Random Thing Tours - Goldilocks

TITLE: Goldilocks
AUTHOR: Laura Lam
PUBLISHER: Headline Publishing Group
PUBLISHING DATE: April 30, 2020

FROM GOODREADS: 

The Earth is in environmental collapse. The future of humanity hangs in the balance. But a team of women are preparing to save it. Even if they’ll need to steal a spaceship to do it. 

Despite increasing restrictions on the freedoms of women on Earth, Valerie Black is spearheading the first all-female mission to a planet in the Goldilocks Zone, where conditions are just right for human habitation. 

The team is humanity's last hope for survival, and Valerie has gathered the best women for the mission: an ace pilot who is one of the only astronauts ever to have gone to Mars; a brilliant engineer tasked with keeping the ship fully operational; and an experienced doctor to keep the crew alive. And then there's Naomi Lovelace, Valerie's surrogate daughter and the ship's botanist, who has been waiting her whole life for an opportunity to step out of Valerie's shadow and make a difference. 

The problem is that they’re not the authorized crew, even if Valerie was the one to fully plan the voyage. When their mission is stolen from them, they steal the ship bound for the new planet. 

But when things start going wrong on board, Naomi begins to suspect that someone is concealing a terrible secret -- and realizes time for life on Earth may be running out faster than they feared . . .

MY THOUGHTS: Wow!  I really don't know where to start with this review.  I don't read a lot of science fiction but have been wanting to read more.  And for some reason, when I first saw Goldilocks, it just seemed like something I wanted to take a chance on.  And man, did that chance pay off.

As the book starts, five women who prepared to be spearheading a mission to space for years but who were quickly replaced by men, hijack the spaceship Atalanta.  The Earth has been drastically altered because of climate change and there's no doubt that in a few years, even more resources will be depleted.  Missions to Mars have been successful, but Earth has its sights set on another planet, Cavendish.  These woman, led by Valerie Black, want to get their first and prove mankind, and basically men, wrong.  However, everyday brings new obstacles on Atalanta and there are some secrets Valerie hasn't shared with the rest of her chosen crew.

This book has it all - science, space, drama, relationships, action and adventure.  It speaks of the devastation taking place on Earth and a future when people are penalized for having more than one child and where women are being delegated to primarily caring for their families and sacrificing their careers for their children.  Naomi Lovelace was raised by Valerie following her parents' death.  She was given every advantage and sometimes questions her own abilities because of it.  While she knows Valerie is a cunning and ruthless, she has no idea the lengths Valerie will go to get what she wants.  And when she finds out, Naomi is forced to make decisions she never wanted to make and face a truth she never imagined.

I loved Naomi so much.  She is a great character and though flawed, is definitely morally sound.  She values life and wants to forge a better place for people to live.  The rest of the crew are also quite likable.  But then there's Valerie.  Lam created a very complex character who as much as I despised at times, I had to agree with at least some of what she was doing.  She took charge of her own future and come on, it takes spunk to hijack a spaceship!

So basically I recommend Goldilocks to EVERYONE!  If you're fairly new to science fiction like me, it's a perfect starting point. And I have no doubt that if you already enjoy the genre, there's a good chance this book is already on your radar.  When the year ends, I have a feeling this one will be on quite a few people's "Best of 2020" lists.

RATING: 5 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Laura Lam is the author of several science fiction books, including Radio 2 Book Club selection False Hearts. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in anthologies such as Nasty Women, Solaris Rising 3, Cranky Ladies of History, Scotland in Space, and more. Originally from California, she now lives in Scotland with her husband, and teaches Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University