To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini, 880 p.

"Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds. Now she's awakened a nightmare. During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she's delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.

As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn't at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.

While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity's greatest and final hope..."--Goodreads blurb

In true Paolini fashion, this was a hefty, hefty book. Paolini is known for his epic fantasy, but I just had a feeling he would be able to handle scifi as well, and I was right. I don't read scifi often, but when it comes highly recommended, which this did, I will give it a go. Great character, fun space system and world-building, and some humor and emotion as well. Blobs and space pigs and AIs, oh my!

 

Machinehood by S.B. Divya

Machinehood by S.B. Divya, 404 p.

"Welga Ramirez, executive bodyguard and ex-special forces, is about to retire early when her client is killed in front of her. It’s 2095 and people don’t usually die from violence. Humanity is entirely dependent on pills that not only help them stay alive, but allow them to compete with artificial intelligence in an increasingly competitive gig economy. Daily doses protect against designer diseases, flow enhances focus, zips and buffs enhance physical strength and speed, and juvers speed the healing process.

All that changes when Welga’s client is killed by The Machinehood, a new and mysterious terrorist group that has simultaneously attacked several major pill funders. The Machinehood operatives seem to be part human, part machine, something the world has never seen. They issue an ultimatum: stop all pill production in one week.

Global panic ensues as pill production slows and many become ill. Thousands destroy their bots in fear of a strong AI takeover. But the US government believes the Machinehood is a cover for an old enemy. One that Welga is uniquely qualified to fight. Welga, determined to take down the Machinehood, is pulled back into intelligence work by the government that betrayed her. But who are the Machinehood and what do they really want? A thought-provoking novel that asks: if we won’t see machines as human, will we instead see humans as machines?"--Goodreads blurb

This was a great sci-fi ride with intrigue and mystery and who is good/who is evil story. I really liked a lot of the characters in this book and intrigued by the world. Are AI sentient beings that should have rights, or are they more like animals to be protected? In this book, the rich stay rich and have the most, and the rest try to get by, even if it means going to great lengths to get the people you love some help. Great story. 
 

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers #2) by Becky Chambers, 365 p.

"Lovelace was once merely a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who's determined to help her learn and grow.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together--Goodreads blurb
 

The second book in a series, this is more of a standalone series I found. There was one small thread to link this story to the first in the series, but after I got over not hearing about my favorite characters from the first book, I dove into this book. I loved hearing about Pepper's back story and watching Lovey becomes Sidra and navigates her new existence. A great story about survival and identity, this had me connecting with characters even more than the first. 

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers, 443 p.

"Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe."--Goodreads blurb

I was recommended this book by someone who said they had never read a science fiction book with so many characters where you cared about so many characters. This books changes perspectives, starting out with a character you get the impression was the main character, but hearing from everyone's perspective gave me that main character feeling for everyone. I had to get used that, but it was a great way to be an immersive participant in the story. I loved hearing about all the different species (is that even the correct word?) of all the inhabitants of the different planets and using my imagination to put a face with those descriptions. Great writing and story, and I will be picking up the next in this series, for sure!