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Sign up todayThe Deep Sky
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“On a mission to colonize a distant planet, funded by a billionaire who trained them from adolescence, a lethal explosion rocks not only their spaceship but the crew’s faith in each other. This promising debut is part space thriller, part character study of a Japanese-American girl struggling with belonging and self-worth. There are some pacing issues, but I loved the world-building across timelines and would have followed this crew indefinitely! ”
— Megan • Underground Books
Bookseller recommendation
“The ultimate locked room mystery, with Lord of the Flies vibes, The Deep Sky has a propulsive plot and convincing near-future technology. And then, on another level, it's a wonderful depiction of the things grief drives people to, and stepping up when things go wrong. ”
— Robin • Books & Books @ The Studios of Key West
“Sarah Skaer uses her considerable vocal skill to make each crewmember instantly recognizable. Asuka is strongly characterized by her insecurity and self-doubt, though listeners will likely have more faith in her.”- Library Journal
Yume Kitasei's The Deep Sky is an enthralling sci fi thriller debut about a mission into deep space that begins with a lethal explosion that leaves the survivors questioning the loyalty of the crew.
They left Earth to save humanity. They’ll have to save themselves first.
It is the eve of Earth’s environmental collapse. A single ship carries humanity’s last hope: eighty elite graduates of a competitive program, who will give birth to a generation of children in deep space. But halfway to a distant but livable planet, a lethal bomb kills three of the crew and knocks The Phoenix off course. Asuka, the only surviving witness, is an immediate suspect.
As the mystery unfolds on the ship, poignant flashbacks reveal how Asuka came to be picked for the mission. Despite struggling through training back on Earth, she was chosen to represent Japan, a country she only partly knows as a half-Japanese girl raised in America. But estranged from her mother back home, The Phoenix is all she has left.
With the crew turning on each other, Asuka is determined to find the culprit before they all lose faith in the mission—or worse, the bomber strikes again.
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.
Yume Kitasei is the author of The Deep Sky and The Stardust Grail. She is Japanese and American and grew up in a space between two cultures—the same space where her stories reside. She lives in Brooklyn with two cats, Boondoggle and Filibuster. Her stories have appeared in publications including New England Review, Catapult, SmokeLong Quarterly, and Baltimore Review.
Reviews
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Goodreads, BookRiot, SheReads, Fantasy Book Cafe, Debutiful, Novel Suspects, Portalist, International Business Times UK, FanFi Addict, Overdrive
"Cerebral SF, tackling both humanity wide problems and the smaller but ever-present conflicts closer to home." —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"The Deep Sky is a beautiful tightly-wound mystery. It is both an intimate character portrait and a thriller. The space geek in me loves the way the voyage feels like a completely plausible extension of our current billionaire-fueled space race." —Mary Robinette Kowal, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards
"There are so many things to love about Yume Kitasei's debut, but I especially adored how real every moment felt: the politics of boarding school and our future world; the lapsed friendships and estranged parents; the guilt of surviving, of being chosen. In The Deep Sky, Kitasei puts us under the microscope not in judgment but with a fair and caring eye; she looks for the best in us." —C. L. Clark, author of The Unbroken
"Readers will be engaged by the mystery and suspense and find the familiarity and connection in the humanity of Asuka and the journey of The Phoenix." —Library Journal
"A remarkable story of endurance and hope." —Publishers Weekly