Sisters of the Vast Black

How it reads

Sisters of the Vast Black is science fiction (space opera, specifically), and its dominant mood is hopeful. Whatever it puts its people through, it believes things can get better. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in the wilderness or at sea, in the future, told in the first person by several narrators. Its central concerns are faith, identity and survival. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. It's a hidden gem — known to relatively few readers.