Light from Uncommon Stars

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki was the 152nd official Sword and Laser Book Club selection.

Reading Period: January 1, 2022 to January 31, 2022

How/Why was this book chosen: "The January book pick is one I heard about so many places I just had to get us to read it. Most recently it was a recommendation on the Reading Glasses podcast but I've also seen it on several end of year lists." - Tom Merritt (Patreon)

Goodreads Group Discussion of Light from Uncommon Stars

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in this defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.

When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate.

But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.

As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.