Reader's Review: "Sideris Gate" by Cheri Lasota

Synopsis from Amazon:

In near-future 2094, Earth is on the brink of nuclear winter. A secret evacuation is already underway, and Solomon Reach and his crew have guaranteed passage on the last ship to leave for colonization and exploration of a new planet in the Andromeda galaxy. When Solomon learns of a betrayal that will have catastrophic consequences, he is faced with an impossible choice: who will live and who will die?

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My Review:

This book read like an Asimov novel—which, if you know how much I enjoy Asimov’s work, should come as high praise indeed!

The premise is simple: Earth is dying and most of humanity has relocated to a space station orbiting the planet, but even that is running out of room and resources. There is a shuttle intended to transport a bunch of people to the region of a few moons intended to set up a new colony to expand and terraform… but Solomon Reach, one of the chief designers and builders of the shuttle, learns that there is a plan to replace the hundreds of builders and engineers like him who dedicated their work to building the place with the promise that they would be guaranteed space on the ship—with another population of administrative and executives who believe they have more compelling reasons to leave instead, and the financial backing to buy their precedence. Solomon and his closest team members concoct a plan to prevent the overreach and ensure that all those promised a place on the ship have them. It's a deadly and desperate race for survival, and there's no telling who Solomon and his crew can trust!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The world-building is masterful and meticulous (although I did begin to wonder at the author's prolific use of the word fenestella) and the characters are vivid enough to be compelling from the moment they're introduced. Once the slow and gradual build-up started to pay off, about the halfway mark, I found myself unable to stop reading, and I swiped through those pages with my eyes glued to the ebook screen, many a night reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open. The plan Solomon Reach enacts to get his crew and the other workers off-world without letting the executives kick them off was ornate, with lots of moving pieces and very little communication available between the group members. At one point there's even a space-walk and the risk of characters ending up free-floating in space had me holding my breath as I read feverishly!

All things considered, I'd say Sideris Gate earns itself a *****5 STAR***** rating. Lasota does a ripping sci-fi just as well as she does historical fantasy! This book is perfect for fans of Isaac Asimov and The Expanse. A rousing good time!

Further Reading: (Also By The Author(*)/Space-Based/Dystopian/Stellar World-Building)

-Immortal Codex: Petra--Cheri Lasota* 

-Countless As The Stars--Steve Trower 
-The Secret King: Letháo--Dawn Chapman 
-The Arena--Santana Young 
-Excelsior--George Sirois 

Starstruck Saga--S. E. Anderson

       -Starstruck 

       -Alienation 

The Children of Dreki--N. R. Tupper
       -TYR 

The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard
        -Someday I'll Be Redeemed 
        -I Still Have A Soul 
        -I'm Still Alive 
        -Do You Trust Me?
        -You Left Me No Choice 
        -They Must Be Stopped 
        -Find Me If You Can 
        -You're Not Alone 

The Cadeau Series--Connie Olvera
       -Who Can You Trust?

-Abiding Flame--Pauline Creeden

The Untamed Series--Madeline Dyer
       -Untamed 
       -Fragmented 

-Anamatus--Derrick Tribble