Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis: Review by Colleen Mondor
Full Speed to a Crash Landing, Beth Revis (DAW 978-0-756-41946-2, $23.00, tp, 192pp) August 2024.
Beth Revis gives readers an action-packed science fiction adventure in her latest novella, Full Speed to a Crash Landing. Opening with a literal bang, she introduces space salvor Ada Lamarr, who is clinging to life in her space suit after an accident onboard her ship blew a hole in its side and forced her to evacuate. After being rescued by a ship staffed by a government crew, she makes friends (while enjoying a lot of really good food and sweet, sweet oxygen), and agrees to help them recover an important piece of equipment from the crash site. The entire time however, Ada is working her own angle, plotting future moves, and trying to resist the friendly overtures of the crew because she isn’t really their friend and it makes the whole ‘‘abusing their trust’’ thing really tough. What she was doing before they arrived, and who she is working for, remains a mystery until the final pages. (And with a cliffhanger ending, not all questions are answered.) The delight here is in seeing Ada spar with Rian White, the government agent in charge who is suspicious of her motives but really likes her moves. Is she just playing him in order to help some really bad folks? Does she care what he thinks of her? And what is she planning with that piece of equipment?
At less than 200 pages, Full Speed to a Crash Landing zips along from one emergency to the next with Ada always trying to stay a step ahead of the very canny Rian. Revis gives plenty of technical details on all three ships, and the volcanic planet where the wreck is located, while the mystery of what brought that ship down (and what became of its crew) slowly unspools. Is Ada a hero or a villain? Is Rian a hero or a villain? Who is behind everything and what will happen next? Stay tuned for further hijinks (and another kiss or two) in the sequel, How to Steal a Galaxy, due out in early December. If you like your science fiction light and breezy, Revis has got you covered. More, please of Ada’s adventures, much much more!
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This review and more like it in the October 2024 issue of Locus.
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