SFRB Recommends #54: Faring Soul by Tracy Cooper-Posey #scifi #romance #sfrom

Rumors emerge that Catherine Shahrazad, possibly the oldest person in the galaxy, has returned from the fringes and has been seen in Federation space. Wherever she goes, her name and her history cause civil unrest, riots and worse. The Federation Board doesn’t want her there.  Neither do the leaders of Cadfael College, the educators and moralists of the galaxy. No one pays any attention to the reticent navigator called Bedivere X, who pilots her ship better than she does.
The truth about Bedivere threatens the entire Federation.
His feelings for Cat might just save everyone.


"Je pense, donc je suis." -René Descartes
 
One of my favorite aspects of science fiction is the questions it makes us ask about ourselves and society. Faring Soul intertwines questions with the romance. What does it mean to love another, and what does that do for our identities? Is love what makes families, societies, religions? I enjoy when a book makes me think about these possibilities and how their underlying principles may apply to us today.

Cooper-Posey explores love and consciousness (not to mention aging, parenting, and bigotry) with enigmatic and interesting characters: they are questing for answers as much as I am. Their questions are different because they have been shaped by societies very different from my own. Catherine's mission during the story may seem like a small favor against a big backdrop, but its repercussions will send ripples through states, churches, and corporations across the universe.

Catherine and Bedivere get a Happy For Now, as Faring Soul is first in a series called Interspace Origins. Their story will be continued in Varkan's Rise and Cat and Company.

Author site: Tracy Cooper-Posey

Recommendation by Lee Koven.