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A Novel
by Emily Hamilton
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.
"In this tantalizing space opera debut, Hamilton weaves a thoughtful, self-aware story bursting with witty repartee and provocative romance ... 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." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The mystery of the Providence I colonists is a tantalizing start to what soon becomes more of a romance and friendship-focused story than an SF mystery. If some readers find that change a little disappointing, they still have a compelling SF action plot to look forward to, as well as an engaging discussion of artificial intelligence from the surprising form taken by the onboard computer." —Kirkus Reviews
"The found family of the friends is at the heart of the characters' actions, and Hamilton deftly keeps the story moving through action and emotion. ...This delightful debut is a space odyssey with just enough mystery and romance to keep readers thoroughly entertained." —Library Journal
"Funny and charming, The Stars Too Fondly perfectly balances Starfleet "can do" attitude, punk swagger, and cozy rom-com vibes. Emily Hamilton's debut is a wildly original tale that feels cozy and epic at the same time. My Trekkie heart adored it." — Mike Chen, New York Times bestselling author of A Quantum Love Story
"The Stars Too Fondly is a sparkling debut filled with found family, queer joy, and a delightful romance that made me swoon. It hooked me from the start, and I couldn't put it down as I rooted for Cleo to find her way home—both literally and figuratively. I adored every word, and I can't wait to see what Emily Hamilton writes next!" —Jessie Mihalik, author of Hunt the Stars
"The Stars Too Fonldy is a romantic, joyful, and often poignant sci-fi romp that scratched an itch I didn't know I had. An utter delight." —Hannah Fergesen, author of The Infinite Miles
This information about The Stars Too Fondly was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Emily Hamilton is a science fiction author who writes about women kissing in space. She is also an award-winning staff writer at the alt-weekly newspaper Seven Days. She lives in Burlington, Vermont, with her wife and their tiny dog Mimi.
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