By Sinclair Adams
We live in a post-Avatar 2: The Way of Water society. While there is a lot of merit to James Cameron’s Avatar franchise as a cultural phenomenon, we can’t deny the fact that it holds up old and tired science-fiction tropes: a blank-slate protagonist in an escapist narrative, with tone-deaf undertones of colonization. Additionally, household franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars have been producing shows to mixed reviews. On the other hand, people have been giving more credence to dystopian sci-fi narratives that act as a mirror to society’s problems. Given all of this uncertainty, it seems like sci-fi as a genre is going through some growing pains.
Imagine my excitement, then, when I picked up Light Years From Home by Mike Chen, a standalone novel that not only pays tribute to beloved sci-fi landscapes, but also builds on them in new and gripping ways.
Chapter one begins with a space opera opening, featuring fantastical spaceships and otherworldly creatures. Our protagonist, Jakob Shao, is a human recruited into a cross-galactic space war against a mysterious and destructive species known only as “the Awakened.” But Jakob is not just another unflappable cowboy in space—he’s bearing witness to the destruction of his fleet, grieving the loss of a friend, and struggling to escape to fight another day. His destination is his home planet Earth, where it turns out, he wasn’t exactly a hero.
Light Years From Home is a story that’s not just about a war in outer space. In fact, despite the fate of the galaxy being at stake, the biggest problems are waiting for Jakob back at home. As it turns out, Jakob was recruited by the alien alliance against the Awakened, leaving his parents and his two sisters reeling in his sudden disappearance. To get his way back to space and win the war, Jakob must navigate his estranged relatives and avoid being arrested by Earth authorities. But he can’t do that without the help of his sisters, who might hold just the clues that he needs.
The point of view of this book rotates between the Shao siblings: Jakob, as he tries to figure out a way to send a critical message to his alien comrades; his twin Kass, who’s living an unfulfilled life taking care of their mother who’s suffering from dementia; and Evie, who’s belief that Jakob was indeed abducted by aliens has driven her away from her family. Each sibling is hurting from different wounds that all tie back to Jakob’s disappearance. The pain these characters experience is relatable, and in the best way possible, irresistible to read about.
While the first chapter makes it seem like Jakob is our protagonist, Kass and Evie begin to take over. Despite their character arcs being very domestic—Kass’ emotional constipation and Evie’s desire to feel validated – their narratives are equal to if not more compelling than Jakob’s narrative. Almost every chapter contains a flashback to the buildup and aftermath of Jakob’s disappearance. As we get to know more about these characters and their dynamics as children, we understand that the conflicts between them go deeper than we first are led to believe.
Chen deftly describes the fantastical elements of this novel, from the mechanisms of space tech to the virtual realm of Kass’ video game obsession Ancient Runes Online. However, the true heights of this story are the interactions between the siblings, as well as the moments of solitude in which they reflect on their decisions.
Early on while reading, I was a bit let down when I realized that most of the story would take place on Earth, and we would not be welcomed into any more of the sci-fi war introduced in the first chapter. That quickly changed when I became taken in by the family drama. As the book itself states, “Espionage against the Awakened wasn’t quite like navigating sibling rivalry.”
What makes the conflicts between the Shao family so palpable is that there is no “right” sibling. Each of the characters are tremendously flawed. Chen put a lot of thought into balancing these flaws, as they are justified by the different traumas they have experienced as a result of Jakob’s absence. As readers, we understand why the Shao siblings deliberately choose to be estranged and to keep secrets from each other. They each have conflicting senses of what is the most “real” to them – Jakob and his space war, Kass and her unhealthy coping mechanisms, Evie and her alien conspiracies.
This isn’t a story that romanticizes anything, from the brutality of war to the unhealthy habits that people experience every day. And just like in real life, the path to healing that the Shao siblings take isn’t linear.
Just like in real life, each character has their own self-narrative that causes them to not see the value in what other people are experiencing. This isn’t a story that romanticizes anything, from the brutality of war to the unhealthy habits that people experience every day. And just like in real life, the path to healing that the Shao siblings take isn’t linear. This story reminds us that in order to make amends, you’re bound to make mistakes and take steps backwards, but in the end, you need to make continuous efforts to make progress. Even though we understand why the characters behave the way they do, it is still frustrating to see them continuously make the wrong decisions—but it was that frustration which drove me to keep turning the page.
As for the sci-fi elements themselves, Chen plays clear homage to tropes that we know and love. Jakob’s fleet is a ragtag team of rebels from creatively different species fighting against an all-consuming force of bad guys. Despite this familiar palette, Chen adds many elements of realism to the conflict. Because of how difficult space travel is in practice, it’s acknowledged that this war will take eons long. The Lovecraftian sense of incomprehensible villains and impending doom are perfectly juxtaposed by the simple beauty of domestic life on Earth.
Because of the magnitude of this story, there are a few elements of the plot that feel a bit glossed over. For instance, many the people who interact with the Shao family feel a bit too nice and accommodating. The biggest example is the character Lucy, the caretaker for the siblings’ mother Sofia, who has no problems being called in for extra hours of work while the siblings are away. This was probably done to allow the drama to fester in the Shao household, and not have to worry about the people outside their circle causing additional problems. It’s an understandable decision to make, but it does feel unrealistic whenever things go too well for the Shao siblings. Another thing I was hoping to see more was Jakob in his element as a space soldier. So much of his sisters’ memories of Jakob are of him being a slacker who relies on his charm to get him out of bad situations. If we had more moments of him showing off just how disciplined and skilled he’s become, it would have made his character seem more dynamic. Out of all the Shao siblings, Jakob is easily the blandest, but that could also be because we spend more time with his sisters’ perspectives.
However, these few flaws did not undermine my enjoyment of the book. I gladly feasted on all the juicy sibling drama and cheered when all the disparate narratives came together. Science-fiction stories seem to have a reputation for being unapproachable, or as we’ve seen in recent pop culture, a shallow vehicle of escapism. Light Years From Home presents a sci-fi story that’s approachable for people who are new to the genre and gives a fresh take on its conventions for long-time fans. It’s a fun and relatable read that leaves you with a powerful message of moving forward with hope after tragedy. It’s one of the few books I’ve read in recent times that left me wanting more.
I highly recommend Light Years From Home for people who like stories about family drama and a glowing sci-fi aesthetic. Basically, it’s for everyone whose favorite Marvel movie was Guardians of the Galaxy.
Light Years from Home is available from Face in a Book, Green Bean Books, Talking Leaves Books, Townie Books, Waucoma Books, and 27th Letter Books.
Sinclair Adams is a writer interested in speculative and science fiction narratives. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of Las Vegas and is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in creative writing at Chapman University. She is an editor for Ouroboros Magazine, Chapman’s journal of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction. Follow her on Instagram @sinclairwrites.