Woo! The Discovery run book tour is done. This has been such a great time. Thank you to all who participated in the tour and to those who wrote to tell me they’re enjoying the story. Today, I wanted to share a few of my favorite comments.
I know that Discovery isn’t for everyone, so I appreciated Forrest’s honesty in this review:
These nuns display an interesting exciting mix of feistiness and intelligence and piety in their interactions with the other astronauts, which you really have to read to understand what I mean. However, you can have too much of a good thing: in my humble opinion, Fabian prolongs this phase of the story to where it becomes a surfeit. If you agree with me, do not put down the book, but just say “Enough, Already!!” and skip to the final section of the book where they investigate the alien ship — and WOW lots of surprises there!! This is an exciting thought-provoking read!
There’s nothing as humbling as being compared to the greats of science fiction I grew up with. So these comments are especially dear.
“I believe this book will be a classic in Catholic science-fiction, to rank with “A Canticle for Leibowitz.” Robert Kurland
“With the dexterity of an Isaac Asimov or Larry Niven, Fabian makes the science and speculative science of the story accessible, deftly weaving it into the fabric of the story.” T.M. Doran
Of course, what can be better than being compared to food? Thanks, Eileen. This review made me laugh.
Discovery is the best burrito you’ve ever read: if an exciting excursion into an alien ship is the meat, and fascinating character development is the beans, with Catholicism being the cheese melted inside, in a tortilla of good prose. Yes, I’m hungry, but c’mon, this book is really that good.
I did a lot of research for Discovery, so I was glad to see it paid off.
“Author Karina Fabian’s world-building is first-class. There’s enough hard science in Discovery to satisfy the geekiest astrophysics major. (I don’t know if it’s scientifically accurate or not — you’d have to ask the astrophysics majors.) Throughout the novel, Fabian deftly weaves in elements like spacesuit training classes, low-grav ball games on a dodecahedronal court, and advanced medical technologies like bone knitters for rapid bone repair.” Karee Santos
Ms. Fabian has written a hard SF novel. It has a lot of science in it. However, she has avoided the issue of the science overpowering the story which occurs in some hard SF. The world building is excellent. This is also an adventure story, a love story and a crisis of faith/purpose story. Ann McMullen
I found reading this story a rewarding experience. It satisfied my need for good science fiction, with imaginative concepts that seemed based on scientific theories. Lindens
Lots of people enjoyed the characters, too, but Sister Ann sold the show.
…”spacey” but brilliant Sister Ann
…intrigued by the various interpersonal relationships and cryptic messages of Sister Ann
…My favorite protagonist, Sister Ann, plays the role of a futuristic Cassandra, spouting accurate prophecies that no one understands. Her poetic mysticism makes her resemble St. John of the Cross in a spacesuit.
…. Even the enigmatic Sister Ann, who seems to dwell quite comfortably in the twilit land between spiritual and physical worlds, bears a hidden wound whose healing carries its own peril.
…Sister Ann, very young, devout. brilliant, weird and often cryptic…The character of Sister Ann was quite memorable. She had a way of speaking in non-linear way of expressing the spiritual dimension of things. Perceptive and wise, but also having her own problems to resolve.
…. I particularly love Sister Ann, with her Asperger’s-like quoting – she’s very different, and very real.
…. Sister Ann quickly became my favorite. This rescue sister has visions and sees apparitions of saints and Biblical figures. She also speaks in riddles that make you think. The other characters either love or hate her, though most of the time no one understands her.
There are several great reviews, and a few that were just a little impatient to get to the alien ship, but I think I’ve bragged enough. I’m excited about the what the future of Discovery holds.