Sky without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell

Abstract

Reviewed by: Sky without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell Natalie Berglind Brody, Jessica Sky without Stars; by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell. Simon Pulse, 2019 [592p] (System Divine) Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-5344-1063-3 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-5344-1065-7 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 9-12 In this sci-fi realization of Les Misérables, the bleak, French-inspired planet of Laterre employs a caste system where most inhabitants live in squalor. Eighteen-year-old Chatine, the daughter of a gang leader and conman, belongs to the bottom caste; eighteen-year-old Officer Marcellus Bonnefaçon is born into the Second Estate in a life of luxury; and sixteen-year-old Alouette resides underground in the Refuge of the Sisterhood, which is supposedly designed to preserve written history in a society where nobody can read (but is actually a revolutionary base). A long-quashed revolution resurges after the toddler daughter of the king is murdered; the perspectives alternate among the aforementioned protagonists, whose worlds collide and ultimately unveil to them the ugly truths about their corrupt society. It’s an entertaining premise, but regrettably, the sci-fi setting adds little to the Les Mis story and vice versa; the world-building is uninventive, while the underwhelming plot is prone to cheap, emotion-seeking gimmicks (Chatine condescends about her sister’s shallowness until they have one sentimental moment together, and her sister is crudely killed off immediately after). Fans of Les Mis may nonetheless enjoy the many parallels to the original work and movie adaptations, from a prisoner 24601 character to the classic, doomed love triangle between the three main characters. [End Page 247] Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois