A.M. Leibowitz just gave me a fantastic review for “The Stark Divide”. I am over the moon!
I’ve read a number of books by the author, and I’ve enjoyed them. This one blows them all away. It is a phenomenal piece of writing that had my undivided attention from the first page.
“a phenomenal piece of writing that had my undivided attention from the first page.”
There is so much in here that hits all my personal hot spots: World-building that slowly unfolds without a ton of expository text; flawed but likable characters; both subtle and overt references to favorite speculative fiction; action that’s low on both sex and violence; social themes; and a what-will-happen-next plot.
This is not a romance by any stretch, but the relationships among the various people are important. I loved the friendship aspects and the way people in this world are allowed to simply be who they are without question, despite the horrific and tragic circumstances of the story. In fact, those parts seem so mundane as to be of little importance to the plot. It’s refreshing to see LGBT+ people simply existing rather than being the driving force of the novel.
I absolutely love the world the author has created. The ship-mind, and later the station-mind and the world-mind, are fascinating. I can’t wait to see how that’s explored more fully in future books. I’m particularly interested in the world-mind and some aspects of it that have (for me, at least) metaphoric significance. Saying more would be spoilers, but it is so completely fascinating to me, and I want to know more.
Buy Links – get a copy today!
DSP Publications (paperback): https://www.dsppublications.com/books/the-stark-divide-by-j-scott-coatsworth-416-b
DSP Publications (eBook): https://www.dsppublications.com/books/the-stark-divide-by-j-scott-coatsworth-415-b
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-stark-divide-j-scott-coatsworth/1126901106?ean=9781635338324
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-stark-divide
iBooks: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-stark-divide/id1266474103?mt=11&at=1l3vtqV
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35834187-the-stark-divide
QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/book/the-stark-divide/