On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden.
Set in a futuristic world where spaceships look like fish and buildings float away in space, On a Sunbeam has one of the more unique settings I’ve encountered in science fiction.
The story follows Mia, a girl who after finishing high school decides to go work with a crew who travels the galaxy doing odd-jobs and fixing and repurposing old buildings. But it’s also the story of her some five years earlier, when she was a teenager in an all-girls school and met Grace.
While it is, primarily, a romance, it doesn’t limit itself to that. Mia and the crew of the Aktis (Alma, Jules, Elliot and Char) develop a friendship that isn’t unlike some of the best acquired families in science fiction (the Dendarii mercenaries in Vorkosigan come to mind). This is mainly due to them being unique and interesting characters with complex personalities and interesting backstories, especially Elliot and Alma.
Finally, the artwork is just gorgeous and definitely Walden’s best in my opinion. It benefits greatly from her palette of choice to create explosions of color that give a slightly surreal feel to space and exploration. This is especially the case in the silent chapter (number 6), as well as in the conclusion of the story, when the characters travel to an exotic and unique planet.
Overall, On a Sunbeam is a great comic with fantastic artwork, characters you care about, and just a fun and enjoyable read that is still able to pack a punch. You can also read it for free at https://www.onasunbeam.com/ (or by clicking on the tittle), as it was first serialized online.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
A novella that was quite the sensation throughout both 2019 and 2020, receiving multiple awards and tons of praise, I decided to read it again (I'd already done so last year) as I thought I didn’t get as much from it as I should have.
It's a great story about two agents from opposite sides of a war that takes place throughout time and space and, every time they face each other, whenever they thwart the other's mission, they leave them a letter. Thus, they get to know each other, they develop a bond and maybe something more.
The two protagonists, Red and Blue are really interesting characters who definitely feel distinct and have a strong voice within the narrative. One (Red) comes from the technological side, whilst the other (Blue) belongs to the legions of Garden.
Another aspect I appreciated greatly was that neither of the warring sides were shown to be better or worse, either morally or in its goals and objectives. This benefited the story, as I think it would have been somewhat weaker if they’d decided that either of the sides was “the way to go”.
The prose is really good, especially in the letters and hidden messages Red and Blue write to each other. It has a certain beauty and poetic quality to it without being over-the-top or purple. It also works really well as a means to show how the characters and their opinions of each other evolve throughout the story.
Overall, I think this novella is worth checking out and is one of those stories which lives up to one's (high) expectations, or at least it did so for me.
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