The Vela (The Vela #1) in Do Better: SFF without Sexual Violence

Feb 22, 2019 Kaa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: queer-sff, favorite-series, arcs, wbtm-challenge

Okay, first of all, big thanks to Serial Box for giving me an ARC of this, because I've been excited to read The Vela since I first heard about it. And... I'm happy to say that it lived up to all my expectations!

This is a fascinating story that combines politics, space adventures, and some huge moral and ethical questions - all things I love encountering in fiction. The setting is fascinating and I think very well thought out, although it would have been nice to get to know a little more about t ...more

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Feb 18, 2019 Silvana rated it really liked it

Shelves: poc-diaspora-authors, asian-sff-authors, sci-fi, z-sl-laser-challenge-2019, z-sff-2019-reading-challenge, space-the-final-frontier, freebies

Collaborative work is not easy. On the other hand, reading such a work comes with an expectation, whether the (co)writing is a smooth blend of styles with a flowing story that draw us readers into the world, going deeper with the characters, ultimately ending the journey feeling fulfilled.

The Vela is one of those works. Sure, you could see the different narrative styles and characterizations. I've never read anything from Solomon and Huang (still in my wish list, no worries), but I quite enjoye ...more

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Jun 22, 2021 Leticia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-reads, bipoc, women-of-the-future-challenge, lgbt, a_to_z_2021, disability-rep, representation-matters, space_opera

This serial has four things I really liked:

1) Great writers collaborating in a cohesive and well done narrative,
2) Well done, many layered, characters,
3) A surprising and fast paced plot that never gets boring and
4) Food for thought of extreme, utmost importance. Many of the questions this story asks could be translated to our current world situation and how we handle world problems like refugees and climate change.

This serial packs a punch. I liked how it made me think about a lot of importan ...more

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Aug 25, 2022 Mel rated it really liked it

Shelves: z-author-queer, z-author-poc, trans-genderqueer-rep, science-fiction, lgbt, older-female-protagonist

How have more people not read this? With such a star-studded collaboration, how is this not huge? I mean, I’ve had this saved as a top-shelf, special reserve, held for a rainy-day read, and so I’m just surprised it doesn’t have a bigger fan base.

The writing of the four authors flowed together well, and the only hint I had of different voices was the occasional “reestablishing shot” at the beginning of a chapter. A subtle confirmation, likely only noticeable if you’re looking for it.

The THEMES ...more

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Sep 08, 2020 Cobwebs-Iced-Across-SpaceTime rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-female-sf-my-challenge, 2020_sept_book-bookshop_hob, a1-i-own-books, 2020_a-z_h-a, 2020_horror, all-sci-fi-my-challenge, 2020_ice, 2020_lgbtqia, 2020_reads, 2020_space-opera_september

A wonderfully engrossing Space Opera, co-authored by a quartet of writers, with a number of diverse characters and a riveting story line. Told in serial format (as Dickens popularized), the plot kept my attention in a steel grip even as I experienced breathtaking suspense plus empathy for many of the characters. May this Serial continue on and on!

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Jun 06, 2022 ♥Xeni♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtq, space, science-fiction, politics, 2022-books-read, disability, audiobook, bingo-22-23, climate

Rated 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

This was an amazing story. I'm usually not a fan of space operas at all, but this one grabbed me fast and didn't let go. I was going to read it, but then I found out it was a free-to-listen podcast with Realm.fm, so I put it on, got to work, and got immersed!

The story starts out very character focused: Asala is our war-hardened sniper, a refugee from a dying planet she hasn't seen in almost 40 years. Niko is the young, very idealistic tech-genius tasked with As Rated 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

This was an amazing story. I'm usually not a fan of space operas at all, but this one grabbed me fast and didn't let go. I was going to read it, but then I found out it was a free-to-listen podcast with Realm.fm, so I put it on, got to work, and got immersed!

The story starts out very character focused: Asala is our war-hardened sniper, a refugee from a dying planet she hasn't seen in almost 40 years. Niko is the young, very idealistic tech-genius tasked with Asala to figure out what happened to The Vela, and to return it to their planet (Khayyam).

But of course the plot cannot be that simple. This plot takes Asala and Niko into space, jumping from planet, to space station, to planet, following clues that are just a bit too conveniently placed to help move the plot forward.

Which is honestly my main gripe with this story. I didn't notice any jankiness between sections written by different authors (in fact, it's quite cohesive aside from a very few continuity errors), but I did notice that the story itself was a bit simpler than I'd come to expect from these authors on their own. There is one in-universe reason given for some of the conveniences, but that is uncovered about halfway through and doesn't explain the rest of the story.

The characters are great, however, and carry the story through the less-than-stellar plot moments. There is a clear line being drawn in this work: it asks the reader to consider for themselves who is worth saving, what elements of humanity are worth supporting (greed? sacrificing yourself for the good of society? only saving your people and not the less fortunate?), what kind of people have the right to escape a dying solar system, and which deserve to suffer and die horribly?

These are not easy questions to answer. Every character seems to have their own answer. Which one is right? Well, these authors won't tell you. It's not that I need them to. Easy answers won't save our own planet. Or even help us escape to another one. Which, I believe, is ultimately the question what the authors are attempting to address with this space opera. What will we decide for our own planet? We all want to be Soraya but how many of us are secretly a General Cynwrig.

Notes to the end of this book:

(view spoiler)

(view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 29, 2020 Caroline rated it it was amazing

This is a weird, lovely gem of a book. Full of empathy, action, world-hopping, refugees, and surprises. I can't wait to read the next installment. ...more

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