Review of "Under Fortunate Stars" by Ren Hutchings
I received an ARC of this book from Solaris in exchange for an honest review. I'm a big space opera fan, and the genre has hit some spectacular highs over the last few years (my love for Yoon Ha Lee and Arkady Martine's works in particular is well-documented here). Under Fortunate Stars tells a more standard story, of the kind that might be found in a Star Trek two-parter, but tells it well, with rich worldbuilding, tense action scenes, and a classic cast of characters that I always enjoy reading about. Readers experienced with time-loop stories will figure out the mystery at the book's center without too much trouble, which leaves room to appreciate how Hutchings plays on the tropes of space opera to deliver an entertaining ride. Despite the tagline "Fortunate Five," the duo of Keeven Jereth and Eldric Leesongronski are at the core of the story, a classic pairing of smooth-talking Han Solo type and laconic...well, he's better-dressed and more intelligent th...