“The Grail Stardust” by Yume Kitasei.
Courtesy of Flatiron
Graduate student Maya Hoshimoto struggles to settle down on Earth after an exciting career as an art thief, stealing looted items and returning them to her people. So when her best friend Uncle – an octopus-like being from another solar system – offers her one last job, of course she says yes. But we all know it's never just about one last job.
“The Stardust Grail” is Yume Kitasei’s second novel, another thrilling space adventure featuring strong women and diverse characters. A sin his first novel, “The Deep Sky”, Kitasei uses science fiction to recontextualize problems that come to mind with no easy answers – like what determines personality and whether artificial intelligence can achieve it, or when cultural adaptation becomes appropriation or oppression .
Maya believes she can find the Stardust Grail, which could be the secret to allowing Auncle to reproduce and preserve the Frenro species. She had sworn that her days of stealing and repatriating artifacts were over, but this mission is special; the Grail appears in her dreams.
Due to the infection – an alien pandemic that, if survived, gives some humans the Frenro ability to dream across space-time and experience possible futures – Maya knows exactly what she's looking for. But Earth's military forces are chasing the same prize, and between Maya's small, unknown crew and the lack of information on the Grail's whereabouts, it would be a miracle if she actually got it. Or survives, for that matter, as old enemies with valid grudges continue to arise along the way.
The plot presented at the beginning seems pretty predictable, but that's only the half of it – literally, we see it unfold halfway. Then, in true Kitasei fashion, the game changes and things get really interesting.
For me, the story really got going and hit its stride in the last quarter. Everything was fine before – more action and heist than adventure – but Part 4 is where we really start to delve into the exploration, history and lore of the planet, as well as the strange pleasure of biosciences. And the ending, although a little abrupt, was satisfying and deserved.
Plus, Jonathan Bush knocked it out of the park once again with the cover of “The Stardust Grail.” Both of Kitasei's novels have beautiful covers with meaningful designs that grow with your knowledge of the story, adding an extra layer of enjoyment.
