Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In Our Stars by Jack Campbell Narrator: Andrea Emmes, Tom Fannon
Series: The Doomed Earth #1
Published by Ace, Recorded Books on May 21, 2024
Genres: Romance, Space Opera
Pages: 400
Length: 12 hours, 20 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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Earth, 2180
Genetically engineered with partly alien DNA, Lieutenant Selene Genji is different from ordinary humans. And they hate her for it. Still, she’s spent her life trying to overcome society’s prejudice by serving in the Unified Fleet while Earth’s international order collapses into war.
Genji is stationed on a ship in orbit when humanity’s factional extremism on the planet reaches a boiling point, and she witnesses the utter annihilation of Earth. When the massive forces unleashed by Earth’s death warp space and time to hurl her forty years into the past, Genji is given a chance to try to change the future and save Earth—starting with the alien first contact only she knows will soon occur.
Earth, 2140
Lieutenant Kayl Owen’s ship is on a routine patrol when a piece of spacecraft wreckage appears out of nowhere. To his shock, there is a survivor on Selene Genji. Once her strange heritage is discovered, though, it becomes clear that Genji is a problem Earth Guard command wants to dispose of—quietly. After learning the horrifying truth, Owen helps her escape and joins her mission.
Together, they have a chance to change the fate of an Earth doomed to die in 2180. But altering history could put Genji’s very existence in danger, and Owen wonders if a world without her is one worth saving. . . .
I’m a big fan of this author’s military / political space opera with the Lost Fleet. In Our Stars has some of that feel but is more in the Science Fiction Romance genre which felt weird. The romance was not typical to a romance novel. Other aspects were more similar with politics, aliens, and inexplicable time travel.
Selene is an alloy from about 40 years in the future. Her ship appears and Kayl Owen is part of the team who goes to find any survivors. Both of them are used to others looking down on them or disliking them. They put their personal issues aside to try to save Earth from an attack between now – 2140- and 2180. The catalyst for the attack is prejudice and misunderstanding about aliens or various classes of human, along with the typical greed of politics.
Selene is determined to save Earth by influencing attitudes and events. Kayl joins her in the mission. They knew it would be dangerous but the Earth Guard fleet tries to kill them from the start. As they begin trying to have effects on big events, they become attached and attracted, even though Selene is unwilling to hope. She knows that changing things may mean she might not exist in the future.
I enjoyed the fast paced action and strategy. The relationship seemed a little hokey, a bit immature somehow. That could be that Selene and Kayl both have limited experience with serious relationships. I appreciated the world building of the different places and factions. Aliens are always exciting to me and I love their part here. I am ready for the next book in The Doomed Earth series because the end was a bit of a cliffhanger.
Narration:
Most of the story is from Kayl or Selene’s point of view. Both narrators emotional tones felt appropriate. Fannon’s voice was comfortable for the various characters. Every time Emmes started narrating a section from Selene’s point of view, the voice felt a bit sharp and higher pitched. Perhaps that was intended, to be different as an alloy, but it did jar me a bit out of the story. It was fine once she got going though. I listened at my normal 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Andrea Emmes
Award Winning Audiobook Narrator (ABR Award – Young Adult), Andrea Emmes was born in Hollywood, FL and grew up in both Tennessee and Rhode Island, started her career in musical theater. Cutting her teeth at The Trinity Arts Center in Rhode Island, Andrea eventually made her way to Orlando and began her eclectic career singing/dancing in various shows at Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Pirates’ Dinner Adventure, performing as a magician’s assistant, headlining on the Las Vegas Strip and touring Los Angeles as an L.A. Award winning artist with her album, “I’m On My Way”.
Having worked in tv, film and video games, Andrea, a total Book Nerd, now enjoys narrating audiobooks at her home studio in San Jose, California.
Her wide range of character voices and dynamic/emotionally invested performances has reviewers and listeners alike commenting on how she effortlessly pulls listeners in, and has versatility and charisma.
Fun Facts: Andrea has a Bachelor of Science in Game Art and Design; was a game designer for Disney Interactive; once interviewed Ernie Cline for his amazing novel Ready Player One as a Gamer Reviewer for ForbiddenPanel.com and gets her gamer-geek on playing games of all kinds with her husband and their cat, Lucy.
Audible Best Selling Narrator, for “Little Women” (2017) for seven months – publisher – Spoken Realms.
Games Currently Playing: God of War (2018) – PS4, Jurassic World: Evolution – Steam, Civilization V – Just….One…More…Turn…!!! 🙂
“If an author can captivate me with their story, then that allows me to captivate my listeners.” — Andrea Emmes
SAG-AFTRA * APA
About Jack Campbell
Jack Campbell is a pseudonym for American science fiction author John G. Hemry.
John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark’s War and Paul Sinclair series. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.
Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written three related series: the Lost Fleet, Beyond the Lost Fleet, and Genesis Fleet series, He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.
John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of ’78) where he was labeled ‘the un-midshipman’ by his roommates.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.
John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: ‘The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both’.
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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:
- 24-COYER
It makes such a difference when the world building is done so well. Great review, Anne💜
Thank you! The first book in a series can be tough with the new world and characters but because it is a series, not the full story.
I hope the next book is even better.
yes I hope that I reconcile the romance in my head by then. I just didn’t expect the romance to be as much of a storyline as it was.
This does sound like something I might like, romance aside. I look forward to your thoughts on the next one.
yes I’ll be reading the next one I’m sure so hopefully it will go well.
Maybe because I had no prior experience with his earlier books, so the romance didn’t hang me up. I definitely need to know what comes next and I want to go back for earlier series. 🙂
The earlier series are not related to this one as far as I can tell. They are definitely more military sci fi and I love them so much. I am collecting them all on audio. I like the narrator Christian Rummel too.
Sophia Rose also enjoyed this one. I’ve not read the author before, but it sounds really good.
You might like this as it has a bit more romance and a bit less military. I really liked his military books so it threw me at first.
I think I’d enjoy this one, it sounds good. I actually listened to alien romance recently and it was definitely strange lol
Well really it’s just his other books are more military scifi so it was a surprise but I liked it.
Hopefully their relationship will mature a bit as the series goes along.
yes I hope so. This was harder for me as first in series. Sometimes it takes me a bit to get with the program and I didn’t expect romance in this.
Love the cover of this, and while it sounds like it might be good, it might also be a little long for me. Great review!
It didn’t feel long to me but it is about double the length of some romances.