REVIEW: Moss’d in Space by Rebecca Thorne
Torian Razner finally bought a starship, and contrary to Amelia’s assessment, it was not “a meteoric sign of stupidity.” Sure, the alien starship may have been abandoned for a century, and it may be covered in moss now… but it’s Torian’s ticket to freedom, regardless of what her ex… ah, captain… said.
Except Torian’s first flight reveals a surprise passenger: the moss is actually an organic computer with a snarky attitude and serious abandonment issues. The target of its loathing? The immortal alien who built it (and then parked the starship, with Moss inside, and forgot about it). The same alien who just found Torian and accused her of “stealing” the ship.
It’s entirely possible that Amelia was right about this meteoric stupidity.
Review
This looked like fun. Other reviews compared it favorably to Becky Chambers and Murderbot. Sentient plants seem to be the newest “thing” in cozy stories and honestly I am there for that. I’m just not there for it in this book.
In her author’s note, Thorne admits that the character of Moss came to her while reading “Murderbot” and after starting the book, I can see Murderbot’s influence in Moss’s character. Moss is the sentient moss growing all through the MC’s spaceship. Moss is snarky, can watch and store media, and has definite Opinions. I enjoyed Moss at the beginning but Moss eventually shifted more to petulant and annoying.
FMC Torian Razner is scrappy and hard-working but is also an “act before you think” character and at the halfway point, I’d had enough of her. Torian half-asses her way through things and while I can admire her can-do attitude, for the most part she can-doesn’t. She’s just not that interesting to spend a book with.
I also never got a grip on this book universe as it’s only vaguely described. There is quite a bit of repetition in the half of the book I read before stopping. The characters just never caught my attention enough to overlook how much they irritated me and after wading through half of it, I didn’t care to spend any more time here. Oh, and if you don’t like cliffhangers, be warned that the book apparently ends with a big one. Also note that I am in the vast minority in my opinion. DNF
~Jayne
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Ugh. Hopes possibly dashed. I would have sworn I’ve read this author’s books, but nothing rings a bell. I will still try, eventually. Thanks for the review.
@Darlynne: Keep the faith that it will work for you. Most of the reviews I’ve read so far are glowing 4-5 stars.