A sci-fi thriller which can be read in a day, Dust & Lightning is an enjoyable novella. It’s concisely written and I think it would make a good film screenplay.
Set in the year 4054, the story follows Ames, whose brother – wrongly convicted of murder – has died en route to a prison on a distant planet. With a fake identity and picking up allies on the way, Ames takes a space shuttle with the intention of investigating what happened… if he can evade the authorities.
I liked the world building and could totally imagine being on a space shuttle, or on a strange rocky world where five moons are in the sky. I wasn’t quite sure about the finer details – will there be cash, printed books and pens two thousand years in the future? – but the great thing about science fiction is that anything goes. Although we can make predictions, we can’t know what the future will be like. The polluted atmosphere is probably accurate though, with everyone having to wear masks outdoors as the air is so bad. I liked the characters, although I’d prefer them to have more background and development so I could root for them more.
If you’re looking for a quick read and you enjoy fast-paced science fiction, this is one for your TBR.
Independently published in 2021.
This is PRECISELY what I’ve been looking for! For some reason, ever since 2022 began, I was attracted to all those brick sized classics ( crime & punishment, david copperfield, anna karenina, les miserables, etc) and now, although I loved and love every single one of them, I feel my brain on verge of explosion! I was so looking for something that reads fast but is also enjoyable. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, perfect timing 🙂
Yes I think a shorter fast-paced book sounds like just what your brain needs after those big classics! I hope you enjoy this book if you check it out, it’s an easy read and ideal if you want to finish in a day or two. Thanks! 🙂
This one sounds good, as you may know, I do like novellas. Good point about the details – I doubt we will still have cash and printed books that far into the future. We will just get info downloaded directly to our augmented brain/hard disk! 😉
Novellas are a great invention and rather underrated I think 🙂 Yes we will probably have more and more virtual stuff… unless some kind of technological setback maybe! But then in Star Trek they still have printed books as well as ebooks 😉