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The Stars Too Fondly

A Novel

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

In her breathtaking debut—part space odyssey, part sapphic rom-com—Emily Hamilton weaves a suspenseful, charming, and irresistibly joyous tale of fierce friendship, improbable love, and wonder as vast as the universe itself.

So, here's the thing: Cleo and her friends really, truly didn't mean to steal this spaceship.

They just wanted to know why, twenty years ago, the entire Providence crew vanished without a trace. But then the stupid dark matter engine started all on its own, and now these four twenty-somethings are en route to Proxima Centauri, unable to turn around, and being harangued by a snarky hologram that has the face and attitude of the ship's missing captain, Billie.

Cleo has dreamt of being an astronaut all her life, and Earth is kind of a lost cause at this point, so this should be one of those blessings in disguise that people talk about. But as the ship gets deeper into space, the laws of physics start twisting, old mysteries come crawling back to life, and Cleo's initially combative relationship with Billie turns into something deeper and more desperate than either woman was prepared for.

Lying somewhere in the subspace between science fantasy and sapphic rom-com, The Stars Too Fondly is a soaring near-future adventure about dark matter and alternate dimensions, leaving home and finding family, and the galaxy-saving power of letting yourself love and be loved.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from April 8, 2024
      In this tantalizing space opera debut, Hamilton weaves a thoughtful, self-aware story bursting with witty repartee and provocative romance. The year is 2061, more than 20 years after the failed launch of the Providence, a spaceship that promised to save humanity from a dying Earth by using a newly developed dark matter engine to bring colonists to a habitable exoplanet in only seven years. Unfortunately, an unknown error caused the entire crew to vanish without explanation when the engine switched on. Still, the fervor surrounding the launch inspired a new generation of scientists and historians. Four such rambunctious young professionals—Cleo, a computer engineer; Ros, a doctor; Abe, a historian; and Kaleisha, a botanist—break into the Providence and accidentally start the engine, lifting off. Even after activating the ship’s computer—a hologram with the uploaded consciousness of its former captain, Wilhelmina Lucas—they’re not able to reverse course. They also find that the dark matter engine has altered their bodies, giving them superpowers. Captain Lucas—“Billie” to her friends—and Cleo investigate the source of their newfound abilities, while also agonizing over their growing feelings for each other. This Star Trek-inspired space adventure has something for everyone—heartwarming romantic comedy, cosmic superpowers, and humanity’s future at stake. It should win plenty of fans. Agent: Roma Panganiban, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Vico Ortiz narrates a raucous space adventure rom-com with infectious energy. It's 2061, and Cleo and her three best friends--all scientists--sneak aboard to explore the neglected rocket PROVIDENCE I. The friends grew up fascinated with the story of its failed launch 20 years earlier, when its 203-person crew mysteriously vanished. But when Cleo inadvertently starts the dark matter engine, they're launched into a seven-year mission to Proxima Centauri B with only Billie, the prickly holographic computer, to guide them. Ortiz's considerable acting talents bring each character--human and otherwise--to life. They bounce between each voice with skill, especially shining in scenes packed with banter. This lively story of friendship and queer romance is full of interdimensional danger and is heaps of fun on audio. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

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