It was the cover of this one that initially drew my attention – I’m always a sucker for a beautiful spacescape. And then I was further intrigued by reading the blurb…
BLURB: Fleeing the final days of the generations-long war with the alien Felen, smuggler Jereth Keeven’s freighter the Jonah breaks down in a strange rift in deep space, with little chance of rescue—until they encounter the research vessel Gallion, which claims to be from 152 years in the future.
The Gallion’s chief engineer Uma Ozakka has always been fascinated with the past, especially the tale of the Fortunate Five, who ended the war with the Felen. When the Gallion rescues a run-down junk freighter, Ozakka is shocked to recognize the Five’s legendary ship—and the Five’s famed leader, Eldric Leesongronski, among the crew. But nothing else about Leesongronski and his crewmates seems to match up with the historical record. With their ships running out of power in the rift, more than the lives of both crews may be at stake.
REVIEW: This is an intriguing premise. Two ships separated by 150 years get caught up in a mysterious rift where nothing is getting in or out. So far, so average. What has everyone on the Gallion completely freaked out is that the battered little trader they eventually haul aboard is the most famous ship in recent history – the Jonah. It played a crucial role in saving two species from destroying themselves. However… the crew aren’t remotely similar to the brave Five depicted in the history books. In fact, several key figures appear to be missing.
I really enjoyed where this one goes, particularly as I am a bit of a History buff. This book skips between timelines, as we gradually build up a more complete picture of the main characters involved in this key event – and what actually has happened to them, as opposed to what the history books say about them. There are also some nice touches of humour – I particularly like Hutchings’ depiction of the corporate space liner and its risk-averse policy.
The descriptions of the ships, the steadily building tension as time runs out, the characterisation of the main protagonists – these aspects of the story are all very well handled. But I did have a problem with the pacing. Right at the start of the story, we learn of the crucial role of the Jonah and its five crew members, so the reader is ahead of the little ship’s crew for quite a chunk of the book. While I was never tempted to DNF this one, as I enjoyed the overall premise, there was a middle section when I wanted to story to speed up. Once we got past a certain stage where I no longer could predict what would happen, I once again found the story a wholly engrossing and pleasurable read. And the ending packs a real emotional punch which I found very moving. Recommended for space opera fans who appreciate something a bit different in their alien encounters. While I obtained an arc of Under Fortunate Stars from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10
Brainfluff 
I’m just trying to find time to squeeze this in, but your review has made me excited to start it, despite the slower parts. Lovely review!
Ah – thank you, Tammy:). Yes – this one is definitely something a bit different. I hope you manage to crowbar it into your schedule!
I totally *love* the premise for this one: spatial rifts and time distortions sound very fascinating!
Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
I love the concept and the intrigue about this ship and it’s crew.
Lynn 😀
Thank you, Lynn:)). It proved to be a really enjoyable read – as well as a memorable one.
It seems that we’re in disagreement with this one: the cover would the one thing that turned me off, because it looks like randomly spilled watercolor to me rather than a space scape (I guess they didn’t put enough stars, and the ships are a bit unclear in a small version of the cover). But the cover aside, this is exactly the kind of story I’d love to read, so I’m all the more grateful for your review, otherwise I’d skip the book if I ever came across it elsewhere.
Yes – it’s certainly an entertaining read, Joanna. I think it’s supposed to represent the unspace dimension they wandered into:).