3-3.5 stars
This was such an interesting ride! This follows Diana Roark, 30 years after first contact with an alien race that left behind mysterious obelisks that generated whatever you could want and stopped humans from aging for everyone except for Diana, who was on a science mission at the bottom of the ocean when contact was made. Now, as an aging and ill 60-year-old and the richest person on the planet full of humans that no longer need anything, she's ready to call it quits and go on a vacation. But just as she is ready to leave her millions behind she learns of two things: a plot to destroy the obelisks and bring back capitalism to humanity, and something more nefarious about the aliens that brought them to Earth in the first place.
This was a fun read and definitely different from other science fiction that I've read. I thought the world-building was excellent and there was some interesting setup and backstory that I'm assuming (and hoping) will be explored in the sequel, I would love to see more of Robert, I thought he was great and provided good comedic relief.
I rated this 3-3.5 because sometimes it felt a bit repetitive in the story, and the dialogue gets a bit circular like the same questions are being asked with the same answers so the story stalls, especially when Diana first meets Jianguo and Landerson, they just keep repeating over and over instead of giving any new information. The pacing at times was also a bit erratic and at times it was a bit of an info dump (literally at one point but Robert made it better). There was some other things I would have liked explored more but I'll wait for the sequel!

Great quirky read. I found the premise really interesting. Aliens come and “gift” Earth with obelisks that give everyone perfect health and all the food they want. What if you were the only one who didn’t get augmented and therefore are the only one who gets sick and ages? What happens to your friendships? And what do you do when the aliens return and you realise they are more like Ferengis than Vulcans? (Okay, different universe but you get my drift)
This story skims the surface of many deep subjects like love and loss, parents, friends and lovers. But it’s also a crash course in cryptocurrency and high finance. Robert has quite the potty mouth. It does express his exasperation perfectly but definitely not my preference. The author had lots of room to be inventive with Alien swear words that would be inoffensive to his human audience.
Entertaining, lots of new aliens. Thanks NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommend but with a language warning.

This is quite good and has a lot of potential of finding an audience. It ticks a lot of boxes for entertaining scifi, and I look forward to Hinker's future work!

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

Thank you netgalley for this arc!

Remember Artemis by Andy Weir? Was I the only one who got those vibes? This is a rich and complex sci fi world with an easy to like female main character. Though I felt some things here were a little too much, some passages were too info dumpy, I will recommend this to anyone who wants a space opera-esque read

The author, Kevin Hincker, has done a fantastic job of creating a unique and engaging concept that is both humorous and entertaining. The first half of the book is lighthearted and sets the stage for the later, more intense action. Hincker's writing is effective in creating a sense of urgency and tension, making it difficult to put the book down. The characters are well-developed, and it's refreshing to see an older woman as the protagonist.

The cover art is eye-catching, and the book lives up to the hype. I really liked the villains, they scared me, and the emotional pull of secondary characters is effective, even if at times, it feels too overt. The decision made by the main character towards the end of the book leaves some questions unanswered, but overall, this is an excellent read for anyone who enjoys sci-fi, action, and a bit of humor.

Hard to put down and endlessly enjoyable! The only problem I had was with the economic technobabble, which would have been worse if I wasn’t a lawyer. The technobabble still made my eyes cross in places, so while I’m dying for the next book, I recommend the author needs to dumb it down more than he has.

Thank you to Kevin Hincker for the eARC of A Debt to the Stars in exchange for my honest review!

Well this cover is absolutely to die for right? Seriously, it is so gorgeous! I feel like this is my favorite part of the book unfortunately. I think I wasn’t the right market for this and that’s my own issue. The ideas were fascinating but didn’t work for me!

I felt a little lost as the humor at times, it was off in some places which made the pacing feel stunted. I have a degree in Social Studies so I am familiar with economics and this almost felt like reading a textbook with more zany characters.

I feel that people who really adore sci-fi will really enjoy this, even if I didn’t!

I was at loose ends and looking at books to read when I stumbled on A Debt to the Stars. The cover caught my eye and then other reviews.

I am not normally one for humorous SF. I read and laughed at the first Hitchhiker's book but never finished the second. Several reviews compared this novel to Hitchhiker's and I decided to read it despite, not because of, that.

I read it in one sitting finishing it in the early hours of the morning.

So I evidently liked it a lot.

The writing is more than competent. The villains genuinely frightening (both the human and alien villains). The main character is not particularly likeable but is interesting in many ways both emotional and physical.

The reasons I award four, instead of five, stars are two. The first was some effective, emotional string pulling regarding secondary characters - but the strings were too prominent. The second was a decision the main character made near the end that still makes no sense to me. If I ever meet the author I will ask about it. I am prepared to believe I just missed a good explanation since I was reading in the early AM at that point. But thinking of it now I still can't come up with one.

In the last days of her life battling age and sickness, Diane Roark has the troubles of all Earth on her shoulders. In his latest novel, author Kevin Hinker creates an odd situation for this likeable, tenacious protagonist to overcome. Diane is several miles underwater when an alien group arrives on Earth and changes all humans except her into self sufficient, almost invincible beings. A Debt To The Stars is a tale of Diane using the means available to her to find out why this happened and how to recover from it. I enjoyed the premise of this novel, having all human beings’ health issues go away with the “augmentation” by the aliens. While it sounds like an answer to so many of the world’s troubles, the story rightly asks all new questions created by the change. If the human body is perfect for everyone and no one dies, how do we deal with the population growth? With no motivation to work on our health, longevity is a given and many professions are gone. The first third of the book has an exciting, page turner of a set up with great world building and imaginative details. Yet later on, Hinker goes too far with a mix of business theory and several pages of explanation on why the aliens are a problem to our planet. This section of the novel is way too long and could have been simplified to avoid fatigue in reading it. A portion of the tale set up a bit of satire that I thought was going political, but it was dropped and not mentioned further. In addition, the author introduces an alien who helps Diane on her quest and gives some comedic relief. However this sometimes lovable character swears so crudely and repeatedly that I couldn’t help but get irritated. Three f words in a sentence is just not normal conversation. With a protagonist that doesn’t give up and a creative premise, this science fiction work had a lot of positives but some of the features lowered the enjoyment of it for me. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars! First off, the cover of this story was stunning. It set the tone for an exciting science fiction book. I really liked this book. It was so unique and Diana and Robert become some of the cutest and funniest characters I’ve read in a long time. I loved the humor in this story and cackled out loud several times. I’m not sure if I’d read this as a series, but enjoyed it as a change of pace from my normal read.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

The grandchild of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, not focusing on OuterSpace bureaucracy, but the economy. When I started I was afraid this was going to be a downer, there was a very classic feel to the book, a little like societal warnings like 1984 or Barjavel's work... but I was wrong, very wrong when the book did quite a turn around at about the 40% mark.
I sincerely didn't expect to be entertained with blockchain SciFi, but this was good, very good, even if the humour was a little heavy in some places. I loved the strong friendships, the drive, the fast pace. Written like a thriller with massive stakes, this is a quick read which ends up asking interesting questions about capitalism, with a smile.

Starting out with this story, I was worried I’d be overwhelmed by financial/economic/capitalist terms and ideas. That actually didn’t happen thank goodness, and I loved this fun and original sci-fi adventure! Most things were explained, easily looked up, or I could just skim over if they were too abstract.

Initially captivated by the stunning cover art, I wanted to learn more about Diana and how she supposedly saved Earth (more than once). She was such a fascinating character, and even though she was elderly and sickly, she had so much soul and sassiness. She felt she was broken, but I really admired her drive and ambition.

The excerpts from the Book of Ω64 were something I skipped over, I get now their purpose and who was writing them, but they transcend my meaner non-economical mind.

Roger had me actually cackling out loud! He was definitely my second favourite entity in the story. I would love to see more of him in any future entries into the series.

“I don’t need a best friend.”
“Bullshit. Everybody needs a best friend.” “My best friends always die.”
“That’s totally a left turn, but I’m really sorry, that’s…”
“I killed one of them myself.”

His rapport with Diana was definitely a highlight for me & his pod shrouds were adorable.

I can honestly say this book really got it’s hooks into me from the get go and the world building, aliens, alien tech, army of economists, the plot (basically everything) kept me on the line.

Thank you so much to the author & NetGalley for a copy!

The book has a extremely unique premise, 27 mysterious Alien vessels bestow everlasting life on humanity but not for Diana who is deep sea diving when the aliens visit. She is the only human on the planet who still ages and whose body is susceptible to disease and injury. These new and improved humans have no need for money and the economy has flat lined so what is Diana to do with her billions of dollars? When the aliens return after 30 years looking to be repaid for their gifts, Diana might be the only one who can save humanity but there are a few obstacles in her way.

Entertaining read, unlike anything I'd read before, however the intergalactic economy can be confusing at time, nonetheless a very engrossing read,

Loved the characters, hated the themes.

The highlight of this book was its memorable characters. Diana's a tired old lady and it is Hilarious to watch her be juxtaposed with "Robert" the purple jello-broccoli alien. I was not expecting a swears-up-a-storm character to be appealing to me, but Robert makes it work.

My favourite part of the book is definitely the <spoiler>scenes with Robert's shrouds. They were adorable and their utter love for Diana was so sweet.</spoiler>

The thing that drags this whole book down for me is it's about the block-chain and capitalism. <spoiler>Apparently, capitalism controls the entire known universe and it's in the form of a block-chain.</spoiler> I'm very personally against the ethics of both concepts so having them be treated as natural was just... ugh.

The only way I'd read a sequel to this is if it's nothing but Diana chilling on a much-deserved Actual vacation and spending time with her best friend forever Robert and her adopted niblings.

disclosure: I read an advanced reader copy of this book.

A longer review to come, but for now, I'll mention things that worked out for me and things that didn't fully work out for me.

Good stuff:
- great premise
- fleshed-out characters that grow on you
- intriguing ideas and clever take on the intergalactic economy

Stuff I didn't fully vibe with:

- a sense of humor: sometimes it was spot-on, sometimes too zany
- the beginning was slightly confusing

In all, though, it's an enjoyable book worth a shot.

A Debt to the Stars, by Kevin Hincker

Funny! Fast-moving! Strong and confident female protagonist starts with an ocean-trench submarine dive, and then takes us for a romp through alien invaders and economics theory.

This story started as an adventure with lots of potential, so I buckled up to enjoy the ride. The pace is fast, without lingering for much character development, but this matches the tongue-in-cheek humour and unexpected plot twists. Full of delightfully preposterous scenarios from this author's unconventional imagination. For example, if you suddenly find yourself inside a swiftly-moving alien organism, are you being protected, transported or digested? This author's style reminds me of vintage SF author Harry Harrison, another fast and funny writer.

the cover was what drew me in and I'm so glad I got to read this. It was a great concept for a scifi element and worked well with the description. The characters did everything that I was looking for and I enjoyed getting to meet them. Kevin Hincker does a great job in telling the story and creating a unique concept.

"She remembered limping off the grounds as the stars appeared, down a stone staircase gritty and bowled from centuries of traffic and through a pale gate in a low stucco wall. Then the two of them had followed a road, straight as a ruled line, toward the PopuPod border in the distance, at every step being erased from the mesh."

Diana Roark, CEO of Roark Pharmaceuticals, wasn't supposed to be part of her company's bioprospecting crew, but a last minute complication prompts Diana to step in and pilot the submarine herself rather than scrub the entire mission. While she's miles below sea, alien ships invade earth to Augment humanity with technology that leaves them impervious to pain and aging, and provides all basic needs for free. Diana surfaces to a world where she alone has escaped Augmentation. When the aliens return to Earth thirty years later, an aging Diana uncovers a conspiracy that could destroy the planet - and only she can stop it.

Fast paced with a scrappy protagonist, there is a ton of action packed into this novel. It's refreshing to see an older woman as the protagonist. The first half of the book has some humor to it, but the fun really ramps up when the aliens come into the picture - I definitely get a Douglas Adams vibe! I wish the return of the aliens had happened a little sooner in the book, because that was what really hooked me, but overall I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I was unable to continue this book much past 10%. The premise sounded great — an unscathed escape from a first contact that augments the entire human race! And a female protagonist! The events unfold quickly and the writing goes down smooth, but I found myself wishing for more exposition on the characters introduced in the beginning, or at least enough for me to feel sympathy for them when a childhood memory is revealed or feel like I can follow their thought process as to why they’d ignore a first contact alien encounter to continue on a loosely defined mission to the depths of the sea. I wanted to be dragged into the book but by the end of the first chapter but I just felt underwhelmed.