THE VELA – Episode 3: The Death-Cold by Rivers Solomon

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, S.L. Huang, Rivers Solomon
Published by Serial Box on March 6 2019
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads

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Welcome to my coverage of Serial Box’s latest, The Vela, and check back each weekend for a review of the latest episode!

In the fading light of a dying star, a soldier for hire searches for a missing refugee ship and uncovers a universe-shattering secret.

Asala Sikou is used to looking after number one while crisis reigns in her dying planetary system. But when she’s hired to find a missing refugee ship, she discovers that this is no ordinary rescue mission, and she must play a role in deciding the fate of the whole universe.

Warning: Mild spoilers ahead for the previous episodes.

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Wow, this was an exciting episode! When the story opens, Asala and Niko are about to arrive on Hypatia, and Asala is mentally preparing herself for the return to her home planet, a place she hasn’t seen since she herself left as a refugee at age thirteen. Hypatia is not a fun place to live, with freezing temperatures that can kill, scant resources and desperate people just trying to survive. As soon as they arrive, Asala and Niko set off to the city of Almagest to start looking for signs that the Vela might have docked there.

Eventually, one of Niko’s many contacts comes through with some information: a man named Teak was arrested a few days before for trying to sell high quality rocket fuel, fuel that could only have come from a ship like the Vela. The only problem? He’s been sent to an impenetrable prison called Kleidaria, and the only way they’ll be able to interrogate him is to break in.

Armed with Niko’s hacking abilities, the two devise a risky plan to breach the prison, find Teak and get the hell out before anyone can catch them. What could possibly go wrong?

I loved this episode, it flew by and was over before I knew it! This is the first time I’ve read anything by Rivers Solomon, and I loved the way that even though this is an action-heavy story, she adds a personal touch by having Asala remember her childhood on Hypatia and what returning after so many years means to her emotionally. But she doesn’t spend too much time on ruminations, because once Asala and Niko land, it’s a race for survival in more ways than one.

First of all, the planet has been getting colder and colder over the years, and the locals call this freezing temperature the thalajwan, or “death-cold.” This makes it very uncomfortable for Asala and Niko who aren’t quite prepared for the cold. Solomon describes it so perfectly I found myself shivering during those sections!

But the real excitement starts when they arrive at Kleidaria and try to break in. I loved the thrilling sense of urgency, as they have to accomplish their mission in mere minutes. There’s also another reason to worry about finishing up quickly. You see, because of a lot of rules of physics that I’m not equipped to explain to you, there are only certain windows of time that ships can leave the planet. If Asala and Niko miss their window, they’ll be stuck on Hypatia for a very long time.

On a personal note, we meet a new character, a woman named Simya who hits on Asala in a bar, but ultimately ends up helping them break into the prison. Her appearance in the story is brief, but I liked the banter between her and Asala. I’m afraid we won’t see her in future episodes, however, but hey, you never know! There’s also a moment where Asala realizes that she can trust Niko, which is ironic because of what we learned in the last episode!! OMG.

At the end is a surprising reveal about why the Vela may have landed on Hypatia in the first place, which adds a whole new dimension to this story. Let’s just say that the mission has changed, and I’m on pins and needles to see what happens next.

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You can learn more about The Vela here. Episode 1 is available to read for free, and you can purchase each episode individually, or buy the entire season for $13.99. Episodes are available each week on Wednesdays.