ARC Review: LIGHT YEARS FROM HOME by Mike Chen (2022)

Genre: Adult Science Fiction
Year Release: January 25, 2022
Buy Links: Bookshop.org | Unabridged Books | Libro.fm

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Read a NetGalley eARC
Content warning: dead parent (father), dementia, PTSD

One of my favorite subgenres of science fiction and fantasy comes in the form of “what happens to the main characters when they return from their adventure?” This book is split into three POVs: one sister, Kass, who kept herself firmly rooted on Earth, her twin, Jakob, who disappeared in a first contact episode fifteen years prior, and their younger sister, Evie, who wants to find her brother but also proof of extra-terrestrials. Jakob does return one day, and it’s a race to complete a space military mission while trying to tie knots longed frayed by hurts gone unmended.

A compelling story about siblings trying to mend rifts that go beyond the pedestrian and tear into space and time amid a veritable Easter basket of Assassin’s Creed references.

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Author to Author with Mike Chen #ABeginningAtTheEnd

AtoA_MikeChen.pngMike Chen rings in 2020 with another tearjerker of a science fiction novel, A Beginning at the End. This book features four points of view characters trying to find their back to normality in a post-apocalypse where a virus wiped out most of the world. In this interview, Mike talks about his sophomore effort, expanding two POVs to four, and ways to make his world feel lived-in on top of the slice-of-life focus.

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Author to Author with Wendy Heard #TheKillClub

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Happy book day to The Kill Club! Wendy Heard’s sophomore book taking place in Los Angeles about a young woman who turns towards a secret murder group to get her younger brother out of the hands of their zealous foster mother. It’s intricate, it’s stressful, and it is so Los Angeles. Wendy answers some questions below about the research that went into this twisty thriller and the inspiration behind the story.

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Author to Author with Mike Chen

atoa_mikechenMike and I had been talking book things, publishing life, and more for a few months when he graciously provided me an ARC of Here and Now and Then (2019). A time travel story with a literary edge, we follow the story of Kin and his quest to save his two families in two timelines. Heartfelt and emotional, this book has enough nods to Doctor Who and Star Trek to make you smile between crying sessions.

In this interview, Mike talks about how he developed his debut, his favorite episodes of his favorite series, and a piece of advice which goes beyond writing and publishing.

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