Description:
Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak. She's used to the names; she only wishes there was more truth to them. If she were truly a monster, she'd be powerful enough to tear down the walls around her until nothing remains of her world.
Aster lives in the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship's leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot--if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war.
Brief description:
Rivers Solomon writes about life in the margins, where they're much at home. They are the author of An Unkindness of Ghosts, The Deep, and Sorrowland. Their work has appeared in the Paris Review, New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, The Best American Short Stories, and other publications. A refugee of the transatlantic slave trade, Solomon was born on Turtle Island. They currently live in the United Kingdom.
Review Quotes:
"Immediately immersive and sophisticated...This is a phenomenal piece of work."
-- "Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author"