Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi (5 points)

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me.  I’m going to go ahead and get the “minus” side out of the way, because I can sum that up quickly, and then move on to discuss a few of this work’s many “plusses.”  On the downside, the pacing seemed to be uneven at times, and were a number of plot holes.  Some of the events that happened in the book just seemed very unbelievable to me, even in a fictional universe.  Near the beginning of the book, the main character was mistreated by otherwise-caring characters as part of a device to drive the story forward.  I thought that it would have been far more believable if the plot had been advanced another way, but I won’t get into that here.  Later in the book, an entire planet is destroyed, and the culprit’s reasoning behind that genocide seemed flimsy to me.  Throughout the novel, the pace was sometimes slowed due to conflicts that arose because the characters simply, and inexplicably, weren’t honest with each other.  The book ends with a major mind-bender of a twist; I’m still on the fence about that.

Setting aside those criticisms, the novel has a number of positive features that made it very worthwhile for me.  It was refreshing to read a story that puts strong women in the spotlight and features characters from a diversity of backgrounds.  The protagonist, Alana Quick, is a black queer woman who suffers from a debilitating chronic illness.  I loved the way that the author interwove several different themes, including body image, disability, and economic disparity.  One of the main themes of the book is how poverty can make routine medical care inaccessible.  Alana is a “sky surgeon” (starship engineer) by trade.  She co-owns a small business that specializes in spacecraft repair with her beloved aunt, who is also a starship engineer and who suffers from the same illness. Unfortunately, their business is barely scraping by due to competing technologies brought into their world by Transliminal Solutions, a megacorporation controlled by “otherworlders,” mysterious-and-possibly-nefarious inhabitants of another universe.  Alana and her aunt live under the constant fear of not being able to afford the medication that they need for their illness.  Alana has a true passion for her work, but sometimes the pain from her chronic illness makes it difficult for her make it through the day.  The novel drives home a strong point about how hard it is for people who are chronically ill and economically disadvantaged.  Although Alana loves her work, the harsh reality is that she has no choice but to work, even when she is suffering.  Her ability to pay for her much-needed meds depends on it.

Although this book is marketed as science fiction, its focus is primarily on the characters themselves, especially the inner world of the main character.  It’s more like an interpersonal drama with hefty doses of mystical fantasy, romance, philosophy, and action/adventure.  It just so happens to take place in the far future, when different planets have been colonized and space travel is the norm.  So, if you are craving a science fiction novel that has fleshed-out worlds and well-explained technologies, then you may want to look elsewhere.  Personally, I enjoyed this novel’s focus on relationships and Alana’s inner thoughts-- for the most part.  To be honest, I did think that some of Alana’s bouts of introspection droned on for longer than necessary, to the detriment of the book’s flow.  Other than that minor quibble, I overall liked this novel’s focus on Alana’s inner world as she navigated her relationships with others.  A variety of different relationships are explored throughout the novel.  Early in the novel, Alana finds herself aboard the starship Tangled Axon, and a variety of interactions ensue.  The book devotes some time exploring Alana’s relationships with the crew, both romantic and otherwise. It also addresses Alana’s insecurity, and her desire to make a good impression, especially on the ship’s engineer. 

Several of the book’s themes are explored through Alana’s uneasy relationship with her sister, Nova, who’s lifestyle is quite different.  Alana’s work is firmly planted in the physical world; she loves nothing more than getting her hands dirty repairing the starships that she loves so much.  Why anyone would enjoy that type of work is a complete mystery to Nova, who works as a spirit guide.  This mystical profession involves shepherding clients toward self-realization, helping them achieve their goals-- and when the time comes, easing their transition into the afterworld.  Like her sister, Nova has a passion for her work, and she’s quite good at what she does.  There is a major difference in the way the sisters are compensated for their work.  Although Alana is an expert in her field, she is on the verge of being poverty-stricken due to market forces beyond her control.  Transliminal Solutions’ unfair, predatory business practices have not been kind to the those in the starship-repairing business.  In contrast, there is still a high-demand for talented spirit guides such as Nova.   She’s made a name for herself, and she’s become highly sought-after and quite wealthy as a result.  Another difference between the two sisters is that they see their bodies in diametrically opposing ways.  Alana suffers from a chronic illness, and her body often lets her down because of the pain that she has to endure.  But even so, she still loves her body and her physicality.  She does what she can to take care of herself, and she wants to live.  In contrast, Nova is fully able-bodied, but she sees her body as a prison of sorts.  She feels trapped by her body, and she yearns for the day that her spirit can be free from her body.  Because of this, she eats as little as possible.  She is basically allowing herself to waste away with a spirituality-fueled type of anorexia.  It is very painful for Alana, who does not have the privilege of being able-bodied, to witness this.  Alana feels that Nova is throwing away her gift of a healthy body.  In contrast, Nova wishes that Alana could understand why she wants to move on to the spirit world.   This difference in perception causes a great deal of tension between the sisters. I enjoyed following the sisters’ relationship through the novel, as they grew to understand each other more deeply.

I’ve focused my review largely on chronic illness, poverty and the siblings’ relationship because those themes really stood out to me.   This book touches on a variety of other topics, including some metaphysical considerations. In Koyanagi’s universe, spirit guides such as Nova are very influential because they can alter perceptions and reconfigure reality.  Another metaphysical thread belongs to two of the Tangled Axon’s crew members, who happen to be hybrid beings of sorts.  Stricken with a body-eroding illness that literally left her body unable to contain her spirit, Marre poured her spirit into the Tangled Axon.  Now the pilot exists as a sentient spaceship who can manifest and interact with others in her human form, but with various body parts constantly in flux.  The ship’s sole male crew member (Ovie) also seems to be a composite being, with both human and “spirt wolf” aspects.  Although I didn’t completely understand all of the metaphysical events, I found them intriguing to imagine.  All-in-all, I thought that this was an interesting novel that provoked thoughts on a wide range of topics, including interpersonal conflicts, societal issues, and even the nature of reality and identity.