Review: Ancient as the Stars By Maya Darjani
Blurb:
For fans of Lower Decks, the Expanse, and Firefly: a found family time travel adventure with humor, snark, and lots of heart.
One kickass immortal sailship captain.
Captain Karenna Yilmaz of the Earth Union Fleet has it all. Adoring husband? Check. The enduring loyalty of her crew? Check. Transformation into a beautiful ageless immortal? Check. Check. Check. But when a dimensional rift brings her low-down, dust-sniffing, no-good younger self hurtling into the present, Karenna's carefully-constructed life wavers.
One snarky dust-addicted loser.
Flight Officer Ren Yilmaz is pretty sick of the hand she's been dealt. Her supervisor is an idiot. Her ex-husband is vindictive and has ruined her career. And now, here's her perfect future self, who everyone fawns over, while Ren is still ignored and alone.
They're the same person, 60 years apart
Both their ships are stranded: one in space, one in time. Karenna needs to get her crew home safe and sound. And Ren hasto get back to her reality and out of Karenna's shadow. Working together would mean literally facing their past–including old traumas and transgressions best kept hidden. But if they don't, they'll be stuck with each other until the end of time.
Review:
Maya and ‘Ancient As The Stars’ grabbed my interest when I made the SFF Insiders cover reveal teaser. I am partial to strong female leads in SFF military tales. Ancient ticked that box off and had me looking closer.
The author’s blurb promises “… adventure with humor, snark, and lots of heart.” Maya delivers on that but there is more to ‘Ancient’ than a wacky yarn. An underlying thread that is foundational to Captain Kerenna’s and Flight Officer Ren’s (who are sort of the same person) character arcs is found in the consequences of mental/emotional domestic abuse and the very real lifelong trauma victims are forced to manage. I believe the story pays tribute to those living with these challenges with grace and style. The topic is personal to me, and I appreciated how it was handled.
Due to a time twisting dimensional rift, successful and squared away Captain Kerrena Yimaz must face not only her younger self in Flight Officer Ren Yimaz but also the man that put her through hell over sixty years ago. It makes for a self-doubting, introspective unexpected journey for Kerrena.
‘Ancient As The Stars’ is a fun and fast moving read. The writing style and delivery put me in mind of a couple of comps: the early Honor Harrington found in ‘On Basilisk Station’ by David Weber, but with fewer missiles and the Torrin Kerr Valor Series by Tanya Huff, but with much fewer bodies.
Darjani’s characters are engaging and easy to find yourself invested in. Some I loved, some I loved to hate, while others were just frustrating, by design. The complexities of life and the challenges they present are written in the tale with genuine feeling. Back that up with snappy realistic dialogue and you have the large part of a successful recipe.
The plot is delightfully multilayered. Time travel, confronting a younger self, the method of space travel used is unraveling, immortality and the challenge of finding a galactic terrorist with undetectable bombs are all in play. There is a lot going on, Darjani manages it all with authorial dexterity.
If you are in the mood for a fun, fast read that touches on serious real-world issues while keeping you entertained then you should pick up Maya Darjani’s ‘Ancient As The Stars.’
