Modestly enjoyable; the author's not aiming for brain-bending novelty, and so delivers solid, competent storytelling.

The most interesting thing is the set-up: one group of colonists leave Earth in what they imagine are its last throes only to discover, as they consolidate their hold on a new world, that the planet and the people survived. These groups are under some significant stresses. What matters is how they decide to cohabit the iceball they're going to be sharing. And then there are the wild ones who don't want to be told what to do...what to do about them now that things are even more complicated?

Briskly told, basically familiar enough in its execution, the pages turn and the planet that Earth's disease of H. sapiens has spread to sets about killing some infectious issues, I mean colonists. There are excerpts from "founding documents" and archives of Earth history. That works well to add depth and color to Author Bonesteel's tale.

I spent pleasant, if only modestly thrilling, hours learning about the Novayarkha being born as three poles of conflict settle in for a future together. Sci-fi readers will enjoy it, women who like stories about the ethical dilemmas women in power consider existential threats and decide to skate close to the winds of Decency to survive.

Novayarkha is a colony on a harsh planet where its residents have carved out a living against all odds. Living in the remains of the dismantled colony ship <i>Arkhangelsk</i> can be tough, with all sorts of health risks and radiation to contend with, but its population is more or less content with their lot in the universe and convinced that the "old world" (Earth) is no more. What they believe is then turned on its head as a starship sent from Earth on an entirely different mission appears in orbit, and Anya, the head peace officer, makes an unlikely friend in space.

There's a lot going on here, as the story is part murder mystery, part sci-fi dystopia, part found family/romance (depending on how deep you read between the lines). I thought it mostly worked out well, actually, with the beginning dovetailing neatly into the conclusion at the end. I thought the relationship between Anya and the captain of the starship was sweet, and I really loved the author's writing style throughout. There's a lot to think about here with themes of gene manipulation, xenophobia, and mob justice prevalent. I particularly liked the old <i>Arkhangelsk</i> logs left throughout the book, as it starts to paint a very different picture from what Anya learned about their origins growing up.

I'm really glad to have given this book a shot, and look forward to trying out more books by this author now that I've discovered them.

Anya is a peacekeeper in the settlement of Novayarkha what they believe to be the last of humanity, until a ship comes into orbit around their planet. This story has a little bit of everything, 'alien' contact, disappearances, murder, political maneuvers, bigotry, genetic manipulation, kidnapping, an invisible kid that never talks, LGBTQ rep, exiles and a few other twists and turns as well.
This book has a lot going for it, but it just seemed a bit to slow for me even with all the twists and turns, the characters are interesting though.
However if you love a good mildly political sci-fi with 2 insular societies meeting unexpectedly and in spite of distrust attempting to help each other, then this will be a story for you.

In recent weeks I have seen multiple reviewers mention that Elizabeth Bonesteel's Central Corps series is a hidden gem that too many people are sleeping on. So when I had an opportunity to read her new standalone novel, I jumped at the chance. I did get a free copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Arkhangelsk is an interesting twist on a first contact novel - the citizens of Novayarkha, a city built on an icy planet, think that their ancestors were all that remained of Earth's population when they set out on a generation ship 400 years prior. Much to their surprise, a ship shows up with humans that left Earth just 40 years ago on a mission to build an ansible in preparation for additional exploration missions that will be coming. Novayarkha treats the revelation with dismay and distrust, wondering what upheaval and change these events will bring. The story is told in two points of view, alternating between Novayarkha's chief peace officer Anya, and the captain of the newly arrived ship, Maddie.

The alternating points of view is an excellent way to watch the story unfold - from Anya's perspective, we learn about Novayarkha's history and customs and day-to-day life. From Maddie's point of view, we learn how things aren't entirely what they seem, and the flaws that Anya had been blind to about life on the icy planet. The two perspectives give the story a depth and richness that wouldn't have been possible if only one person had been the main character.

Overall the story has a slower pace, but a very steady and even one that doesn't drag anywhere. The first contact element was very interesting to watch unfold. There is a lot of explanation about how the icy city was created and has survived despite the odds for anyone who likes their sci-fi with a dash of survivalism. There is enough mystery and hints of hidden things that I was always curious about what would be revealed next and was very eager to get back to it every time I had to put it down. The conclusions to all of the threads were satisfying.

Now I am especially eager to get to Bonesteel's Central Corps series, having enjoyed this one as much as I did.

Have you ever picked up a book solely for its title? Meaning you saw the title, found it intriguing and went for it? That’s what I did with Arkhangelsk by Elizabeth H. Bonesteel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely crazy. The cover was fascinating, and blurb appealed to me. But, the title of Arkhangelsk was my selling point.

My overall feel for this book was it was interesting. The premise was certainly a curious one. People who escaped Earth thinking they are the last of humanity, living on a hostel planet suddenly finds they they aren’t the only ones from that planet. Equally surprised is the starship crew discovering long ago forgotten colonists. Both hesitant but needing each other assistance. All very interesting to me. This book has a little bit of everything. A dystopian society, a mystery to solve, intrigue to discovery, characters to enjoy, all wrapped up in this entertaining Sci-Fi story.

And in as much as I liked the book, I did have a few issues with it. I liked the characters and the plot but there were times I felt it all dragged. Or felt dry. I know it can’t always be edge of your seat excitement and there is some building to the storyline that needs to occur. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the friendship that Anya and Maddie built. These two women from different worlds, both have suffered so much and what developed between them made for good reading. It’s just, sometimes I felt myself struggle to stay within the moment of the story.

Good cover. Cool title. It was interesting enough to read once. Not sure I will read it again.


Stars: 3
I received this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated for the book other than the entertainment it provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an interesting read of what could happen if earthlings ever make it to Europa and attempt to colonize it. It was a little discombobulated with the jumps between narrators and mission logs, but held together way better than the ships did.

There was a great deal of detail concerning the difficulty of space travel, colonization, and building a new society under difficult circumstances. Enough backstory was given on some characters, but others felt like they only had a few scenes in them.

It was obvious that something was being set up in the background, but instead of a big reveal, there was more of a “oh, okay, that makes sense” moment, leaving a vacuum filled by a Space Colonist’s Ethical Dilemma Decision Making Model Course. Yes, apparently people do cut corners when they believe that extinction of the human race is very likely.

Thanks to NetGalley and House Panther Publishing for an ARC of this book..

Arkhangelsk is an upcoming scifi novel from author Elizabeth H. Bonesteel. Prior to me starting this blog, back in 2016, I read the first in Bonesteel's space opera "Central Corps" series, which I didn't quite love (and thus didn't continue). Still it had enjoyable prose, so I was curious to see how her other work would turn out when this popped up on NetGalley,

And Arkhanelsk is a pretty interesting novel, even with a premise that will be very familiar to those who read a bunch of scifi: a long lost space colony, struggling to survive on a harsh world while thinking they're the last humans in the universe...only to be found by a new starship from Earth, who left a very different planet than their ancestors. Add in some noirish elements - colonists who go missing, parts that are breaking down and/or sabotaged - and two protagonists: a well meaning colony security chief and an unwilling ship captain, and well there's plenty here that's familiar. But it's done rather well, as its two protagonists are quite strong in their perspectives, troubles, and relationships - and even some of the setup is slightly different than usual, as it tells a story of the tough choices peoples make when desperate, and the costs they are willing to pay.....



-------------------------------------------------Plot Summary---------------------------------------------------
Anya Savelova is the head peace officer for the city of Novayarkha, a city struggling to survive and a tough ice-bound planet. Hundreds of years ago, their ancestors left an Earth that was falling apart and destroying itself on the ship Arkhangelsk, using technology to try to ensure their gene pool remained viable when they reached their eventual destination. And so now Anya and their people try to survive in a rigorously hierarchal way of life, and try not to grieve too deeply when their loved ones don't make it. It's a life that should be typical and ensure a future for them all, but Anya knows some things aren't quite right - raids by exiles living away from the colony rob them of resources, cancer is common throughout the colony, their gene preservation tech is damaged....and people keep winding up missing, assumed to have been either murdered or having committed suicide by going out into the ice.

And then even that strangeness is turned upside down when a starship from Earth, said to have left Earth only 40 years ago, shows up in orbit.

On board the ship, The Hypatia, Commander Madeleine "Maddie" Loineau tries to figure out what to make of a world that was not expected to be there when they set off as children on a mission to build a communication device to communicate with the Earth. These people with their guns, fear of outsides, and hierarchal ways, not to mention their ruthlessly cold leader Yulia, intimidate and confound her with their ways. But the Hypatia is damaged badly, with much of their crew lost, and the chance to obtain help from these people - not to mention discover who they are - is just too great to pass up. And at first, Maddie thinks she's found a kindred spirit in caring for their own people in Anya....

But the people of Novayarkha are deeply skeptical of strangers from a world their ancestors fled, and conflict arises between their ways, conflict that unearths some long forgotten truths about the colony, truths that threaten to throw the tenuous equilibria found by Novayarkha and Hypatia out of control....
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Arkhangelsk is told in two formats: the majority of the story is told from Anya's point of view in real time (with some excerpts from logs from the ship Arkhangelsk popping in as interludes on occasion), as she tries to investigate one girl's disappearance to see if it was foul play and then tries to deal with and learn from the visitors from Hypatia. The other parts, which amount to significant parts of the book, are logs/communications-to-Earth from Maddie as she encounters the people down below and tries to reconcile her ship's mission of building a communication device and their way of life from what she knows. The fact that Maddie's point of view chapters are told as part of a log don't really have much of an impact - except for the times she's cursing at her far away listener - but just really serves to make clear who's the point of view character for a given segment, with the story usually featuring multiple segments/chapters in a row from one specific character's perspective.

And both Anya and Maddie are strong main characters. Anya may be the head security officer for the colony, a position she was drafted for at first reluctantly by the governor Yulia, but she's a person who knows grief and kindness, and tries to approach it all with caring. She still struggles with the loss of her daughter Irina, who she sorta hallucinates alongside her at times - but at the same time, she's not in denial about it, never really believing Irina is physically there or forgetting that she's dead. And so when she's investigating a child's disappearance that she thinks is foul play, and knows that the other disappearances aren't normal, she isn't willing to let it go and just excuse it as a suicide, because she knows people care. And she isn't willing to let torture or rough methods be used if not necessary. At the same time, Anya is a product of her culture, deferring to Yulia quite often because it's part of who they are and how they've survived.

By contrast, while Maddie is also caring for her crew, who are really her family, especially their one child, they aren't hierarchal because it's just the 9 of them onboard, so they really can't afford to be anything else but equals. And so it unnerves Maddie not just to see the colonists with weapons and afraid of her, and not just to see how sick they are, but to also see how tightly they restrict each other. Maddie recognizes that someone like Yulia is doing what she thinks is best for her people, but at the same time, the way she rules with an iron fist is just hard to deal with, and when she sees how Yulia enforces a criminal punishment, she is utterly outraged and horrified, such that she doesn't even want to speak with Anya, who she mostly recognizes otherwise as a kindred spirit - and even begins to love. (In a nice touch, the book hints and shows genuine feeling developing between its two leads, but on page romance and sex never happens, because it just never gets there even as they do essentially wind up in a relationship of kinds. Not that Maddie is that interested in sex anyway per her monologue, even if she's not fully asexual.)

And Maddie and Anya's caring about their people is a common trait in this novel, which makes this a really interesting story at times, especially as it gets into the mystery of what's behind the disappearing people, and whether the two peoples can coexist. There are no sniveling evil antagonists here, and everyone involved actually cares about doing the best for their people....its just some characters have lines that seem unforgivable about what they'll do to ensure the best for everyone, and secrets that threaten to throw both groups into disarray. Even Anya's apprentice, who other books could easily make into the cruel monstrous cop character, is just very very aggressive and believing in ends justify the means rather than actually cruel at heart, as he seems to be hinted at being at first. It's not a really all that surprising mystery honestly and one whose answer you'll have seen similar takes of before - and the mysterious "Exiles" who go on raids are incredibly obvious as to what's their deal based on how similar they are to other groups - but it does work.

The result is that Arkhangelsk is a rather well done colony-noir-scifi story, even if it never hits any particularly special points. But the two very enjoyable main characters, each trying to do good as their worlds intersect and challenge their beliefs, work rather well enough to make this worth reading.

A colony of people living on a distant planet believe they are the last of humanity. That is, until a spaceship arrives with more humans on board, telling them that Earth is still inhabited. But the colony is hesitant to believe or trust the newcomers.

The concept is interesting, but failed to hold my attention.

How do you take the remnants of a generation ship and keep humanity alive on a frozen, inhospitable planet? It turns out to involve not just a fair amount of technological ingenuity, but also a healthy dose of myth-making and autocratic government (think, iron fist in velvet glove). And then, how do you hold the society you've made together 200 years later, when your far-distant cousins from Earth show up and basically say "hey, we didn't actually destroy ourselves like you thought!"? For the governor of Novayarkha, it turns out the answer is, not very well.

Which is all all well and good for plot purposes. Every book has to have dramatic conflict and all that. However, every good book also needs well-rounded characters who have realistic reactions to the conflict. Both of those were lacking here. Across the board, characters behaved in ways that weren't understandable based on the information given to the reader. It's hard to relate to characters when you don't understand why they're acting the way they are. It's a shame that this book was sunk by poor character development, because the premise was quite interesting.

A fantastic genre-bender: speculative fiction, sci-fi, dystopian, some mystery, and subtle horror, all woven together by realistic characters and political intrigue! I never really knew to what or where the story was leading, and the culmination of storylines was entirely satisfying without being too crowded or confusing.

An overarching theme is that of population control: a small colony surviving on a frozen planet believe they’re the last of humanity, but they’re plagued by illness and infertility, and for two centuries its leaders seek solutions, toeing notions of ethics in order to preserve mankind.

The story’s perspective bounces between two strong female protagonists, both whom have suffered incredible losses and both trying to navigate politics and purpose. There’s no explicit physical romance but there’s a sense of an ace romance founded on fierce friendship that I really enjoyed. Definitely a character-driven story with a spectacular plot, not quite hard sci-fi (but enough sciency jargon to make me feel dumb, haha).

As the story wrapped up it can sit well as a stand-alone, but could also be opened up to sequels — which I would definitely pick up!

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review.
What a delightfully book, there's lots of different threads of story to keep you interested. I will be checking out other books by this author.

Earth is long thought dead to the people who fled the chaos centuries ago. They are living on an ice bound planet in a closed society below the ice. Their world is insular, isolated and controlled until a spaceship appears and people from the outside seek interaction. The story slowly unfolds as the head peace officer and spaceship crew begin to interact. Yet both hold secrets and both can help the other, if they can trust each other enough.

The premise to this story is good and the writing is tight but the pace of the story is extremely slow. It seems to be slowly evolving but I couldn't sustain my interest. The plot is slow and plodding in development and too obtuse. I stopped about 1/3 of the way into the book. Others may find the slow unwinding of the plot interesting and the developing interactions of people living in two disparate societies intriguing. However, overall I can't recommend reading this book

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for supplying me with an ARC!!**

Descendants from a failing Earth are living on an ice planet far from home. While they’re settlement isn’t perfect or thriving by any means, they’re getting by. Things take a turn when they discover a space craft carrying some mysterious visitors orbiting the planet.

Really enjoyed this one. Very character driven hard sci-fi. The pacing was great, and I thought the POV switching was used in a way that complemented the story. Anya was incredibly likable as the level-headed protagonist.

I’ve been craving a great sci-fi that wasn’t a space opera, and this really nailed that. Would love to read more stories from this world.

Big fan of this book as it combines sci-fi with mystery and political drama all at once. We get two different views primarily and it's fun to find out what's happening as the characters do. The world building here was great. I would definitely visit this world again.

I would like to thank the publisher & Netgallery for an advance e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What I love most about Bonesteel's work is that it defies all genre expectations. This book starts as a murder investigation, becomes a first contact story, becomes a political intrigue story, back to the murder mystery, becomes a missing persons story, another contact story, and back to the political intrigue. It also has a story of loss (tw loss of children), what it means to be a parent, and a bit of a QPR-ish romance. Oh, and it's set in space on a frozen planet with people who believe they're the last of humanity.

You'd think that all of those threads would mean for an overcrowded narrative, but it really doesn't. Bonesteel manages to mix all of these genres into the story of two women trying to cope with the hands they've been dealt, both of whom want more from life than they've been given. It's a wonderful story and I was absolutely hooked.

I have a few nitpicks with some of the information we still don't have by the end - this seems like a standalone so I don't know if there will be more opportunity to get answers. It's not the most relevant info to the story, but it does leave the reader with questions.

Overall 4.5 stars.

I thorough enjoyed this read. The attention to detail and descriptions of the world were excellent. It truly felt like you were right there. The storyline was very interesting and the twist at the end was unexpected. Well written. My heart hurt for Maddie and Anya so many time. I hope they find their happiness.

This book was an interesting exploration of what could happen if a colony of people who left earth established a colony on a distant planet, only to be surprisingly visited by a new expedition from earth centuries later. There is something not quite right with the colony - long since disconnected from our planet - although we don't find out what for a long time, and the newcomers' arrival really shakes up the delicate balance holding the new society together in this very harsh atmosphere. We encounter several twists and turns as we learn how the new(ish) planet really functions, and what secrets are hidden there.

The book generally does a good job of managing controlled reveals of background information (including the scientific elements), though occasionally a bit more detail would be nice - for example, what specifically prompted the original colony to leave earth ... or does it matter?

Compelling story peppered with interesting and complex characters.

A starship created as an ark for hundreds of people fleeing earth with the goal of setting up a new community free of the dystopian ills and human foibles that permeate and predominate on a sick, even dying home world. Unfortunately, after a few hundred years they end up having to settle for a cold and inhospitable world, not of their choosing. They convert sections of their interstellar craft into a barely habitable structure on and under the frozen surface.

Suddenly, a few hundred years later, another ship from earth is partially destroyed as it drops out of light speed losing half its generational crew. Somehow it manages to navigate to their original destination where they are supposed to set up a communications relay to earth. Coincidence?

The meeting of these two orphaned groups of humans are less than overjoyed to see one another despite their less than idea situations. Suspicion and fear characterize the meeting.

Two characters emerge as the main protagonists. Anya, the peace officer from the frozen world and Maddie, the captain of the patched up starship. Both these strong women, though representing their conflicting groups, form a close personal, even physical, relationship.

The conflict in this story focuses on opposing groups within and between the two micro societies. Personalities, actions and motivations are what drive this story, and that is more than sufficient to keep the right kind of reader interested and satisfied.

I found this book very interesting and engaging. It is very well written. The sci-fi setting is very fundamental to the plot, but it's more of an introspective detective story. Anya is a peace officer for a tiny, isolated colony on a remote planet. Insurrection on the colony ship necessitated diversion to this less than ideal location. It's extremely cold, the atmosphere is not breathable, and the surface is exposed to gamma radiation. From dispatches sent by the colony ship, you have a sense from the start that there is something not quite straightforward about the politics in the colony. There have been a series of murders or suicides that Anya investigates. Anya is a pacifist, but her staff seem not to be, and the political structure is much more authoritarian than democratic. The colonists speak Russian, and largely seem to love and obey their governor for no other reason than that she is powerful and in charge. The appearance of another spaceship, 40 years out from Earth on a mission to place a communications satellite, serves to crack open the status quo in the colony and some dark truths and disturbing behavior emerge. This is not, however, a horror story, though at times it walks a fine line. The ending is satisfying and leaves room for optimism. I highly recommend!

An incredibly realistic Sci-Fi dealing with a human colony on a distant, icy planet, when a new ship - also of humans arrive. Can they learn to trust each other? What are their true purposes?
Told through multiple point of view - from character dialogue and memories, to archive files, to transmissions, you'll learn about why humans left the Earth in the first place and the perilous journey both ships faced to arrive.
There is also a bit of a mystery woven in - members of the colony, Novayarkha, have mysteriously disappeared over the years. Could it be the result of a separate secret group called The Exiles? What is their purpose?
This book does a great job of dealing with the issues of interspace travel as well as the difficulties humanity would face starting a new colony. Ultimately the age old question comes into play - how far will you go to preserve what you have?