens to space stations orbiting the planet. The trio was all set to leave when a minor accident renders Birdie unsuitable for space travel. The family is faced with an agonizing decision: Hannah goes ahead, while Leah stays behind to care for Birdie.
Of course, the assumption is that this separation is only temporary: a matter of weeks, maybe months. But as space travel slows to a trickle, then a halt, Leah and Birdie must find their own way back to Hannah.
I really wanted to love SPACE STORY: its premise is solid, I'm a sucker for dystopian sci-fi, and hey!: Lesbians in space!!!! Unfortunately, this felt more like a sketch of a story than a fully fleshed out tale.
Told from three different perspectives, each distinguished by its own color palette, SPACE STORY explores this future dystopia from both Hannah (blue, the color of grief) and Leah's (red, for Leah's fiery passion) points of view, while also looking back in time, to chronicle the couple's blossoming relationship (yellow, perhaps for sunnier days?). I wanted to root for Hannah and Leah harder than I did, but I never felt like I knew them all that well. They're a super cute couple, yet individually, I didn't get much of a sense of them as people.
The artwork is adorable as well, though some of it could use some polishing up. I appreciate that Hannah and Leah aren't the standard, stick-thin, big-breasted size 4 women you so often see in comics, but some of the proportions seem a little off. Leah's legs, for example, are almost comically thick in some panels.
Set in the probably-not-so-distant future, SPACE STORY introduces us to a family fractured by a dying earth and the limitations of space exploration and colonization.
Hannah and Leah met years ago, when they attended the same space academy as young adults. After a rather adorable courtship, the two women married and had a daughter, Birdie. Beset by a series of environmental catastrophes, the government(s) of earth began relocating many of its its citizens to space stations orbiting the planet. The trio was all set to leave when a minor accident renders Birdie unsuitable for space travel. The family is faced with an agonizing decision: Hannah goes ahead, while Leah stays behind to care for Birdie.
Of course, the assumption is that this separation is only temporary: a matter of weeks, maybe months. But as space travel slows to a trickle, then a halt, Leah and Birdie must find their own way back to Hannah.
I really wanted to love SPACE STORY: its premise is solid, I'm a sucker for dystopian sci-fi, and hey!: Lesbians in space!!!! Unfortunately, this felt more like a sketch of a story than a fully fleshed out tale.
Told from three different perspectives, each distinguished by its own color palette, SPACE STORY explores this future dystopia from both Hannah (blue, the color of grief) and Leah's (red, for Leah's fiery passion) points of view, while also looking back in time, to chronicle the couple's blossoming relationship (yellow, perhaps for sunnier days?). I wanted to root for Hannah and Leah harder than I did, but I never felt like I knew them all that well. They're a super cute couple, yet individually, I didn't get much of a sense of them as people.
The artwork is adorable as well, though some of it could use some polishing up. I appreciate that Hannah and Leah aren't the standard, stick-thin, big-breasted size 4 women you so often see in comics, but some of the proportions seem a little off. Leah's legs, for example, are almost comically thick in some panels.
October 16, 2022
Super, super quick read. Nothing “wrong” with this story…I just didn’t connect to it in any meaningful way. Also, the sparse dialogue made the plot a bit confusing to pick up on. I did love how the past and both versions of the present were each represented by different colored illustrations!
January 26, 2024
This is an odd book. A good book, but odd. The oddness comes from the questions I had after reading. The biggest one is we are just assuming the world has started to end as we're told that on the back of the book, it is never really said in the book. Of course, we can see that something is happening and the comment, "It's the end of the world if ..." (and the response is that it was in bad taste) says something is up, but the actual "facts" are very minimal. And, in fact, if you read the back of the book, you pretty much are told everything about the story. What you get from reading is the "little details" that are the most important part. Therefore, pay attention to the littlest things. The biggest plus is the set up of the book. The art is nice, there are few details, but when they are there, watch them. But the best part is how the book is easily split into three sections: The Past of our two main characters and The Present of Character One and The Present of Character Two. The past is present in yellow, Character One is in red and Character two is in blue. This book has the feelings, the relatability, the modernism, the not too distant potential future and is a bit "vanity work" and part thoughtful idea that we can hopefully skip (the end of the world) but not the hope, love and self that the characters find in their journey.
July 7, 2022
Space story centers the very human feelings of loss, separation, love, and hope in a story framed by apocalyptic times where a planet's only recourse is to move to space. The art style was the best part of the book, though proportions were notably off in some panels. I liked the simple, clean lines and the diversity in body types.
Unfortunately, I was confused for much of the story. I didn't realize that the three storylines were all about the same couple until at least halfway through the book. Early pages with repeated images of the same person looking at a screen didn't quite hit the poignant mark they were going for, as I had no idea what she was doing or why.
The couple is surface-level cute, but the writing style doesn't leave much room for depth. The individual storylines needed more information to catch my full interest. By the end of the book, however, I did feel for their situation and the payoff of the last page was satisfying.
With some more context, this could have been easily five stars. Without, it is a solid 3.5 for the good art style and what I can see the author was trying to do; I look forward to future works.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and West Margin Press for this DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I was confused for much of the story. I didn't realize that the three storylines were all about the same couple until at least halfway through the book. Early pages with repeated images of the same person looking at a screen didn't quite hit the poignant mark they were going for, as I had no idea what she was doing or why.
The couple is surface-level cute, but the writing style doesn't leave much room for depth. The individual storylines needed more information to catch my full interest. By the end of the book, however, I did feel for their situation and the payoff of the last page was satisfying.
With some more context, this could have been easily five stars. Without, it is a solid 3.5 for the good art style and what I can see the author was trying to do; I look forward to future works.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and West Margin Press for this DRC in exchange for an honest review.
August 27, 2022
I wish there had been more to this story in terms of the worldbuilding, to find out more of the seemingly random circumstances that lead some people to be chosen for a flight to the station and some to not, and how on earth did they build their own rocket ship and how are they going to land it and why is there no support system for new station livers and... Just so many questions.
It was interesting to see the multiple storylines, two present POVs and one past, but it felt like we barely got to know the cast other than their face value emotions due to their situation (losing hope on the space station / driven to join her wife on the space station / feeling guilt for ruining their chance to go to the space station as a family).
I couldn't help but feel uplifted at the end, but only after completely suspending my disbelief..and wanting them to stop doing tricks on a rocket and just park it before you explode!
I had expected something along the lines of Tilly Walden's Sunbeam but unfortunately this didn't really pan out. Drawing style was all right, didn't stand out to me much either way, but did its job delivering the emotional impact.
It was interesting to see the multiple storylines, two present POVs and one past, but it felt like we barely got to know the cast other than their face value emotions due to their situation (losing hope on the space station / driven to join her wife on the space station / feeling guilt for ruining their chance to go to the space station as a family).
I couldn't help but feel uplifted at the end, but only after completely suspending my disbelief..and wanting them to stop doing tricks on a rocket and just park it before you explode!
I had expected something along the lines of Tilly Walden's Sunbeam but unfortunately this didn't really pan out. Drawing style was all right, didn't stand out to me much either way, but did its job delivering the emotional impact.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2022
This is the story of a family, told simultaneously via three separate, futuristic timelines, in which a nuclear family forms but is torn apart by circumstances beyond their control. By nature, graphic novels tend to be more show than tell, which is both a refreshing change when compared with a traditional novel, as well as a bit of a puzzle at times if the meaning of a panel isn't immediately clear. I'll admit in this case I found myself initially scrutinizing the illustrations for clues a fair amount until I got my bearings about a third of the way through. The story is heartwarming, evocative and heartbreaking, and ends upon a hopeful note. As is often the case with graphic novels, in which both the experience and the story end so quickly, upon finishing the book I felt a loss. Just when I become comfortable in my familiarity of the world and characters the author has created, the experience ends. This is, ultimately, a limitation of the medium that each author/illustrator is up against.
I received this ARC via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
I received this ARC via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
July 22, 2022
Space Story is a graphic novel about a family separated by space - literally. Hannah is on a space station, waiting for her wife and daughter to leave an apocalyptic Earth to join her in safety. The graphic novel flips between present-day on the space station and on Earth, and also features flashbacks from the couple's past.
I really enjoyed the story itself - you could feel the longing and sadness on both sides of the divide. I liked that you could easily tell when things were switching between settings by the main color used on the page; it helped create the atmosphere and also keep things clear in the reader's mind. I'm also glad the story ended the way it did - Ostby knew where the right place was. Overall, this was a really lovely read.
Thank you to West Margin Press and LibraryThing for providing a copy for review.
I really enjoyed the story itself - you could feel the longing and sadness on both sides of the divide. I liked that you could easily tell when things were switching between settings by the main color used on the page; it helped create the atmosphere and also keep things clear in the reader's mind. I'm also glad the story ended the way it did - Ostby knew where the right place was. Overall, this was a really lovely read.
Thank you to West Margin Press and LibraryThing for providing a copy for review.
February 18, 2024
I found 'Space Story' a good, if light-hearted, story about the emotional ties of family. The story is simple, but could easily have been fleshed out to a much larger volume. As it is, I think this is a perfect book for a pre-teen looking for some sci-fi drama. The art serves that same simple feel of the story; not to say it is overly simple or bad, but that it is not distracting to the tone of the story.
The inclusivity of the book is subtly presented; insomuch as the lesbian family at the core is written into the story like any other relationship would be (without any additional fanfare or spot light). I think that's perfect to give representation without the characters' entire identities being defined by it.
I'd recommend 'Space Story' to anyone with an eye for a fast graphic novel read about family.
November 18, 2022
Space Story is a beginner's guide to how the right color palette can set the exact mood you are looking for. It tells a tale of two halves one half being how this couple got together and another in the future as they are dealing with being separated by literal space. Earth is dying and the only answer is a Space station orbiting the planet but you have to go through a rigorous program to be selected.
This gives us one tale of loving and another of longing and that balance worked quite well. If this was told in a straightforward manner it would not work nearly as well as seeing both experiences simultaneously. Also appreciated how it kept it simple. Each feeling and though was right there to absorb, and that simplicity allowed for easy investment into these characters' lives.
This gives us one tale of loving and another of longing and that balance worked quite well. If this was told in a straightforward manner it would not work nearly as well as seeing both experiences simultaneously. Also appreciated how it kept it simple. Each feeling and though was right there to absorb, and that simplicity allowed for easy investment into these characters' lives.
February 22, 2023
Extremely sweet and gentle without being treacly. A hard balancing act to pull off, but Ostby does a great job, aided by the melancholic, end-of-the-world backdrop she's chosen. I love her slumped, wrinkled, fat, hairy cartoon figures-- not R. Crumb grotesques, but rendered with the same affection for the humble, organic, and flawed that characterizes her drawings of strawberry plants, gnarled wooden furniture, seas of long grass, and beat-up pickup trucks. This is a simple and slow-paced graphic novel, with dialogue that doesn't stand out too much, but Ostby's use of her visual tools (image, panel, color, etc.) is just masterful.
July 2, 2022
Very confusing
I received this book from a giveaway on Goodreads. I hate to place low stars but this was a very confusing graphic novel. It jumped around to much. I understood different colors for different people, but the kids ask me so many questions. Why was she in space, why didn't they all go, why did they talk about them dating and then show they were separated, why show birdie getting hurt, then saying she cant go, but she still went, what were they building, and so on. To many questions.
I received this book from a giveaway on Goodreads. I hate to place low stars but this was a very confusing graphic novel. It jumped around to much. I understood different colors for different people, but the kids ask me so many questions. Why was she in space, why didn't they all go, why did they talk about them dating and then show they were separated, why show birdie getting hurt, then saying she cant go, but she still went, what were they building, and so on. To many questions.
February 16, 2024
The characters are so sweet, and the use of color is great. However, the story has little depth, and it took me too long to figure out what was going on. Because the characters are drawn so simply and look similar, I didn't realize one of the characters was showing up in two timelines. If I had read the summary right before reading it, I probably could have figured it out sooner, but I don't like to read summaries. The story should have been more clear on the page. Some parts needed fleshing out. It's good if you want a really fast, feel-good story, but it's not very deep.
June 11, 2022
I got this and read it in one sitting. I found it a thought provoking story. The structure brought me, simultaneously, through three timelines in the lives of the characters. I find building a story this way is how I experience life— all the stories from the past live at the same time as the present. It’s the first post apocalyptic story I’ve read where I was able to fully relate to the characters.
July 5, 2022
This is one confusing graphic novel. I wasn’t sure what it was all about, till I read the synopsis that kind of explained it. But I was just lost reading it . The story line wasn’t clear. . I didn’t understand what was the point of this story, who were the characters and what was going on. It all was blending together, making no sense to me.
I did like the illustrations. So for that reason I am giving this graphic novel 3 stars.
I did like the illustrations. So for that reason I am giving this graphic novel 3 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews