Digging in the Stars

LOCAL MANHATTAN AUTHOR

This fun sci-fi book combines archaeology, mystery, and adventure with just a smidge of romance. The story follows Carter, an intergalactic archaeology student, with her classmates and their strict professor. When her terminally-ill best friend, Conrad, mysteriously disappears on the planet Thror, Carter misdirects the expedition to try to save him before it’s too late. This quickly evolves into a quest to live up to her 1920s namesake and make the archaeological discovery of a lifetime–one that the indigenous furry giants are determined they do not find. Despite taking its time to get going, the plot is full of surprises (some of which even I didn’t see coming!). Personally, I found the secondary characters to be interchangeable and somewhat two-dimensional, and I feel that the side plots were underdeveloped. I would warn any potential male readers that there are essentially no male leads so that they don’t get caught out by that, but it is still a good read. Aside from that, I would recommend it to fans of sci-fi or archaeology.