The Space Between the Stars

April 1, 2017
An off-world colonist struggles to return to Earth in the wake of an interplanetary plague in this debut novel.On a distant planet called Soltaire, Jamie Allenby awakens from an illness to find herself utterly alone. She's just survived a virus that's nearly wiped out humanity throughout the galaxy; only 0.001 percent of those infected survived, while the dead were reduced to piles of dust. On her phone, Jamie finds a garbled voice mail, which she believes is from Daniel, her estranged boyfriend. She recalls how they'd once said they'd reunite on a beach in Northumberland, England, if the world ever ended, and she now feels compelled to go to Earth to find him. She soon discovers two other survivors on Soltaire, and, after sending out a distress signal, they're rescued by a passing ship. As they travel, they pick up more survivors, who all hope to somehow return to Earth. In the hands of someone with more literary skill, this story could have been something akin to Station Eleven in space, but it isn't even close. The prose is insipid, with some eye-rollingly trite sentences, such as, "Home's what's left over when you've figured out all the places you don't want to be." Protagonist Jamie is staggeringly unlikable. For instance, she bemoans a past miscarriage, then reveals she abhorred her unborn child. Further flashbacks reveal that she'd only gotten pregnant because Daniel--the same man she's desperately seeking--wanted a child. Worse, there's virtually no science in this science fiction. The aforementioned virus, which inexplicably turns human bodies into dust, laughably calls to mind Daffy Duck being disintegrated by Marvin the Martian--although the science fiction of Duck Dodgers in the 241/2th Century is arguably better than anything here. The worldbuilding is dropped into the story in steaming piles of infodump that raise more questions than they answer. And after Jamie uncovers the absurdly obvious origins of the deadly virus (which had been telegraphed from the very beginning), the entire story is tied up in a big, banal bow. Terrible science and even worse fiction.

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May 15, 2017
After a deadly virus turns virtually all of humanity to dust, veterinarian Jamie Allenby and a small band of survivors make their way from the frontier planets toward her hometown on Earth with the help of a conflicted starship captain. Jamie struggles with feelings of isolation and hopelessness as they begin to learn the true scope of the devastation, which has serious repercussions for the future of mankind. She must also choose between an old love who might have miraculously survived and the uncertainty of a potential new relationship. The other members of the motley group, which includes an elderly pastor and an unstable scientist, among others, are given opportunities for introspection as well. In her debut, Corlett offers a thoughtful examination of how individuals find meaning and fulfillment in the face of an apocalyptic event then wraps up with a thrilleresque ending. The Space Between the Stars will appeal to fans of Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven (2014) and Peter Heller's The Dog Stars (2012) as well as to readers of women's fiction looking to branch out into new genres.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)