Les Miserables—in space!
If you and I have talked within the last few weeks, then you’ve heard me rave about my favorite book of the year: Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell.
Admittedly, I was a little hesitant to read the book once I learned it was a reimagining of Les Mis, set in space. I’ve been burned too many times by small-minded remakes and lackluster reboots. (I’ll be the first to admit I’m a snob—but I’m an honest one!) My worry was that the authors would basically replace all the character and location names with something spacey, and call it good. Thank Heaven this was a true reimagining that stands on its own, while also offering generous allusions to the original characters and story.
The story is packed with plenty of intrigue and action, and even my familiarity with the characters and events of Victor Hugo’s original novel (which I finally read in 2016) kept me on my toes, wondering who the Sky Without Stars counterparts were portraying and would what happen next.
The book reads quickly (feeling more like 350 pages, rather than just shy of 600), and the way the authors slowly unravel the world and characters is nothing less than thrilling.
I won’t spoil anything here, but I will say that there was a particular scene from Les Mis that I kept hoping would make its way into Sky Without Stars, though I wasn’t sure how it would fit into the unique world that Brody and Rendell had created. But it happened. The moment came and it was wonderful.
I do not recommend you read this book—I demand it!
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