Free to fly: a "The Disasters" review
Remember when science fiction was all the rage? Granted, that was true about the dystopian sub-genre earlier this decade, but it seemed like everyone was reading these lightly-sketched stories with grim worlds and classifications and world-stopping romance. I was one of those readers, although I barely remember all that I read. Divergent sticks out to me the most, mostly because I had a lukewarm reaction to it when compared to my brother, but I also remember one set in space that I liked. Needless to say, when I saw this synopsis firmly entrenched in space sci-fi and promising awesome character dynamics, I was on board immediately. Let's fly into the stars and see what happens! What happened was so much fun. M.K. England's debut is a fun ride through the cosmos, following a crew made up of five teenagers fighting back against mass terrorism. Along the way, some fall in love, they get chased a lot, and they learn to work together to accomplish plans they wouldn't have been able to do by themselves. It's the rambunctious space heist that I crave, complete with genuinely great and vivid writing despite some of its recursive tendencies, refreshing and well-represented ethnic diversity and sexuality, and an engaging story that, while lacking some resolution in subplots, never once made me lose interest. The Disasters is the kind of novel that demands your full attention and makes every page worth its read. I would be surprised if an adaptation of some kind doesn't happen at some point down the line, because I see this making a promising animated miniseries. With a lovable cast, engaging action, and riotous humor, what's not to love?
Nax Hall has been kicked out of Ellis Station Academy, a private school training aspiring pilots to travel across outer space in 2194. Although it's not exactly clear what has led to this dismissal, Nax blames himself for what happened, yet another thing to put on his list of screw-ups. On his way out, he runs into three other kids who flunked out: Rion, the son of a British diplomat too crass and good with guns for his own good, Case, an incredibly smart navigator with a ferocious attitude, and Zee, a talented medic who knows how to give swift kicks where it counts. Before they can really get the chance to know each other, Ellis Station goes under attack, and the four manage to escape in the nick of time, right before everyone dies. But these deaths are part of a plan to destroy all colonies outside of Earth's orbit by a terrorist organization known as Earth First. Pinning the blame on our crew, they end up creating a space-wide hunt for our four, who end up deciding to hide in a colony where they can be safe. Unfortunately, they're almost led into a trap before being saved by a girl named Asra, the stepdaughter to a councilman who's involved in the scapegoat express. She offers to help our four get off the colony and out of their misery, but on one condition: they must help her steal one of her stepdad's ships before fleeing. Along the way, Nax ends up falling in love with both Case and Rion and combating his desire to help his team while also hiding the reason behind why he was kicked out of the academy in the first place. Can our rag-tag team of space flyers save the day and clear their names? Or will they run out of time and become space dust? England has created quite the engaging story with The Disasters. There's never a dull moment with Nax and company, and following their adventure across the galaxy is a wonderful experience. The colonies are all fully-realized worlds that are filled with beautiful images, and even though our crew only take brief stops in them and aren't there to sight-see, England doesn't neglect to build their world. This is also true for any of the scenes where Nax takes up the pilot seat, Case helps determine appropriate routes, and everyone else is on stand-by. England's descriptions of the ship and its controls feel very realistic, with some cool-sounding technology that hasn't been invented yet but seems possible. Those scenes particularly left me on edge throughout, just because I cannot imagine what flying is like while being chased by bullets and missiles. The characters are all so wonderful. I appreciate that much of the cast is non-white and that, as a queer and non-binary author, England included a bisexual protagonist, a gay love interest, a transgender character, and a bisexual love triangle! It was wonderful! Nax had so much messy bi energy that was relatable and lovable, and his chemistry with both Case and Rion zapped off the page. I also liked that he was half-Pakistani and both he and fellow crew-mate Asra were practicing Muslims. It's clear that England did their research on that aspect of the book, and it was handled respectfully. It goes to show that even as a white author, you can write people of color as long as you don't write it as if that defines them (this also applies to sexuality/gender and anxiety). Make it part of who they are, not solely who they are. It was also interesting to discover that the other three kids were kicked out of the school for personal reasons, going to show that discrimination will live on, whether we like it or not. I do wish the bi love triangle had more resolution towards the end; while it was clear who Nax was going to end up with, the other person didn't really get much resolution on where Nax's feelings resided. Also, a subplot involving strife between Nax and his older brother had a similar issue. But everything ended up working out in the end, which is all that matters. England did a great job as well when it came to the action scenes. Although these were where some of their writing reused some phrases throughout, the chase sequences were super fun and always had me on edge. I liked finding out what strategies were going to be used, and much like the colonies, they were easy to imagine and lightning fast. Tension bled through them in spades, and they never got boring. Some readers have found issues with how repetitive they were, but they were pretty fun from my perspective. And that's true with this whole novel. M.K. England's The Disasters is a sci-fi romp full of wicked humor and a great cast. It's a stellar debut that made me smile, laugh, and root for our crew as they tried to clear their names among the stars of the galaxy. Whether you pick this up to read or listen, you're hopefully in for a treat. I can't wait to see where England does next; I know it will be magical.