REVIEW: How To Steal A Galaxy by Beth Revis
Dear Beth Revis,
I enjoyed Full Speed to a Crash Landing earlier this year and was excited to read the second novella in the trilogy, How To Steal A Galaxy. And, after finishing the second book, I am deeply committed to reading the last book, out next April, Last Chance to Save the World.
How to Steal A Galaxy builds on the story (it is not a standalone – these novellas must be read in order) which began in the first book. (Readers please note: Spoilers for book one follow.) While each tells a complete tale, the overarching story of the trilogy won’t be complete until the third one. I wouldn’t say that either book ends on a cliffhanger as such, although, if one squints, perhaps it’s possible to think so in this book. Rather, it felt like a complete episode with more to come.
The second installment in the Chaotic Orbits trilogy has a very different vibe to the first. It is fairly self-contained and most of the action takes place at the annual Museum of Intergalactic History Gala. It seemed like the Met Gala, with lots of famous people attending wearing haute couture.
The charity gala is a place for the rich to gather in one spot, preen about for each other, end up in all the tabbies, toss some cash around to look like philanthropists, and then trot off to be rich elsewhere.
This particular year, the gala benefits Sol-Earth – the original earth, which is suffering from climate damage and is barely liveable except for a few protected “bubbles”.
In Full Speed to a Crash Landing, Ada successfully stole the code to prototype nanobots which the intergalactic government plan to release on Sol-Earth and which, if they work as planned, will clean up the water supply and save the planet. Of course, things the government does often do not work according to plan, especially when private enterprise gets involved as a subcontractor.
Ada is contacted by the same group who paid her to steal the nanobot code, to undertake a mission at the gala. She asks for (and mostly receives) an obscene amount of money for the job but ultimately, she has an ulterior motive and when she realises that she can achieve both ends (or start to at least) at the gala, she finally accepts the contract.
Rian White, a good guy working in the government who is a little naive about corruption, perhaps because he is incorruptible (except, perhaps where Ada is concerned), has been keeping tabs on Ada since the events of the first book some months earlier. Technically Ada did nothing illegal when she took the code. The rules of scavenging crash sites protected her but Rian knows that Ada is not to be trusted and, as he’s rarely bested he has skin in the game.
Rian is in charge of security for the gala and keeps a very close eye on Ada while she’s there. Ada is one who lies with the truth on a regular basis and it’s very difficult to know exactly what her agenda is, even when she flat out tells you what it is. Rian is fascinated, attracted and frustrated all at once. And Ada loves it that way. They play a delightful game of cat and mouse at the gala, have a number of cryptic and multi-layered discussions, as well as sharing some kisses. As always, Ada stays multiple steps ahead of Rian in their strategic courtship.
Bajillionaire tech mogul Strom Fetor is the guest of honor at the gala. It is his company which developed the nanobots on contract from the government and the plan is for him to make a big splashy announcement a the end of the night about how his invention will save Sol-Earth. Only, Ada and the group she’s working for, have discovered that the nanobots contain within them code to make them fail such that Sol-Earth will be effectively blackmailed into purchasing “updates” in order to stay alive.
I fucking hate him. I know I said it before, but it bears repeating. He’s such a sham. Fetor himself did nothing to develop the tech needed to make portal comms work, just like he did nothing with his prior businesses. He just swooped in and bought the company after the tech was already in prototypes. Being the money behind a project is nowhere near the same as being the brains. Anyone can have money. Especially people like Fetor, who was born into it.
Strom Fetor reminded me strongly of a certain tech billionaire in the real world and I very much enjoyed that Ada had no time for him and is hellbent on taking him down. Exactly how is yet to come but I’m sure it will be the main feature of book three.
Revis paints a picture of obscene and debauched wealth as people bid on historical items from Sol-Earth in a silent auction – things like a canopic shrine and chest made for Pharaoh Tutankhamun – Ada is disgusted by the show and educates Rian on just what he is seeing in some of the exhibits. In a special and separate section of the museum away from the gala, there is a recreation of the actual Mission Control from the Apollo Moon missions – Strom Fetor has plans to buy it. Ada has plans for Fetor. Ada not only gets mad (and she does), she plans to get even.
In the current climate, I was very much primed to cheer on a rebel who wants to stick it to horrible billionaires who only want to make more money and don’t care about the cost to regular people.
Rian knows Ada must be at the gala to steal something. He is very surprised to find out what it is – but that’s at the end and I’m not going to tell you about it. Before that can occur however, the plan is threatened by an external surprise and Ada must make quick adjustments to save the day.
How to Steal a Galaxy is largely set in not-space but it’s a cracking adventure nonetheless. The stakes are high and Ada is someone easy to root for. I like Rian too – one again, there are sections from Rian’s POV at the end – this time in the form of transcriptions from his personal data recorder. It’s a lot of fun and I enjoyed it very much. I can hardly wait for the final installment.
Grade: A
Regards,
Kaetrin
I went back and read the review of the first novella (I avoided the content of this review because of spoilers- apologies for not having anything to add to a discussion of the actual novella) and the comment on that review about being hesitant to pay 13.99 for a novella definitely resonates! My library doesn’t have either book yet. I’m wondering if I need to change my thinking about what a book should cost these days?
@Kat: My library has both books which is excellent because $13.99 for a book (let alone a novella) is a lot. The books are great but yes, pricey.