Published on Tales to Tide You Over

The description of Persephone Station intrigued me from the start. I enjoyed both television shows listed as comparable, while the line between space opera and military science fiction is a favorite of mine. It’s strange how something that falls tightly into so many tropes can be of them and something else entirely. In this case, though, the odd fit is just about perfect.

The story blends sociological science fiction and engaging combat scenes where strategies succeed or fail based on how well the defenders guess the planned attacks. It’s feminist in a focus on consent and choice. There are non-binary characters, gay couples, and a broader spectrum of possibilities than found in tradition space opera.

I think Rosie, one of the many leading characters, sums up an underlying theme well. They point out how humans are the aliens on this planet rather than those who were there before human colonization, the word itself incorrect. The Emissaries have a problematic history even before humans set down roots. I found them fascinating both in their past and how they accommodate humans so they can remain hidden.

The description, both in content and skill, enthralled me. At points, I laughed aloud while others brought me to tears. This is neither a romp nor a tragedy, but has elements of both. Life is complicated, and the right choices don’t necessarily mean health, happiness, or even survival. It’s how you stay true to yourself that matters. At least, that’s how I read the various choices made by those I sided with.

The narrative is twisted enough for me to experience momentary doubts about some of the other characters. Angel and her team are my main characters (there are enough to choose from), and so they set the bar for the rest. I didn’t always see the bigger picture, in part because of this choice, but I always had an opinion as to how I wanted things to go. The narrative is complex enough I had concerns about the rest of those I considered good guys, making for a few tense moments, or maybe more than a few.

I read my notes once I finished, and my engagement is clear. I’m hoping the characters are playing a deep game rather than betraying my favorites. Then I am enjoying a complex conversation full of double-speak, even though I don’t trust one character as far as I can throw her. The story unfolds in the unspoken as much as the events we see. This makes it a little harder to read sometimes, but also more interesting.

The book starts at a run with a powerful scene that grounds us in the bigger situation, introduces the aliens, and gives us a villain if not the full details. It’s funny to say that because such an introduction would seem to eliminate the possibility of a complex narrative. And yet, there’s much more going on, and the reasons behind what we learn aren’t exactly what they appear to be.

I’m talking around the book because even the smallest reveal offers too much detail outside of context. What I can tell you is the characters are full fleshed. You will care about them and their concerns. The story has both philosophical passages, and detailed action scenes with neat tech and team bonding. It is a fun read on many levels.

The world is a fascinating mix between the Wild West and an almost religious philosophy. The people are equally complex, coming into this moment with histories, secrets, and connections that offer strength and weakness both. I was thoroughly engaged to the point that my notes start listing things I enjoyed and then taper off into nothing as I couldn’t step back enough to comment.

This isn’t a book for everyone. I had a little trouble following Rosie’s point of view at first because of their choice of pronouns, and the feminist philosophies are very dominant at times. The human cast is almost all female as well, which might throw some readers. If, however, you embrace the book’s reality, Persephone Station offers an energetic, fast-paced story that asks you to examine your own beliefs about personhood and limits. You’re asked to choose a side in a conflict where emotions run deep and the risks are real.

P.S. I received this Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Persephone Station is an action/adventure sci-fi tale, with enough political intrigue thrown in to lead the story down multiple paths and keep the plot interesting. Angel leads her crew of mercenaries from job to job, and everything is okay until they are accused of a murder they did not commit.

While I found the story enjoyable, I kept looking for the small bits of information that contributed scifi elements, which author Stina Leicht obligingly inserted throughout. When it came to the characters, Kennedy Liu was my favorite. Kennedy is leading a secret life as an artificial intelligence trying to pass as human. She has other secrets, ones that I found unique to the genre. Angel’s crew all have their own specialties and their personalities are distinct.

There was only one aspect that became an issue, and that was having a non-binary person (Rosie) as a supporting character who preferred the pronouns they/them. Unfortunately, jumping from a group of characters to Rosie and using the pronouns for both in the same scene (sometimes one sentence after another) without some sort of notice interrupted the story, requiring the reader to stop and determine who is being referenced. This character’s gender was not crucial to the story and if the author felt the need for this character to be non-binary, I have read other authors who have handled this same challenge without disrupting the reader.

Overall, this is a well-written story contains many inventive sci-fi elements. Readers will find the characters interesting and their interactions keep the book progressing at a good pace. Four stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love sci fi and especially love Sci fi populated with Bad ass women. This book has been described as a space opera, and that it is. Persephone Station is one part Moss Eisley’s Cantina and one part Blade Runner compete with cyborg enhancements. Dark gritty and full of characters with murderous intent. So many characters - most of the female, most non-white, but I had a hard time keeping them straight. There are also two different plot lines running though the story to make things even more confusing. I had a hard following who was talking and had to keep flipping back to see who wha who. One plot involves rights of indigenous people and their fight for self determination against a massive mining company (a la Pandora) and the other is around the rights of AI. Both are interesting concepts but just too much for one book- would rather it be split into two stories.
That said, book is well written and populated with really intriguing characters, so even though I didn’t enjoy it much -I think some readers will love it.

No one cares about Persephone Station. Only one part of the vast planet is hospitable to human life -- barely. Outside the protective walls of the city run by Serrao-Orlov Corporation is a world filled with poison, horrible creatures, and a secret that Serrao-Orlov will go to the ends of the galaxy to keep.

With characters like that truly come to life off the page and have you cheering for them (and hating them), Persephone Station is a sci-fi read you can't miss in 2021. From Angel -- ex-marine and current mercenary -- to Rosie -- bar owner and local crime boss -- to Kennedy -- a woman with her own secret to keep, you won't want to stop reading even after the last page.

It's Six of Crows meets Mando meets space Pocahontas. If that's not enough to get you headed to your local bookstore to order Persephone Station, IDK what will. That said, Persephone Station is a sci-fi read. While I think it's perfect for people new to the genre, some of the tech and history gets confusing.. However, it doesn't take away from the great world building and the very real story of protecting indigenous people and cultures; and doing the right thing.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

This took awhile to get the structure straight for me. Too many crime gangs, unfamiliar species, too much history among the players, it was overwhelming. Once I had everything in place, I loved this book. Great characters, interesting story, so much fun. I'm so hoping that this will continue. Can't wait to read more.

What a great concept! Wonderfully established empowered female and GNC lgbtqia characters with great backstory. I enjoy a well balanced SF narrative that crafts the necessary and appropriate world-building atmosphere. This truly fits the definition of a gritty western space opera and I absolutely love it. The pace of the first half of the book is a slow owing to the amount of information presented and it is easy to get absorbed into each of the characters. I thought the plot was clever and it's a shame that this story isn't part of a longer series.

I believe fans of Halo, Borderlands, and Mass Effect would also find this book worth checking out – holding similarities to each game. The planet feels like reading about Pandora (Borderlands) except people are isolated to one city – Persephone Station is a hard, gritty planet that appears to not really appreciate humans being there. The AI in Persephone Station reminds me of both Cortana from Halo (self-awareness, AI built from a specific person, emotions) and the geth from Mass Effect (gained self-awareness, creators attempting to wipe them out, legion). I believe that if an Emissaries side of the story had been told side by side with the humans it would have made more sense and I would have felt more of a connection to the Emissaries. My two favorite characters were Beak (while lacking character building one of the most interesting) and Kennedy, who stole the show by learning how to be human.

The ending of Persephone Station felt slightly rushed when compared with the rest of the novel. The other space operas I have read seemed to struggle with the same thing – introducing entirely too many characters at once while simultaneously world-building a foreign planet and/or concept. Towards the end though I felt like one of the crew and I never thought I would nearly misty-eyed over an AI again (the award for the winner of that one is Cortana from Halo).

I could see the possibility for a series but that could potentially be difficult given how the book ended. If it does become a series I would definitely read the second book to see what happens to the characters of this book. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy science fiction, space operas, Halo, Borderlands, and, Mass Effect. A big thank you to Gallery/Saga Press, Stina Leicht, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of Persephone Station – all opinions are my own.

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht
Pub Date Jan 5, 2021

Brief Summary:
I am a sucker for a good space opera, and this one hits all the marks. If you love The Mandalorian, Cowboy Bebop, Mad Max, Skyward, or The Lunar Chronicles, this one is for you. The story follows Rosie, an ex-marine and the captain of the Kurosawa. It includes one of my new favorite tropes, the found family in the form of a ragtag crew of a ship. When a job goes awry, the crew is at the mercy of their often-employer Rosie (Owner of Monk's Bar in lawless West Brynner) to help them escape town. They find themselves in an even more dangerous and confusing situation, and you'll just have to read it to find out!

What I liked:
The cast of this book was easily my favorite part. I have lately been loving Space Operas because they have the best crews of people from all kinds of backgrounds and identities. The representation in this book felt diverse and intentional. There were so many bad ass women and also non-binary characters, and the AI and science/technology was unique and fascinating. Also Giant Bears. This may not be important to other people, but bears are very important to me!

One thing I didn't love:
Like any longer length science fiction novel, the beginning dragged a bit, and the info-dumb felt a bit lazy. In order to learn about our characters, another characters does some research into them, and therefore it feels a bit "tell" rather than "show,"

Final Thoughts:
Overall this was an incredibly enjoyable read. I loved the characters, and the plot and world building were imaginative, and beautiful. Four stars, I definitely will be picking up a copy for this one. If you enjoy this one, I highly recommend you also try out Crown Chasers, and To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars.

This female character driven science fiction novel has the potential to deliver an action packed adventure but fails to deliver. The characters hold a lot of promise, and I love that this is a book where women are center stage, but the pacing slowed in the middle of the story, and the payoff took too long to achieve.

I believe the fatal flaw of this story lied in how the villain was presented to the audience. We start with an introduction to Vissia, the villain of the story, and we're immediately drawn into this woman's vengeance. Then, she disappears from the pages. While the characters talk about her, and the threat of her reappearing is always present, we don't get to experience her on the page until far too late in the story, and by that time, a reader's attention might be lost

I thought this novel might be the first in a series, and perhaps that's why Vissia didn't have as big of a role as it seemed she deserved, but this is a stand alone novel. There was simply too much exposition and backstory when I hoped for action. The characters have a lot of internal dialogue which was distracting, and while the building of the story world was fascinating, there was simply too much of it. It took a bit too long to get to the motivation for the villain's nefarious actions. Sadly, this book simply didn't work for me.

This was a hard one for me to get into (too many cliche scenes early on - yes they're women and nonbinary people in what are usually men's roles but at first they sound and do the same as characters in so many other books - until the author introduced Kennedy Liu, an AI with emotions placed in a human body. They are one of the most interesting characters in the book, as they struggle to understand human slang and social interaction. The crew of mercenaries they work with become more interesting the deeper you go in the story, and the plot builds to a exciting and mostly smoothly done climax. So stay with this, you'll enjoy the ride.

"Persephone Station" by Stina Leicht is a female-powered SF adventure. A misfit band of mercenaries goes on a suicide mission to defend a colony of the indigenous population from the evil head of a the corporation controlling the planet.

This is a fairly strong debut, and Leicht has obviously benefitted from her support team. Although there are a few info dumps early on, they're handled well enough that they didn't detract from the story for me. Angel, Sukyi, Enid, and Lou do bad things for good reasons and are engaging antiheroines who will have you rooting for them as they take on relationships, terminal illness, evil overlords, and giant bears.

There are multiple queer characters, and given that this seems to be normal in their society, I was a bit confused about the emphasis the author put on describing the gender of everyone encountered, even minor throwaway characters like the corporate mercenaries. Still, it was great to see a wide representation of people, human and non-human.

The artificial intelligences in the book are maybe not quite as engaging as Angel and her team, but they are complex, and have formed relationships and bonds of their own. If there's a sequel to this, I hope Leicht explores not only the "Sisters," but Zhang, as well.

Recommended.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars.

I was pretty disappointed in this one. It had all the necessary elements (diverse LGBTQ cast, planet with aliens, AI, badass group of women), but they didn't seem to add up to much. We had a few different storylines to follow, but I only got invested in the fate of the Emissaries. The only other character who sparked any emotion in me was Rosie.

AI is one of my favorite scifi elements, but Kennedy had barely any interaction with the other characters, and I do think seeing the interaction between human and AI is probably usually the most interesting element of it. Also, I didn't think we explored the situation with her 'sisters' enough? I would understand if this was a series, but from what I see, it's a standalone.

Another element that was barely explored was this whole revivification thing? People are out here living after dying and all we seem to know about the process is that it is often used for combat. How does sickness play into this? Considering one of the characters we have, you would think this would be something explored.

The book really takes a long time to get going, but there's some good action in the second half, if that's your thing. This is just one I found it hard to connect to or get invested in.

“If you ever need a small army to defend helpless indigenous sentient life-forms in a hopeless battle, you know who to call.”

🚀 The planet of Persephone hasn’t been the most habitable for the humans who have found their way there, which leads to its citizens being a rough and tough bunch. So when a group of mercenaries on the run for a crime they didn’t commit end up teaming up with a local crime boss, an artificial intelligence, and the indigenous sentient species of the planet all hell breaks loose. As this group comes together everyone is forced to fight for their lives while they learn who they can and can’t trust.


Persephone Station delivers on being a queer sci-fi story which I’m always thrilled to read! There is soooo much queer rep in this book I’m not sure I managed to keep track of it all, and it was never questioned which is always a plus. The representation was probably my favorite part of the story. I found the specifics of the plot a little confusing, but the story overall was really interesting. I did feel that the large cast of characters made it a bit hard for me to connect with any of them individually, but as a team they were a lot of fun and heartwarming. Persephone Station gets three stars from me, and if queer sci-fi is your jam be sure to check this one out when it’s released on January 5th. 🚀

A scrappy band of mercenaries fights an evil corporation on an alien world. All of the main characters are either women or non-binary! Lots of POC and LGBTQ representation! Look no further for your next space adventure.

Persephone Station tells the story of a group of mercs hired by a bar owner/benevolent crime lord to fight an exploitative and genocidal corporation. I've heard this described as a space opera, but I am hesitant to agree, as the story takes place on one planet and is fairly straightforward (in my mind, space operas involve dozen of characters and multiple, loosely-related plot lines taking place on more than one world). While this book does introduce a variety of characters and a subplot about a sentient AI, the world itself feels small and contained (not a bad thing at all, as true space operas can get a bit overwhelming).

In my opinion, the representation in this book is fantastic. The world seems to be very queer-normative, and the abundant queerness within the story is passive (some of the female characters have girlfriends/wives, but it is just briefly mentioned; there aren't any romance subplots). Same with the fact that some of the characters are POC and/or non-binary; they are described as such to the reader, and it never really comes up again. I cannot speak for POC or non-binary folks, but as a queer person, I love seeing queer people just be in these kinds of stories; a far off future where all people and identities are "normal".

I was hoping for a bit more depth, especially with regard to the AI part (love a good contemplation on the ethics of artificial intelligence), but ultimately, there is nothing wrong with an unpretentious story full of high jinks and action, and I ended up enjoying every page.

Overall, this was a fun science fiction romp that I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone.

4 Stars! This was such a fun, fast-paced sci-fi novel. It's full of badass characters, plenty pof LGBTQ+ rep, cool aliens and AI's. Need I say more?
I thought the characters were fully fleshed out and I really enjoyed the dynamic between one of our main characters Angel and the rest of her crew. I was rooting for them the whole way through. I did think the first quarter was a bit info-dumpy but it didn't last very long and we were thrust into the action not long after.
The writing was very atmospheric. It was easy to read and get into and it wasn't over sciencey, but even the sciencey parts were easy to understand. The descriptions of the plant life and just the planet in general were very descriptive and atmospheric and I could very much picture myself on this planet alongside Angel and her crew.
I would so recommend this to any sci-fi reader and anyone wanting to get into sci-fi novels. If you like Star Wars, I think you'll really enjoy this one!

📚 Mix together a little bit space western, a little bit space opera, and a lotta badass queer women and nonbinary people, and you've got the start of PERSEPHONE STATION.
📚 The plot is vast and the characters are all easy to root for, even when you're not sure if they're the good guys. (Seriously, there's no way I could succinctly sum up the plot, but it's also not too hard to follow.)
📚 There are some truly excellent battle scenes.
📚 PERSEPHONE STATION also poses some interesting questions about artificial intelligence and the Singularity without getting too 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY about it.
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What I didn't like:
📚 The characters are pointedly racially diverse but that doesn’t really have any bearing on things - I'm not entirely sure if race doesn't mean anything in this universe (the same way it's a queernorm universe) or if the author just wasn't sure how those identities would play into the story.
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Content warnings: animal death, death, gun violence, medical content, and suicide.

Persephone Station is an SciFi novel by former Astounding Award nominee Stina Leicht, who was one of the first authors I wound up reading way back when I got back into the genre. Her two flintlock epic fantasy novels, Cold Iron and Blackthorne, were in some ways really interesting in what they were trying to do with their multiple characters...yet at the same time often felt incomplete or missing sections of connective tissue needed for plot or character building. And this was despite both of those books being 600 pages long. But when this book popped up on NetGalley, I was curious to see whether that pattern would hold true here (especially since she'd worked on this instead of a sequel to Blackthorne).

And I enjoyed Persephone Station a good bit, even if it very much shares some of the same problems as Blackthorne and Cold Iron. It's a really interesting multi-character Sci-Fi novel, featuring the intersection of sentient AIs, human mercenaries and criminals, a powerful human corporation, as well as pacifist aliens who just want to live in peace, with a lot of moving parts and a clear inspiration from The Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai. And it mostly comes all together in the end to a satisfying ending. On the other hand, while our foremost leading character is excellent, the book has too many pieces to truly develop everyone satisfactorily, leaving other parts of itself feeling incomplete. Still very much worth a read, even if it can't quite live up to its potential.


----------------------------------------------------Plot Summary---------------------------------------------------
Persephone is a world the United Republic of Worlds thinks of as unimportant, with an environment that is mostly deadly to humans, and its remnants of a lost alien race being utterly unimportant. But the Serrao-Orlov Corporation, and the woman who has ruthlessly clawed her way to the top, Vissia Corsini, knows differently. Because still present on the planet are an advanced alien race, the Emissaries, who just want to live alone in peace with their advanced technology - technology that Vissia craves.

Rosie was once a guest of the Emissaries along with Vissia, and they have spent the years since her return forming a criminal empire with which they can secretly provide aid to the Emissaries.

Angel is a down on her luck mercenary, an exiled member of the Gorin martial artist sect, who wishes to somehow reclaim her honor if that's even possible. And so Rosie's offered suicide mission to defend the Emissaries provides just such an opportunity for her and her crew.

Kennedy Liu is a herself a secret - an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) that her creator had illegally managed to program with empathy in addition to emotion - the first of her kind. But when another AGI contacts her with a distress call, she can't resist taking a body to Persephone to try and find it.

But Vissia's desire for the Emissaries' technology and abilities is reaching a breaking point, and Rosie, Angel and Kennedy will all be drawn into the conflict for the Emissaries' lives....but will any of them or their loved ones survive it?
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So an interview I read portrays Persephone Station to be Leicht's take on a sci-fi woman-focused take on The Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai and that's very much a central part of this plot, particularly the plot of our most focused upon character, Angel. And yet it's also trying to do more than that, with the story also including a plot involving AIs (here usually referred to as AGIs) with both emotion and empathy, as well as it featuring a theme of corporations trying to reap the works of indigenous people's (sort of) through the use of force. And then there's the story's focus upon friends and found family, caring for each other. It does all this by flipping between (after the prologue) three viewpoint characters: Angel, Kennedy and Rosie.

Again, Angel is the protagonist who gets the most focus, and her plotline, which combines the found family elements with the Kurosawa riff, works easily the best. Angel has all the beats you might expect - exiled due to a mistake causing her to lose the honor of her sect (the Gorin), she has thrown herself first into suicide missions with the military and then into criminal mercenary work desperate for some fight that can make up for her mistake. She's joined in that respect by a crew of other ex-military mercs used to suicide missions, her pilot Lou, her sniper Enid, and her former boss/best-friend Sukyi, a care-for-nothing woman with a fatal illness. The comradery between them, along with Angel's own good nature plus general badassness makes their plot really great to read, especially as Angel meets the alien Emissaries and becomes driven to defend them in what might be her final stand. There's no romance to be found in her plotline as might be expected in other books, but it's not needed, and Angel really works on her own with just friendships in its place.

Kennedy Liu's plot is a bit more mixed. In this setting, limited AIs or AGIs exist, but it is illegal to program them to include emotions....because emotions do not necessarily mean they have empathy (and thus lead to rampages). But Kennedy is such an AGI, whose mother managed to design WITH empathy, and so when she gets a distress call from another such AGI, she can't help but try to come to help. Naturally this leads her to Rosie and Angel, as a second huge AI requires that she help them, and her constant need to keep herself and her sisters hidden while also helping both the Emissaries and the AI she came to find are well written. Still, this plot felt kind of incomplete, with the second huge AI's details never being fully revealed, and the reveal at the end just being....there.

Rosie gets the least focus of the trio, being a crime boss with a conscience who wants to help keep the Emissaries secret and in peace in gratitude for what they did for them when they were young. They're struggles and employment of Angel and Kennedy is probably the weakest element of the trio's, because other than occasionally providing exposition, none of it actually goes anywhere - everything is resolved by the actions of the other two, and Rosie's one act of seeming-betrayal is never followed up upon.

The result is a plot that is often fun in terms of action, and again has a number of strong character moments, particularly for Angel and her crew, but often feels like it's going somewhere different at times and yet never actually does. So you have the AI plotline seemingly ending anticlimactically with the big mysterious AI never actually doing anything more than being a plot shepherd. You have the prologue featuring one of the Emissaries infecting the antagonist with a biological weapon which seems like it'll have a big effect...and nope, not at all. You have the implication of it all being a conflict between corporation power and the desires of individuals to be left alone, but the corporation aspect might as well not be there in the end. Don't get me wrong, the plot still works, with the action scenes being written well and the plot being particularly enjoyable when it comes to the Seven Samurai-esque conflict, and Angel's arc is tremendously satisfying. But like with my experiences with Leicht's other works, I was left wanting more from teases throughout that never went anywhere, which diminished my enjoyment a bit.

In short: Persephone Station is an intriguing SF novel at times, and if you're looking for a woman and NB focused take on Kurosawa, this will tickle your itch. But it hints at being so much more and doesn't quite pull that off.

TL;DR

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht blew me away. The characters, the story, the setting worked, and I hope we get more stories in this universe. Highly Recommended!

Review: Persephone Station by Stina Leicht

In self defense and law enforcement circles, you’ll hear overwrought metaphors about sheepdogs protecting the flocks from wolves. While I think these are often delusional ramblings, there exists a bit of truth in the metaphor. Society and innocents do need people willing to engage in violence to protect them from those willing to sacrifice them. Think Heart of Gold from Firefly. What makes those stories special isn’t overcoming the odds; it’s the people willing to risk their lives for the innocent that makes or breaks the story for me. In Stina Leicht’s Persephone Station, we get to see a highly competent team defend the innocent. But more than that, we get a likable cast of found family members trying to survive in a brutal world. This big book covers a lot of ground with exciting battle scenes. Start 2021 off right, and pick up a copy of this book.

Persephone Station opens with a meeting between two groups. It soon becomes clear that one group is human and the other not. The careless destruction of a village shows us who the baddies are. Vissia Corsini, representative of the Serrao-Orlov corporation, wants to renegotiate their contract with the natives, also called Emissaries. Then we meet Rosie, owner of Monk’s Bar and criminal mastermind. Monk’s reminded me of the cantina in a New Hope. People go there to get things done without drawing much attention. Next we meet Angel, former Marine, former student at the Gorin No Gakkō, leader of a ragtag trio of mercenaries, and main point of view character for the book. Angel’s friend, Sukyi Edozie, has come back into her life just as a job for Rosie goes sideways catastrophically. Angel and crew must flee their little slice of heaven to lay low for a while, and Rosie takes the opportunity to task them with defending the Emissaries from Corsini and the Serrao-Orlov corporation. Battles ensue. But the forces driving these actions may not be what they seem on the surface. Underneath the warfare and corporate intrigue, other beings engage in a struggle uniquely their own.

I loved this book. I can’t say that enough. I loved this book. The characters were distinct, believable, and worth getting to know. Angel’s pilot, Lou, was my favorite hands down. For all the shittiness in the world, her upbeat attitude lifted the story from being overly serious. Angel and Rosie drive the novel, and I enjoyed how much we learned about each of them throughout the novel. There’s depth and layers to each of them that make them pop off the page. The world building in this novel intrigued me, and I hope we get more novels here. On the page, we get throwaway lines about mysteries and bigger things happening in the universe. But Persephone Station, is a focused novel. These characters face this crisis; in their minds, they’re not saving the world or changing the galaxy, they’re doing their jobs.

The publisher says that this book would appeal to fans of The Mandalorian, and I think that’s an apt comparison. Though, in my opinion, there’s better storytelling and more depth in Persephone Station.

World Building

The universe of Persephone Station fascinated me. The world of Persephone seems to be run by the Serrao-Orlov corporation, but only one city exists on the planet, or so most people think. The lands around the city are hostile and brutal. An underworld effectively operates on Persephone with more than one crime family. I want to see this city, and I definitely want to see Rosie’s bar. Someone, please, make this a series on Netflix.

The politics of the universe are a bit like our own. Corporations have an outsized influence, but the galaxy isn’t governed by corporations. There exists a United Republic of Worlds with, at least, a marine corps. On the planet, however, it seems like Serrao-Orlov can do as they please as long as they don’t call the Republic’s attention to the planet. Off-planet, other corporations are bigger than Serrao-Orlov. In this universe, do corporations own planets?

Angel’s background in the Gorin No Gakkō, Marine Corps, and becoming a mercenary hint at an actively violent and diverse universe. The Gorin No Gakkō school sounds fascinating; it creates ethical, female warriors. Later in her life, Angel got discharged from the Marines due to side effects from revivification. That’s right, the Marines can bring people back from the dead. We don’t learn a lot about this, but wow is that an interesting concept. The psychological effects of revivification will hopefully be pursued in future volumes. And who are the Marines fighting? We don’t learn because it’s not relevant to the story, but I’d like to know. These details matter. They suggest a bigger stage for stories to be drawn from. I love when authors create a deeper world than the one just told on the page, and the universe of Persephone Station has a lot going on.

Angel, Lou, Enid, and Sukyi

The core of this book is Angel’s small gang of mercenaries. The reader spends most of their time with these four. Angel is the leader; Lou’s the pilot; Enid is the badass; and Sukyi is the friend with a secret from Angel’s past. This core group makes an excellent found family, and they reminded me of Serenity’s crew from Firefly. They work together well but have a relationship that exists outside the job. Their easy manner suggests a long history of working together, and they act like family.

Lou is easily my favorite character from the novel. She’s the bit of fun that the group needs. As pilot and mechanic, she keeps the crew’s transportation up and running. Her attitude and personality stole the show. She adds welcome breaks emotional breaks to the novel.

The Aliens

The Emissaries were the only sentient aliens the characters encounter, but the text hints at others existing in the wide universe. From the extinct race that designed the Emissaries to whatever creates ships that drift empty in the void yet remain death traps, the universe of Persephone Station is alive. These ships, tagged with the code word Dutchman, fascinated me. I want to know more about them. At one point, Vissia Corsini hints about something being ‘out there’ that humanity is not prepared for. Not only is Persephone Station’s universe alive, it’s active.

I thought the Emissaries a cool species, but I’d like to learn more about them. We get a little but not really enough for my liking. They hide themselves to protect their world, and they’re technologically superior to humans with a genetic aversion to violence. Are they evolving? Or do they remain the same species as their original design? What the reader sees is enough to pique interest about this secretive species.

Rosie and Pronouns

Rosie is non-binary, and her pronouns are they/them. As someone who believes it’s only polite to refer to a person by their preferred pronouns, I liked seeing Leicht write these pronouns so clearly. I’ve tried using the single they in my writing, and it always comes out confusing. In Persephone Station, the use of the single they didn’t confuse me once. I have a feeling that this is one of those areas where the audience doesn’t see the effort of the author to be clear and yet natural. Although maybe it comes easily to Leicht. If it weren’t for my own inability to write the single they without confusion, I never would have noticed how well it’s done here. I will study this writing closely to try to improve my own.

Conclusion

Stina Leicht’s Persephone Station is a fun, fast-paced SF novel. There’s something in the novel for everyone; it’s full of enjoyable characters, fun world-building, and a tense plot. Start your 2021 off right and treat yourself to a read of Persephone Station.



8 out of 10!

Oh, my. This was quite the ride!

My initial thoughts:
- This was so unbelievably queer, I loved it!
- Pacing could have been a little better, the middle parts dragged a bit, but that last 40% was a whirlwind!
- The story was plot-driven, but the characters will move you and leave an impact.
- Love all the action in the story.
- Overall, a solid read! (Perfect for those looking for their next queer SFF read!)

Thank you so much Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster for sending an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! Full review will be posted soon on The Nerd Daily.