S. K. Dunstall

Written by two Australian sisters who call themselves S. K. Dunstall, Stars Uncharted had all the ingredients I needed for a fun space opera read. Lots of action and humor, space travel, a slow burning love story, and characters that I enjoy rooting for. Although presented as an ensemble cast, there are two characters who do the narrating – Nika Rik Terri who is a skilled body modder (modifier), and Josune Arriola, an engineer, who is living under an assumed identity after the exploration show more ship she was crewing on was destroyed. These two women are thrown together and form a fast friendship as they and their allies try to escape from a deadly corporation who wants to silence them.

This group of widely assorted characters come together as they are all on the run from the same enemy and although many of our heroes are not exactly who they are pretending to be, together they bond and become a family of misfits with common goals and aspirations. As this is the first book of a duology, not all problems were cleared by the end of the book, but it also didn’t leave us totally hanging, as the immediate problems were addressed.

I found Stars Uncharted to be a rip-roaring adventure and as this appears to be a resource-run universe, the continuation of space exploration and the search for rare elements and metals was widely hinted at. Of course I can see that this exploration could well cause them to once again become the quarry of these dark companies. I look forward to continuing the adventure in the next book.. show less

There is a lot going on in this sci-fi romp -- body modifications and exchanging, evil and greedy corporations, space exploration, and just lots of action-packed adventure. It's a space adventure that gave me a Firefly-type fix, with more intrigue and genetic modifications added into the mix. Sometimes I just need an entertaining adventure in space to make me happy. This book put a smile on my face. :) See?

For the first third of this book the story dealt mainly with genetic modifications and show more body exchanges. While that is interesting and I like the Nika (the body modder) as a character, the story moved a bit too slowly for me at first. But, once the action got started, I was so hooked on this story. It definitely kept my attention. The character development and the world is just so richly creative. This was definitely fun to read!

This sci-fi story is well-written, engaging and incredibly creative. I like it when I find a story that is different and new....this isn't just a recycled sci-fi plot with tired trope-y characters. Nicely done!

The cover art is gorgeous!!

S.K. Dunstall also write the Linesman series. I liked this book, so I'm definitely going to read her other series!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less

Very enjoyable and inventive. This book drew me in from the first page, with its pleasant writing style, intriguing world building and interesting characters. I liked Nika in particular for her inventiveness, her passion, and her dogged determination to survive. Also Josune and Roystan refuse to give up, continuing to plan if things go awry. That makes both the women on the free people to root for, and I like that the two of them are friends. In general, the crew as a group works well show more together, having each other's back, even if some of them only joined recently.
And, always a nice thing to be able to comment on: women are well represented on all sides, being just as likely to be in charge or be an expert and experienced as the men.
The only thing that I would have changed is the pacing. It it's incredibly high, all the time. Everyone is continuously in running, fighting, and/or problem-solving mode, invariably with high stakes. Some down time would have been good... The linesman series doesn't have this problem, so the authors are definitely capable of it. show less

Stars Beyond is the completion of a science fiction story that was begun in Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall, authored by a partnership of two Australian sisters. This lively space opera continued to please with plenty of action, space travel and humor as our main characters evaded the giant corporations that were on their trail.

We find out everyone’s true identity as they help to rescue a group of aliens who are infected with a deadly disease, and when the captain gets his memory back, show more they locate a treasure trove of the elements that are needed by body modders to enhance their work.

The book is fast moving, jumping from one adventure to another and the characters are very likeable. I don’t think there is going to be another book about these characters, but they have written other science fiction that I intend to checkout. show less