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The Far Reaches #5
Just Out of Jupiter's Reach
A revolutionary experiment in space opens a woman’s eyes to the meaning of solitude in a thought-provoking short story by New York Times bestselling, award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor.
Tornado Onwubiko is one of seven people on Earth paired with sentient ships to explore and research the cosmos for twenty million euros. A decade of solitary life for a lifetime of wealth. Five years into the ten-year mission of total isolation comes a a temporary meetup among fellow travelers. A lot can happen in a week. For Tornado, who left a normal life behind, a little company can be life-changing.
Nnedi Okorafor’s Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach is part of The Far Reaches, a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.
Tornado Onwubiko is one of seven people on Earth paired with sentient ships to explore and research the cosmos for twenty million euros. A decade of solitary life for a lifetime of wealth. Five years into the ten-year mission of total isolation comes a a temporary meetup among fellow travelers. A lot can happen in a week. For Tornado, who left a normal life behind, a little company can be life-changing.
Nnedi Okorafor’s Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach is part of The Far Reaches, a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.
45 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2023
About the author
Nnedi Okorafor
153 books16.4k followersNnedi Okorafor is a New York Times Bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism, both terms she coined and defined. Born in the United States to two Nigerian (Igbo) immigrant parents and visiting family in Nigeria since she was a child, the foundation and inspiration of Nnedi’s work is rooted in this part of Africa. Her many works include Who Fears Death (winner of the World Fantasy Award and in development at HBO as a TV series), the Nebula and Hugo award winning novella trilogy Binti (in development as a TV series), the Lodestar and Locus Award winning Nsibidi Scripts Series, LaGuardia (winner of a Hugo and Eisner awards for Best Graphic Novel) and her most recent novella Remote Control. Her debut novel Zahrah the Windseeker won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. She lives with her daughter Anyaugo in Phoenix, AZ. Learn more about Nnedi at Nnedi.com and follow Nnedi on twitter (as @Nnedi), Facebook and Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 427 reviews
July 22, 2023
Domesticity in space has its draws and drawbacks. I think here I wanted more focus on space and less domesticity.
The idea of sentient part-organic spaceships is interesting, but the premise, although allowing for wistfully beautiful writing and imagery kept coming apart at the seams for me. It may as well have been magic propelling these seven people in space for all the lack of even remote plausibility. This is just such a complicated and inefficient way of space travel with loneliness-based-rules that seem to exist only to provide the set-up, logical or not, and allow for eventual personality clashes, pettiness and of course different levels of human bonding, companionship, home decor and mention of past trauma.
It’s more of an allegorical space fable, I guess, and that just didn’t speak to me. Too much inconsequential human, too little of awesome space. You’re next to Jupiter, ffs, JUPITER! Stop squabbling over grass and allergies. See the bigger picture.
(Also, a guy who really should not be a person you blissfully hook up with because, seriously, standards).
And by the end I was a bit bored.
2.5 stars. Interesting concept that I wish had been treated a bit more scientifically. Maybe next time give me the point of view of the living ship to make it more interesting.
—————
The Far Reaches Collection, in the order read:
— ‘Slow Time Between the Stars’ by John Scalzi: Different than “usual” Scalzi fare. 3.5 stars.
— ‘How It Unfolds’ by James S.A. Corey: Lovely and beautiful. 4.5 stars.
— ‘Falling Bodies’ by Rebecca Roanhorse: Anticlimactic at best. 2 stars.
— ‘The Long Game’ by Ann Leckie: Cute but unsatisfying. 2.5 stars.
— ‘Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach’ by Nnedi Okorafor: Domesticity overload. 2.5 stars.
— ‘Void’ by Veronica Roth: Time dilation murder mystery. 4 stars.
The idea of sentient part-organic spaceships is interesting, but the premise, although allowing for wistfully beautiful writing and imagery kept coming apart at the seams for me. It may as well have been magic propelling these seven people in space for all the lack of even remote plausibility. This is just such a complicated and inefficient way of space travel with loneliness-based-rules that seem to exist only to provide the set-up, logical or not, and allow for eventual personality clashes, pettiness and of course different levels of human bonding, companionship, home decor and mention of past trauma.
It’s more of an allegorical space fable, I guess, and that just didn’t speak to me. Too much inconsequential human, too little of awesome space. You’re next to Jupiter, ffs, JUPITER! Stop squabbling over grass and allergies. See the bigger picture.
(Also, a guy who really should not be a person you blissfully hook up with because, seriously, standards).
And by the end I was a bit bored.
2.5 stars. Interesting concept that I wish had been treated a bit more scientifically. Maybe next time give me the point of view of the living ship to make it more interesting.
—————
The Far Reaches Collection, in the order read:
— ‘Slow Time Between the Stars’ by John Scalzi: Different than “usual” Scalzi fare. 3.5 stars.
— ‘How It Unfolds’ by James S.A. Corey: Lovely and beautiful. 4.5 stars.
— ‘Falling Bodies’ by Rebecca Roanhorse: Anticlimactic at best. 2 stars.
— ‘The Long Game’ by Ann Leckie: Cute but unsatisfying. 2.5 stars.
— ‘Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach’ by Nnedi Okorafor: Domesticity overload. 2.5 stars.
— ‘Void’ by Veronica Roth: Time dilation murder mystery. 4 stars.
May 2, 2024
In a Nutshell: An interesting character-oriented short story with a decent blend of science fiction, human flaws, and Afrofuturism sparkle. The ending was a bit disappointing, but overall, it was still better than I had anticipated. (It helped to have low expectations.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
This is the fifth standalone story in 'The Far Reaches’ series, described on Amazon as “a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart.”
The first two stories in this collection were great for me and the next two were absolute duds. So I was a bit apprehensive about how this one would go. Thankfully, it was a pleasant enough experience, though it could have gone even better.
The story reads more like a drama, just with an unusual locational setting on the outskirts of Jupiter and some innovative spacecraft. It contains enough of sci-fi to make it feel like sci-fi and yet not so much as would boggle sci-fi newbies. As Tornado is a layperson who gets to travel in space because of her genetics than her geeky brains, she knows just the bare minimum of the science behind the customised spacecraft. Hence the content never seems too techy, though it is quite complex a concept. Of course, if you want more technical sci-fi content, you might be disappointed.
The sentient spacecraft, the seven ‘Miri’, are the highlight of this tale. Most of their functioning is kept off the page (for the above-mentioned reason), but whatever little we know about them is more than intriguing.
The plot focusses on the emotions and the people as much as on the tech, which also has emotions of its own. So overall, it feels more like a relatable human story than like an obscure sci-fi narrative. As this is a character-focussed piece, we get to know the various characters as well as possible within a 45-page narrative. The writing comes in Tornado’s first-person perspective, so her insights on the other travellers are our only clues to their behaviour. But each of them has a distinct personality, and not necessarily a goody-goody one, which makes their interactions interesting.
As is typical with African SFF authors, there is a strong focus on the local culture. The blend between the place and the futuristic scenario is impeccable. Afrofuturism holds one of the best aesthetics for me in sci-fi writing because of its intricate traditional + post-modern medley.
The main reason my rating dropped a lot was the final quarter, or rather two particular plot points in that section. One of these, I never enjoy as a trope. I don’t want to go into spoilers, so I’ll just say I wish the story had not gone in that direction. The other one was such a huge red flag that I didn’t understand why Tornado’s opinion about said person didn’t change after that incident. It was a trust-shattering event that passed by with barely any reaction. Would she have felt the same had it been her pet cat instead of the other (magnificent) pet?
There are a couple of things left unanswered, but not so much as to make you feel like the ending left you hanging. Then again, the plot points that aren’t tackled are significant ones, so if you want all I’s dotted and all T’s crossed, this story isn’t for you.
This author is highly acclaimed for her Afro sci-fi writing. While I do want to read her Binti trilogy and the Akata Witch series, I have experience her works only in her short fiction. Her story in the Black Stars series, ‘Black Pages’, was an absolute dud for me, while her short story collection, ‘Kabu Kabu’, went much better. Having read this story, I now have a better sense of her writing style and know that she will deliver on the SFF angle even when she doesn’t deliver on the plot development.
Recommended, but not as a must-read. It is a creative story that needs a bit more refining to be memorable. It would have been fabulous as a novel because there’s much to explore with the Miri concept.
3.5 stars, rounding down for Chandra. IYKYK.
This standalone story is a part of the 'The Far Reaches’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Tornado Onwubiko, a young Nigerian girl, is one of only seven people from earth who have been genetically matched for an inter-stellar journey supposed to last ten years. Halfway into the travel, Tornado will be meeting the other six travellers for the very first time, at a location just outside of Jupiter’s gravitational reach. After five years of being isolated in their custom spaceships, how will the seven travellers react to human company, especially when their rendezvous is supposed to last only for a week?
The story comes to us from Tornado’s first-person perspective.
This is the fifth standalone story in 'The Far Reaches’ series, described on Amazon as “a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart.”
The first two stories in this collection were great for me and the next two were absolute duds. So I was a bit apprehensive about how this one would go. Thankfully, it was a pleasant enough experience, though it could have gone even better.
The story reads more like a drama, just with an unusual locational setting on the outskirts of Jupiter and some innovative spacecraft. It contains enough of sci-fi to make it feel like sci-fi and yet not so much as would boggle sci-fi newbies. As Tornado is a layperson who gets to travel in space because of her genetics than her geeky brains, she knows just the bare minimum of the science behind the customised spacecraft. Hence the content never seems too techy, though it is quite complex a concept. Of course, if you want more technical sci-fi content, you might be disappointed.
The sentient spacecraft, the seven ‘Miri’, are the highlight of this tale. Most of their functioning is kept off the page (for the above-mentioned reason), but whatever little we know about them is more than intriguing.
The plot focusses on the emotions and the people as much as on the tech, which also has emotions of its own. So overall, it feels more like a relatable human story than like an obscure sci-fi narrative. As this is a character-focussed piece, we get to know the various characters as well as possible within a 45-page narrative. The writing comes in Tornado’s first-person perspective, so her insights on the other travellers are our only clues to their behaviour. But each of them has a distinct personality, and not necessarily a goody-goody one, which makes their interactions interesting.
As is typical with African SFF authors, there is a strong focus on the local culture. The blend between the place and the futuristic scenario is impeccable. Afrofuturism holds one of the best aesthetics for me in sci-fi writing because of its intricate traditional + post-modern medley.
The main reason my rating dropped a lot was the final quarter, or rather two particular plot points in that section. One of these, I never enjoy as a trope. I don’t want to go into spoilers, so I’ll just say I wish the story had not gone in that direction. The other one was such a huge red flag that I didn’t understand why Tornado’s opinion about said person didn’t change after that incident. It was a trust-shattering event that passed by with barely any reaction. Would she have felt the same had it been her pet cat instead of the other (magnificent) pet?
There are a couple of things left unanswered, but not so much as to make you feel like the ending left you hanging. Then again, the plot points that aren’t tackled are significant ones, so if you want all I’s dotted and all T’s crossed, this story isn’t for you.
This author is highly acclaimed for her Afro sci-fi writing. While I do want to read her Binti trilogy and the Akata Witch series, I have experience her works only in her short fiction. Her story in the Black Stars series, ‘Black Pages’, was an absolute dud for me, while her short story collection, ‘Kabu Kabu’, went much better. Having read this story, I now have a better sense of her writing style and know that she will deliver on the SFF angle even when she doesn’t deliver on the plot development.
Recommended, but not as a must-read. It is a creative story that needs a bit more refining to be memorable. It would have been fabulous as a novel because there’s much to explore with the Miri concept.
3.5 stars, rounding down for Chandra. IYKYK.
This standalone story is a part of the 'The Far Reaches’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
July 18, 2023
Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach is my first book by Okorafor. I read the kindle version while listening to the Audible book. I greatly enjoyed the story and listening experience. This was a great sci-fi short. I loved the science and technology involving the living space ships, dubbed Miris. The premise is believable and is very close to our current race for space travel.
There is big money involved. AI aboard each ship to help the travelers. It was an uplifting and inspiring story with some unexpected turns and a few predictable events. The characters were unique and interesting. I always enjoy seeing how different authors envision how humans leave the Earth to travel the universe, and what happens on that journey. Overall, I enjoyed Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach. It was an appetizer leaving me wanting to read more of Okorafor’s science fiction.
There is big money involved. AI aboard each ship to help the travelers. It was an uplifting and inspiring story with some unexpected turns and a few predictable events. The characters were unique and interesting. I always enjoy seeing how different authors envision how humans leave the Earth to travel the universe, and what happens on that journey. Overall, I enjoyed Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach. It was an appetizer leaving me wanting to read more of Okorafor’s science fiction.
August 2, 2023
4.5★
“I am one of the first, but it’s been five years, so I doubt anyone is really thinking about this anymore. That’s how people are. Long-term memory is a thing of the past. Maybe after the ten years are up and we’ve returned to the Earth, that will change.”
I wouldn’t count on it. Change is so fast now, that in ten years, whatever is happening today is old news. BUT, this particular program is an exceptional experiment in space. Humans have applied to have their DNA shared with a Miri, a spacecraft, so that they form a kind of single organism. Seven had been accepted.
“Once I was deemed a match and signed the agreement (and came to terms with the fact that I was trading ten years of my life for a total of twenty million euros—two million every year I survived)—I took the medications that altered my DNA. They made me able to withstand the radiation, fortified my bones and muscles, and made me able to produce certain nutrients.”
There is a nervous moment while they go through the last checks to make sure the person is accepted by the Miri, much like facial recognition or a fingerprint instead of a password. In this case, the Miri has to recognise her DNA as its DNA,
“If the hatch didn’t open for me, then this would all have been a failure. It was that simple. It would mean the Miri had not imprinted on me and I’d never be able to enter the ship at all, let alone get him to go anywhere.”
No way! Imagine being out in space and suddenly being not recognised by the craft that you are able to run only because it’s part of you. It’s not as if you can unplug it or turn it off and on again like a computer. But the people do have virtual contact and enjoy meeting each other that way once they’ve taken off.
They will be in space, alone, for ten years, although our narrator has a cat, Five, for company, and others have something similar.
This story opens after the first five years, and they are being allowed to meet in person. The ships will interconnect and make themselves compatible so that the travellers can walk easily back and forth to visit each other.
The author has done a great job of describing such different people and Miris and how they’ve all chosen to live. The ships are like good-sized homes where they can walk around and cultivate things.
I really enjoyed this space drama which plays out in some ways like a small town story. Limited characters, different personalities, different lifestyles, but all enjoying some real company, even if just for a short time.
This is another good read from The Far Reaches collection from Amazon Original Stories. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy for review.
They are available on Kindle Unlimited.
My review of
How It Unfolds by James S.A. Corey
My review of
Void by Veronica Roth
My review of
The Long Game by Ann Leckie
My review of
Falling Bodies by Rebecca Roanhorse
“I am one of the first, but it’s been five years, so I doubt anyone is really thinking about this anymore. That’s how people are. Long-term memory is a thing of the past. Maybe after the ten years are up and we’ve returned to the Earth, that will change.”
I wouldn’t count on it. Change is so fast now, that in ten years, whatever is happening today is old news. BUT, this particular program is an exceptional experiment in space. Humans have applied to have their DNA shared with a Miri, a spacecraft, so that they form a kind of single organism. Seven had been accepted.
“Once I was deemed a match and signed the agreement (and came to terms with the fact that I was trading ten years of my life for a total of twenty million euros—two million every year I survived)—I took the medications that altered my DNA. They made me able to withstand the radiation, fortified my bones and muscles, and made me able to produce certain nutrients.”
There is a nervous moment while they go through the last checks to make sure the person is accepted by the Miri, much like facial recognition or a fingerprint instead of a password. In this case, the Miri has to recognise her DNA as its DNA,
“If the hatch didn’t open for me, then this would all have been a failure. It was that simple. It would mean the Miri had not imprinted on me and I’d never be able to enter the ship at all, let alone get him to go anywhere.”
No way! Imagine being out in space and suddenly being not recognised by the craft that you are able to run only because it’s part of you. It’s not as if you can unplug it or turn it off and on again like a computer. But the people do have virtual contact and enjoy meeting each other that way once they’ve taken off.
They will be in space, alone, for ten years, although our narrator has a cat, Five, for company, and others have something similar.
This story opens after the first five years, and they are being allowed to meet in person. The ships will interconnect and make themselves compatible so that the travellers can walk easily back and forth to visit each other.
The author has done a great job of describing such different people and Miris and how they’ve all chosen to live. The ships are like good-sized homes where they can walk around and cultivate things.
I really enjoyed this space drama which plays out in some ways like a small town story. Limited characters, different personalities, different lifestyles, but all enjoying some real company, even if just for a short time.
This is another good read from The Far Reaches collection from Amazon Original Stories. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy for review.
They are available on Kindle Unlimited.
My review of
How It Unfolds by James S.A. CoreyMy review of
Void by Veronica RothMy review of
The Long Game by Ann LeckieMy review of
Falling Bodies by Rebecca Roanhorse
July 4, 2023
What a great premise! Seven individuals are carefully selected and each given a sentient spaceship with which to bond. Their task is to travel in space for ten years with no companionship except their ship and any animals they choose to take. Their reward is a huge sum of money. At the five year mark they are allowed to lock their ships together and spend seven days with each other. I could foresee many bad things which could happen during these seven days and some of them did.
This was a really lovely story which I thought deserved to be a full length novel. Just imagine - if the author could do this in 45 pages what would she have done in 300 plus. The spaceships are fantastic and of course I am always happy with a good AI story. The characters are a very interesting assortment and all acted in natural ways over the seven days. The ending was a tiny bit ordinary but my overall reaction to the story was five stars.
This was a really lovely story which I thought deserved to be a full length novel. Just imagine - if the author could do this in 45 pages what would she have done in 300 plus. The spaceships are fantastic and of course I am always happy with a good AI story. The characters are a very interesting assortment and all acted in natural ways over the seven days. The ending was a tiny bit ordinary but my overall reaction to the story was five stars.
July 6, 2023
Epic!
My goodness, if you're not reading this already, then I highly recommend you start. Holy cow, I read this in 30 minutes and was ready for the next one.
Okorafor has you hooked!! Excellent job!!
My goodness, if you're not reading this already, then I highly recommend you start. Holy cow, I read this in 30 minutes and was ready for the next one.
Okorafor has you hooked!! Excellent job!!
November 2, 2023
We have a space experiment (objective or destination unknown), where one gets 20 million euros for 10 years of life in space alone, on a human-grown organic ship. Only seven people in the whole world might have the proper combination of genes and microbes, whatever that combination was, so why invest so much money in an experiment with so little applicability and no clear destination and purpose beats me..
Now, let's talk about the participants: 60% of the human population applied for this program, and the seven humans that were selected were: 3 black women, 2 black men, 1 arab, 1 indian. So, no asian, no white, no hispanic (not even mentioning the different natives or mixed raced people), because the demographic ratio is 70% black and the rest indian or arab, right? Well... NO!
Oh, and somehow, of these 7 people, one is trans and (at least) one is gay, because, again, demographics..
And let's mention GMOs a few time, just to throw that in the mix.. curious about what else I missed, because definitely this short story missed the mark for me, although I quite liked the way it started.
L.E. Another minor inconsistency: one of the women is depicted as singing all the time to keep herself company, as she has no pets, but on the next page, when the storyteller goes through her ship, she is greeted by to big cats with pointy ears. (???)
Now, let's talk about the participants: 60% of the human population applied for this program, and the seven humans that were selected were: 3 black women, 2 black men, 1 arab, 1 indian. So, no asian, no white, no hispanic (not even mentioning the different natives or mixed raced people), because the demographic ratio is 70% black and the rest indian or arab, right? Well... NO!
Oh, and somehow, of these 7 people, one is trans and (at least) one is gay, because, again, demographics..
And let's mention GMOs a few time, just to throw that in the mix.. curious about what else I missed, because definitely this short story missed the mark for me, although I quite liked the way it started.
L.E. Another minor inconsistency: one of the women is depicted as singing all the time to keep herself company, as she has no pets, but on the next page, when the storyteller goes through her ship, she is greeted by to big cats with pointy ears. (???)
July 12, 2023
After reading Slow Time Between the Stars, this was another disappointing entry into The Far Reaches collection.
Some corporation spends an insane amount of money to develop organic ships and sends the only 7 "compatible" people on the planet on a simultaneous ten-year solo journey to nowhere in particular.
Why is this happening? Why would anyone finance this gigantic endeavour given that only a minuscule number of people can actually use it to travel? It's not explained.
For some reason, the corporation bans them from communicating with each other during their journey (under threat of forfeiting millions of dollars, the fees they're being paid for undertaking this "mission") except for a 7-day physical meeting in space that takes place 5 years after their departures.
Why impose such a constraint? 🤷
The ships are cool, some inconsequential stuff happens, , and there is some random backstory about how our protagonist acquired her nickname that's shoehorned into this mess for good measure.
The book tries to be an allegorical account about the dangers of solitude, but none of it lands because it's all rooted into a contrived nonsensical setup.
Some corporation spends an insane amount of money to develop organic ships and sends the only 7 "compatible" people on the planet on a simultaneous ten-year solo journey to nowhere in particular.
Why is this happening? Why would anyone finance this gigantic endeavour given that only a minuscule number of people can actually use it to travel? It's not explained.
For some reason, the corporation bans them from communicating with each other during their journey (under threat of forfeiting millions of dollars, the fees they're being paid for undertaking this "mission") except for a 7-day physical meeting in space that takes place 5 years after their departures.
Why impose such a constraint? 🤷
The ships are cool, some inconsequential stuff happens, , and there is some random backstory about how our protagonist acquired her nickname that's shoehorned into this mess for good measure.
The book tries to be an allegorical account about the dangers of solitude, but none of it lands because it's all rooted into a contrived nonsensical setup.
September 1, 2023
3.5 Stars for Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach: The Far Reaches, Book 5 (audiobook) by Nnedi Okorafor.
I hope the author revisits this premise because it’s sound really interesting. It’s to bad that most of the complicated set up was discarded and the story ended up being about relationships and things that could have been in any scenario.
I hope the author revisits this premise because it’s sound really interesting. It’s to bad that most of the complicated set up was discarded and the story ended up being about relationships and things that could have been in any scenario.
November 8, 2023
Thank the Goddess for the effervescent, fiercely authentic, Africanfuturist Okorafor, who knows exactly how to bend SF genre tropes into something entirely unexpected yet deeply personal. Wonderful.
July 25, 2023
I think Nnedi Okorafor is one of the most inventive sci-fi authors writing today and she's amazing at packing a lot of world-building and character development into very few pages. So far this might be my favorite story in the collection. It follows a woman chosen to bond with a sentient spaceship and spend years in solitude before getting to spend just a few days with the cohort of other people chosen for this as they hover near Jupiter. It's a rich and beautiful short story.
October 18, 2023
This is one of those three ratings that's a combination of highs and lows, rather than a steady meh the whole way through.
Loved the ships and their seemingly endlessly customisable interiors.
Loved the narrator and the idea behind the genetic matching.
Loved the tone and the way the story felt like it fit the length of the form.
Could not be ok with the guy who
Wanted just a scoche more story to go with the really enjoyable tone.
So all up definitely conflicted! But I'd read it again, and that's always a good sign.
Loved the ships and their seemingly endlessly customisable interiors.
Loved the narrator and the idea behind the genetic matching.
Loved the tone and the way the story felt like it fit the length of the form.
Could not be ok with the guy who
Wanted just a scoche more story to go with the really enjoyable tone.
So all up definitely conflicted! But I'd read it again, and that's always a good sign.
December 25, 2023
The ships were reminiscent of the ships from Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis series and though the narration and writing style were great, I didn’t quite see the point of the mission nor the rules enforced.
February 3, 2024
‘Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach’ by Nnedi Okorafor was an interesting short story about inexperienced space adventurers. Seven who qualified for the experiment have to pass a test which involves bonding with a sentient spaceship. The ships, called Miri’s, are created with DNA from various other creatures, and are designed to be 100% compatible with one of the selected humans.
I have copied the book blurb:
”A revolutionary experiment in space opens a woman’s eyes to the meaning of solitude in a thought-provoking short story by New York Times bestselling, award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor.
Tornado Onwubiko is one of seven people on Earth paired with sentient ships to explore and research the cosmos for twenty million euros. A decade of solitary life for a lifetime of wealth. Five years into the ten-year mission of total isolation comes a a temporary meetup among fellow travelers. A lot can happen in a week. For Tornado, who left a normal life behind, a little company can be life-changing.
Nnedi Okorafor’s Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach is part of The Far Reaches , a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.”
The story is about relationships and personalities. How would the solitude of space affect them? Very interesting.
I have copied the book blurb:
”A revolutionary experiment in space opens a woman’s eyes to the meaning of solitude in a thought-provoking short story by New York Times bestselling, award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor.
Tornado Onwubiko is one of seven people on Earth paired with sentient ships to explore and research the cosmos for twenty million euros. A decade of solitary life for a lifetime of wealth. Five years into the ten-year mission of total isolation comes a a temporary meetup among fellow travelers. A lot can happen in a week. For Tornado, who left a normal life behind, a little company can be life-changing.
Nnedi Okorafor’s Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach is part of The Far Reaches , a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.”
The story is about relationships and personalities. How would the solitude of space affect them? Very interesting.
July 23, 2023
Travelling through space, imprinted on a living ship… I struggled a bit with the rating, as the pacing was a tad uneven. The MC‘s backstory didn‘t fit to the tone of the overall story. One event in the story was just out of the blue and another one was ridiculous (Anthony making food…). The science of those sentient ships was also lacking. Still, I love the idea of being genetically linked to a somewhat sentient ship that is shaped by the pilot‘s personality.
45 pages
4/5 🐈⬛🐈⬛🐈⬛🐈⬛
A list of all six Far Reaches stories is here. For Amazon Prime members free as ebook or audio (at the moment).
Read so far:
- How It Unfolds | My GR review | My Wordpress review
- Void | My GR review | My Wordpress review
- Falling Bodies | My GR review | My Wordpress review
- The Long Game | My GR review
45 pages
4/5 🐈⬛🐈⬛🐈⬛🐈⬛
A list of all six Far Reaches stories is here. For Amazon Prime members free as ebook or audio (at the moment).
Read so far:
- How It Unfolds | My GR review | My Wordpress review
- Void | My GR review | My Wordpress review
- Falling Bodies | My GR review | My Wordpress review
- The Long Game | My GR review
November 2, 2023
Not sure if the author was even trying to make a point here, there didn't seem to be one.
June 29, 2023
I was absolutely loving Just Out of Jupiter's Reach, but the last third of the story kind of threw me. There were a lot of cool ideas here. I enjoyed the living ships, the connection to their human and the ways that molded their development. The diversity of the characters was refreshing. That narration worked well for me. I enjoyed spending time with the main character and learning about the situation through them. However, by the end of the time with the whole cast together in one place, I lost some interest. The actions and interactions all felt within character, but I just did not care that much. I was enjoying the bigger picture, and felt like that got spoiled a little with where some of the characters end up. There is definitely more pros than cons here though. And with the length of the story, it is worth the time spent.
July 31, 2023
I was really, really loving this story until we came to the crab’s death. It’s extremely disturbing to me that Anthony actually ATE someone else’s pet. It shows extreme selfishness and a really dangerous lack of empathy. You cooked someone’s PET because boohoo you missed a meal???? Like what the actual fuck.
I didn’t like that none of the characters’ reactions were even remotely fitting (except Ravi’s) and I grew a pretty intense dislike for the narrator after she decided to forgive and fuck Anthony. That’s unforgivably disturbing.
It’s a shame because this book was great otherwise, but people who blatantly disregard others’ feelings to fulfill their own selfish (and unnecessary) wants are narcissistic and fucking gross.
I didn’t like that none of the characters’ reactions were even remotely fitting (except Ravi’s) and I grew a pretty intense dislike for the narrator after she decided to forgive and fuck Anthony. That’s unforgivably disturbing.
It’s a shame because this book was great otherwise, but people who blatantly disregard others’ feelings to fulfill their own selfish (and unnecessary) wants are narcissistic and fucking gross.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2023
Another story where an intriguing premise went nowhere; plus I cannot forgive the protagonist for something that she forgave someone else for, which soured the whole thing.
February 6, 2024
Needed more
I love this short story but I felt like I got plucked down into a longer tale and I just wanted to know more and read more. It hit me in a weird kind of way and I just had more questions and answers which left me feeling g dissatisfied when I got to the end.
I love this short story but I felt like I got plucked down into a longer tale and I just wanted to know more and read more. It hit me in a weird kind of way and I just had more questions and answers which left me feeling g dissatisfied when I got to the end.
November 3, 2023
This is the fifth instalment in The Far Reaches short story series.
Tornado Onwubiko is one of seven people on Earth paired with sentient ships to explore and research the cosmos for twenty million euros. This premise was, for me, one of the most intriguing of all six titles in this short story series but, unfortunately, I found the story dry and boring. There was nothing unsettling when the tone did not alter throughout and, despite loving this author, did not find much to appreciate or take away from this tale.
Tornado Onwubiko is one of seven people on Earth paired with sentient ships to explore and research the cosmos for twenty million euros. This premise was, for me, one of the most intriguing of all six titles in this short story series but, unfortunately, I found the story dry and boring. There was nothing unsettling when the tone did not alter throughout and, despite loving this author, did not find much to appreciate or take away from this tale.
July 10, 2023
Fantasy
Not really sci fi as there's no science. None of it makes sense. Pure fantasy. A bunch of regular individuals get shot into space with their own gravity under some unknown form of propulsion in questionable ships. Also, lacking any space flight procedures or knowledge. And coconut crabs are extremely violent and will kill you. Every paragraph just made me shake my head more. Waste of time.
Not really sci fi as there's no science. None of it makes sense. Pure fantasy. A bunch of regular individuals get shot into space with their own gravity under some unknown form of propulsion in questionable ships. Also, lacking any space flight procedures or knowledge. And coconut crabs are extremely violent and will kill you. Every paragraph just made me shake my head more. Waste of time.
August 16, 2023
Utterly uninspiring. As a friend put it, she develops this complex and very cumbersome but interesting technology and uses it to... tell a boring non-story about characters that might be interesting if we got to know them better but that we don't really get to know all that well. It's all over before you know it anyway. What a waste of potential!
April 4, 2024
Fortunately this only took me about an hour.
Unfortunately, I'll never get that hour back.
Unfortunately, I'll never get that hour back.
August 10, 2023
Mixed feelings about this one. The setting is intriguing but I wanted more explanation of why it exists - the seven travelers are chosen because their DNA matches the living ships (I think), and each will have their own ship and travel around the solar system for ten years, alone except for a brief in-person meeting of the seven at the halfway point, and they'll get paid $20 million if they make it all the way through the ten years. Who's funding all this, and why? I don't know. The characters are interesting; our main character is a woman from Nigeria nicknamed Tornado for reasons she doesn't want to explain, and each person has uniquely designed their ship, with companion animals and landscaping. The descriptions are beautiful and vivid. The action mainly centers around that week when they're all together at the 5-year point. It was hard for me to hold the seven different characters & their ships in my head and keep them straight, which got in the way of having the appropriate emotional response to some of the events.
I listened to the story, then went back and read it. It's worth a listen for the beautiful soft Nigerian voice of the main character. This was the fifth story I read from the collection.
I listened to the story, then went back and read it. It's worth a listen for the beautiful soft Nigerian voice of the main character. This was the fifth story I read from the collection.
August 21, 2023
I literally don't understand the purpose of this novelette. As far as I can tell it's about going to just out of Jupiter's reach and returning to Earth. If it was more than that, then its practical purpose has eluded me. The majority of the story is them meeting up in their biological ships for a week together, which was fine, but the question of "why?" overwhelmed me. If this is an allegory then I don't understand it all. Maybe it has a lot to say, but if it does I'm hard of hearing at the least.
July 13, 2023
This is a sloppy mess. The 'science' is just made up and the premise is risible. The prose reminds me of the kind of writing my students turned out when asked to write a science fiction story. Nothing rings true. I guess there's a market for this kind of thing but I ain't in it.
July 20, 2023
Best story in the series thus far!!!!
Wow! Just seriously Wow! The author packed more emotion and incredible characters in this short story than you would normally get in a full length novel. Absolute perfection!
Wow! Just seriously Wow! The author packed more emotion and incredible characters in this short story than you would normally get in a full length novel. Absolute perfection!
September 4, 2023
Okay story until the author's political beliefs were shoved down the reader's throat, especially when it had no relevance to the story.
April 8, 2024
I have issues with Tornado , but other than that I really liked this short story. I loved Chi (and the other ships) and would have loved more about how Tornado and Chi were linked.
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