All the Stars Are Suns by Seaby Brown

As some may already know, I am partial to indie authors. I admire their tenacity, among other things. Therefore, I am always delighted to read a book by an indie author that captivates me from the beginning.  That is exactly what happened to me with All the Stars Are Suns by Seaby Brown.

The story opens with the attempted rape of a young woman named Quan Yin, who unbeknownst to the perpetrators, is actually an optoelectronic analogue of a real human brain and uses an avatar to interact with humans. Quan Yin has been the brain child and life’s work of Dr. M ‘Beke and a well-kept secret up to now.

Since Quan is an exact “copy” of a human brain she has emotions, desires and all the things that make people… well people. In other words, she is a sentient being. Dr. M’Beke has made her this way so that she and others like her can pilot seed ships that will spread humankind throughout the galaxy. Humans would not be able to make the long space voyages necessary to reach far flung plants that are suitable for life and robots cannot raise children once a seed ship arrives at a planet to be colonized. Therefore, Quan is the perfect solution.

Yet her existence stirs controversy among various factions on Earth. For example, the Dominionists, a religious terrorists faction, believes mankind should never leave Earth. They have always been plotting to sabotage the colonies on the Moon and the latest on Mars. Once they find out about Quan’s existence, and the plans for her, they will stop at nothing to stop them.

The plot was imaginative and though set in the 23^rd century it was highly probable. I love science fiction anyway, but when the science behind the story is plausible, as here, it makes for a better story. The author, who is a technical person, uses her knowledge to the best advantage in this story.

Brown has taken some of the hot button topics of today and entwined them nicely into the plot. In addition, she has addressed issues that will be a problem to future generations, like what to do when automation has replaced a majority of the jobs. I like how she envisioned the different factions and beliefs that will arise in the future and issues relating to things like human worth, what makes a being sentient, etc.

The only negative comment I have is the book needed further editing. I am not the grammar queen by any means and I found numerous errors. On the flip side of the coin, I know “good” copy editors are not a dime a dozen and the cost prevents most indie authors from utilizing their skills. Therefore, I am allowing some leeway here and giving it a full five stars because the story is really good. Others might wish to knock it down to 4 or 4.5. You read and decide for yourself.

I recommend All the Stars Are Suns to all fans of science fiction; but, especially to those who enjoy stories that are based on actual science instead of speculative science. Lastly, I think this book would be a great one for a book club or discussion group, because it does touch on so many social issues of today and what could very well be revelative in the future.

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.