In Review: Under the Heavens
While I’m slowly but steadily getting out of my most recent reading slump, nothing like reviewing a book to remind myself why reading is so great. This time is Under the Heavens by Ruth Fox, a new sci-fi trilogy that came out last year with a lot of whales.
Disclaimer: Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book for free. All the thoughts and opinions here are my own.
Title: Under the Heavens Author: Ruth Fox Series: The Ark Trilogy #1 Publication year: 2022 Length: 11 hours 40 minutes Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, YA Pace: Medium Story focus: Character & Plot
Hannah Monksman is a caregiver for a group of whales being transported from Earth to their new home in New Eden. The book starts already on board the ship while Hannah is ending another of her social media live streams to update on the journey. Although there’s one thing she still hasn’t shared yet. Her name isn’t Hannah. It’s Kim Teng. And she has a very important role aboard Seiiki: helping an underground group called the Crusaders. While she is the only human aboard the ship, she isn’t alone. There are droids and an AI, to make sure everything is operational, and also the whales. Thanks to technology, Kim can communicate with the whales through a mental link, turning a solo journey into one not so lonely. Until Kim starts to notice some things aren’t right. She feels someone else is there with her. Objects aren’t where they are supposed to be. She feels observed. Although she doesn’t know if it’s the isolation affecting her or if there is someone else aboard the ship.
Before I even go any further with this review, I have something to note. I read this book via audio. But audiobooks and I still need to work out our differences to have a healthy relationship. It is not my preferred medium, but it was the one I had available. With audiobooks, my mind drifts off too easily. And I probably might have missed some details which I’m keeping in mind while writing this review.
One thing that quickly surprised me was to discover that the whales are also characters in this story. I expected them to be a plot point, a means to an end, a motivator. But instead, they are as much a protagonist as Kim. It gave the story a very interesting perspective. Thanks to the mental link, both Kim and the whales shared their thoughts in a normal conversation which allows us to know their personalities, their way of thinking, and how they perceive Kim, humans, and this journey to a new home. I imagine someone that loves whales will have the time of their life reading this book.
I found quite interesting the evolution of humans’ relationship with whales. Humans began hunting the whales to the point they almost got extinct. Aboard Seiiki are the last remaining alive whales of their respective species. And so, while humans are the reason whales need to be saved, they are the ones saving them. This is something even further discussed as the story progresses. The humans are doing a good deed to save the species, but there’s also the perspective of the ones being saved and how they perceive it. And this is why I say the whales are also protagonists. They have their own voices in the story.
When it comes to world-building, the story falls short for me. The book starts already aboard Seiiki, so we never get to see Earth. Some explanations tie in with what happened to the whales, but I felt there was still a lot to tell. In this universe, humans have a colony on Mars. How did that come to be? Since when? How does it relate to Earth? And other small aspects exist but are never fully explained. Maybe this is something to be explored in the other books or maybe, as a reader, I’m just supposed to accept the world is like this without ever knowing how it reach that point. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I just prefer to see everything and understand everything. Then again, maybe I’ve missed a few details here and there. Only a reread will tell. Either way, there are still two more books in this series and plenty of room to go back in time to explore more if that’s the author’s intent.
While I’m on the topic of things I didn’t enjoy as much, comes religion. I should have guessed since the underground group Kim is part of is called Crusaders. Slowly Kim reveals parts of herself and her past that tie in heavily with religion. And at the end of the day, it’s not a bad thing. Kim’s relationship with religion and the overall message is positive, although I was not expecting it neither did I want to have it intertwined with the rest of the story. It’s not something that can simply be taken out because it’s a big part of the foundation of who Kim is. But at the same time, I felt bored when the story immersed itself in the topic. This is just a matter of preference, but I feel it’s important to mention to expect it going in.
Despite some letdowns, I miss this story. When I finished the audiobook, I started to miss being aboard Seiiki with Kim. In that tiny world enclosed in a metal shell. The ship feels like it’s an environment on itself. It’s very easy to forget that it’s a ship to take them from point A to point B and instead feel like it’s the only world that exists. And sitting outside at night with the audiobook on while stargazing really involved me in a bubble. Looking up and seeing the stars like Kim would see looking out of a window was quite an immersive and peaceful experience. I can’t wait to keep reading this series and be up there among the stars again.
