The Outback Stars

I stayed up until 4 a.m. finishing Sandra McDonald’s The Outback Stars. I really didn’t mean to, but I kept thinking, “maybe the next chapter will resolve x,” and the next thing I knew I was done. It’s not without flaws; the mystical elements didn’t always mesh smoothly with the space opera stuff, to my way of thinking, and at one point halfway through, the entire plot hinged on a coincidence, which drove me nuts. But overall… well, I stayed up until 4 a.m., you know? It’s a space opera romance about office politics and espionage. Right up my alley, in other words. Sign me up for the sequel.

If I’m not mistaken, Sandra is the first of my VP classmates to get her book onto the shelves. Well done!