Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty Series: The Midsolar Murders #1
Published by Ace on October 4, 2022
Genres: Mystery, Science Fiction
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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rom idyllic small towns to claustrophobic urban landscapes, Mallory Viridian is constantly embroiled in murder cases that only she has the insight to solve. But outside of a classic mystery novel, being surrounded by death doesn’t make you a charming amateur detective, it makes you a suspect and a social pariah. So when Mallory gets the opportunity to take refuge on a sentient space station, she thinks she has the solution. Surely the murders will stop if her only company is alien beings. At first her new existence is peacefully quiet…and markedly devoid of homicide.
But when the station agrees to allow additional human guests, Mallory knows the break from her peculiar reality is over. After the first Earth shuttle arrives, and aliens and humans alike begin to die, the station is thrown into peril. Stuck smack-dab in the middle of an extraterrestrial whodunit, and wondering how in the world this keeps happening to her anyway, Mallory has to solve the crime—and fast—or the list of victims could grow to include everyone on board….
I was attracted to this book instantly and kept trying to figure out how I could fit it into my schedule. As always, things change and I was happily able to read it. My impression was it was a mystery set in space, which isn’t wrong. But there’s so much more.
Station Eternity is told through the life and “adventures” of Mallory. She has a little problem where people keep dying around her. Her approach has often been to try to solve the crimes. But her methods are no more standard than her life; they are chaos. However, they work and she is successful. But law enforcement is uncomfortable with her and against her joining their work.
So she has moved to a space station where she is one of the only humans. So aliens were a big part of the story and unexpected, more than one type of alien even. The aliens are physically very different, not humanoid for the most part. Some species have a hive mind.
Xan is someone she met in college and has run into a few times afterward. They were friendly but not in a romantic way. He ended up in the military. Xan was brought to the station by the aliens after they were both at a party, not together, where there was yet another murder. In fact, they were trying to murder her friend, Xan.
Humans are now trying to come to the station. Mallory is against it since she is sure there will be a murder. Xan knows more about the military plans and is also unhappy about the human visit. Of course, they are both right, as there is a murder and many problems but they work together to save lives and uncover the secrets. The whole case was hard to get my mind around as they were dealing with other issues on top of murder. It was a frightening kind of exciting situation. There were twists I could not possibly predict.
I really enjoyed this unusual story and am happy to see it looks like the first in the Midsolar Murders. I will be looking forward to reading more of this setting on space station Eternity and the human main characters, along with all the other species. I think Mallory may finally get her wish to be law enforcement.
About Mur Lafferty
Mur Lafferty is the author of Solo: A Star Wars Story and the Hugo and Nebula nominated novel Six Wakes, The Shambling Guides series, and several self pubbed novels and novellas, including the award winning Afterlife series. She is the host of the Hugo-winning podcast Ditch Diggers, and the long-running I Should Be Writing. She is the recipient of the John Campbell Award for best new writer, the Manly Wade Wellman Award, the Best Fancast Hugo Award, and joined the Podcast Hall of Fame in 2015, its inaugural year.
Hery nonfiction essays have appeared in Knights of the Dinner Table, and on the podcast The Dragon Page.
Mur lives in Durham, NC, with my husband, a college student, and a dog who threatens to love us to death.
In January, 2014, she graduated from the Stonecoast program at the University of Southern Maine with an MFA in popular fiction.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 22-COYER
I’m glad you enjoyed this! I just barely started it last night and hope to finish this weekend.
I really liked it. I hope you do.
It took me a bit to get into this one, but then I was into it. Loved that the aliens felt alien and loved that this one went against the usual sci-fi formula. Looking forward to more from the series.
It was very different than the usual scifi. I liked it a lot with the mystery aspects. The aliens were much more to grasp and see in my head. I guess because I don’t read quite as much scfi.
I love that the aliens are different. And a space station. that caught my eye early on. I loved her Six Wakes (one of the best beginning ever, IMO lol) so I’m SUPER excited for this.
Yes obviously I need to read her backlist. This is the first of hers I have read.
I think this sounds like a story that I might like. I do enjoy aliens.
I liked that everything about it was just a bit different, with a twist.
I loved the one Mur Lafferty book I read, so I can’t wait to read this one! Science fiction and mystery are a very fun combination. 🙂
Yes, I definitely need to read more of her books as this was my first one.
I enjoyed this one too, Anne. I liked the aliens too.
So much of reading, like this, is about empathy and compassion for those not like oneself.
I was sent an invite for this one too, but I’m still on the fence about taking it only because I’m so stretched thin with time and have quite a few review books right now. After reading your review I’m leaning towards taking it on. I could just wait and see if they get it in my library and read it that way though.
That’s the struggle. I think you win either way if you eventually read it. Sometimes one just can’t take it for review. And sometimes you just have to fit something in. Only you can decide.
Loved your review, and this book! It’s a really compelling and exciting read, but not always easy to follow. And the characters are great, both human and alien.
Thank you Kara. I’m excited it will be a series. I think the first book in a series is always more confusing because of the world-building and setup to assimilate.
Interesting!!
And that cover? Love it!
If it has a mystery I’m probably interested whether it is historical or scifi future or modern day in any locale.