This book both charmed and frustrated me. I like the conceit a lot, but in some ways it feels like the author didn't do enough *with* it, at least within the main narrative. Much of the book's text hews so closely to Austen's original as to be identical, excepting the swapping-in of spacey terms for Regency ones where appropriate. Where the book shines is in the places it doesn't do that: the interstitals between chapters are delightful and hint at more worldbuilding, and the few scenes in the book that have no direct equivalent in the original are the best bits. They feel the least forced, the most narratively playful, and certainly the most original. I love the additional layers she gives to the younger Bennet sisters, in particular.

Overall, though, the space setting is more overlay than truly important to the adaptation. It feels like the author missed a lot of opportunities to explore what she'd created at more than the surface level, and that was frustrating because those interstitials provided glimpses *of* so much more! I wanted to know more about the society, especially with regard to gender roles and relations, since that's such a key part of the original -- but we never get the opportunity to see how a spacefaring society ends up with Regency values, nor *exactly* what those mean in this context.

As such, the book ends up feeing like it missed the point of adaptation -- there's no transformation, no recontextualization, just a vague reskinning of the aesthetic. And that disappointed me. It honestly feels like a "what if" idea someone had on Tumblr that then got larger but not deeper. I wish the author had been bolder and braver, deviating more from the original rather than just reproducing it in a new setting.

I loved the world building in this book and feel like it is super unique conceptually. To retell such a classic with new elements feels really refreshing.

At points, it felt a bit slow but this might be because of all the world building that was necessary and all the different planets did get confusing at points but that might just be me!

A fun take on a classic, it is nice that it helped develops few of the side characters more and gave everyone more interstellar interests.

I’m a huge fan of space and a huge fan of P&P so what could go wrong?!

I really really wanted to like this but it just felt… off. It read a little clunky for my liking. I think it was just too much like the original when I was hoping for something… more. It was like the original P&P just plopped down into space without all the extra magic.

I did quite enjoy the drawings. They were spectacular. The colors, the vibes, beautiful.

This may be better for someone who has t read the original P&P but it just wasn’t for me.

When I initially began reading this book I honestly thought it might be a copy and paste situation. I was wrong about my assumption. Lampley’s writing takes a classic story and makes it her own with a sci-fi spin while still keeping the tortured romanticism we all love.

Like a good space opera with a twist .
A good retteling of a classic.
Very unique and good writen

DNF
Unfortunately I just could not get into this book. I honestly had high hopes...guess you really can't judge a book by it's gorgeous cover.

Did not finish. The cover art is amazing and I was excited by the idea of the book. I had trouble years ago with the disjointed nature of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and I had a similar issue with this book. It just didn't mesh well for me. Maybe if more changes were made to the original text, like using something besides "ball" -- something more spacey... I could've gotten into it better.

I was expecting more of an adaptation than this exact replica of pride and prejudice but with some space and fantasy terms thrown in. The language style of the instant chat messages clashes with the regency style dialogue of the main text.

DNFd - I really loved this concept and was excited to read but it was like almost word for word in some areas and I didn’t like that. Would’ve preferred an adaptation not just like word replacement.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

DNF @ 15%.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I love a Jane Austn adaptation and have read many, but this one missed the mark for me. It was an exciting concept and I thought that it held promise, however, the author took so much dialogue and scene direction directly from the source material. I'm talking whole paragraphs word for word. And the story was set up exactly like the original except there were made up sci-fi terms crammed in there. It was basically Regency in space, and I was hoping more for an actual adaptation.
If that sounds appealing to you, I would still recommend it.
The few illustrations I looked at were pretty, and the cover is beautiful.

I was knocked COMPLETELY sideways by Alexis Lampley's gorgeous illustrations, but in my opinion, they are the singular draw of this particular P&P adaptation, which is otherwise basically exactly what it says on the tin: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE... in space. ("Well, duh?") I just could not fully immerse myself in the Londinium universe, because I was distracted by how much of the writing and dialogue felt like it had been lifted straight from the original novel and just plopped into a new setting. Maybe that was the point? Maybe the story was always meant to be secondary to the graphic design work? In which case: awesome, mission accomplished. But it's still a bit disappointing, as a lover of creative P&P adaptations; I really would have loved to see Lampley absolutely GO FOR IT with this universe and these characters, even if that meant deviating from the original novel a bit more, because I think it would have been so incredible.

"Pride and Prejudice in Space" molds Austen's loved story with the intrigue of science fiction, resulting in a captivating and visually appealing adaptation. Lampley's attention to detail, from the careful attention to Austen's language to the imaginative worldbuilding of the futuristic setting, ensures an immersive experience. I enjoyed the pictures, particularly of the futuristic landscapes and outfits. It adds an extra layer of charm to the story. Overall, this was a fun retelling. Thank you Alexis Lampley and NetGalley for letting me read it.

I'm biased as an avowed Austenite, but Pride and Prejudice in Space works really well as a YA sci-fi update to the classic story of social norms, comedic character study, and gently blooming romance. Lampley doesn't go too far to reinvent this well-polished wheel - in fact certain chunks of dialogue feel all but lifted directly from Austen's original = but the sci-fi flourishes are charming, it's pleasingly readable, and while it's not the first attempt at 'Austen in space' (see Alexa Donne's The Stars We Steal for a Persuasion retelling-cum-YA-mystery-in-space), it's a nice entry in this micro-niche genre and a recommended read.

This really caught my eye with its title but it ultimately fell flat for me. As popular as pride and prejudice retellings are they can be hard to get right and this one really just fell flat and was a bit hard to get through. It wasn’t my cup of tea.

What an utter delightful experience Alexis Lampley has created for readers of all sorts. I feel like as a fan of Austen, the science fiction genre as a whole and art, I hit the trifecta with this adaptation of such a beloved novel. The purest in me LOVED how true to the story it stayed, but reveled in the surprises Lampley executed with granting information to the reader by way of various POV's and the cleverest vessels. The illustrations were lovely, but it was the message boards and private journal entries that held me captivated.
The worldbuilding was so easy to follow and Lampley made the combination of (seemingly) vastly different world so seamless, it was shocking it had not been done before. If you wish Firefly had a bit of Austen flair, this book is for you.
Absolutely loved every moment of this and cannot wait to own a physical copy upon release!

As a fan of both science fiction and Jane Austen's classic novel, I was intrigued by the concept of setting this beloved story in a futuristic universe. Lampley's writing style is engaging and witty, just like Austen's. She manages to stay true to the original story while adding her own unique twists and turns to make it fit seamlessly into a futuristic setting. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the Londinium Lunar System and the different spaceships used for interplanetary travel. It was evident that Lampley put a lot of thought and creativity into this aspect of the book. One of the highlights of this book are the illustrations. As a graphic designer and co-owner of Nerdy Ink, Lampley's talent shines through in the beautiful and detailed drawings of the characters and their surroundings. The gowns designed by Lydia Bennet and the spaceship designs by Elizabeth Bennet were a delightful addition to the story and brought the futuristic world to life. What I appreciated most about Pride and Prejudice in Space is that it can be enjoyed by both Austen newbies and super-fans. Lampley's retelling stays true to the heart of the original story, making it accessible to those who may not be familiar with Austen's work. At the same time, her unique spin on the story and nods to the original will delight those who are well-versed in Austen's writing. Overall, I highly recommend Pride and Prejudice in Space to anyone who enjoys a good romance, science fiction, or just a well-written and creative story. Lampley's love for Austen's work is evident in every page.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher Union Square & Co., and author Alexis Lampley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars

Pride and Prejudice in Space is a beautifully illustrated novel by graphic designer and Nerdy Ink co-owner—and obsessive fan of Pride and Prejudice—Alexis Lampley. It is the 50+ colour illustrations of the Londinium Lunar System, drawings of gowns by Lydia Bennet, and spaceship designs by Elizabeth Bennet that make this book special and different from other Austen’s retellings. Nevertheless, I still wouldn’t call this space opera a retelling per se, for it is way too similar to the original novel. Most of the time it felt as if I was reading Austen’s words and not Lampley’s, but I guess this was intentional. There was also a lot of inspiration drawn from the 2005 movie adaptation, and as much as I adore both the movie and the book, they were distracting me from this new take: my mind didn’t stay in Londinium, it ran back and forth between the beautiful cinematography of Joe Wright and the witty and memorable lines of Jane Austen.

All that being said, I did enjoy the “new twist” that the space setting brought to the novel, and I wished we had seen more of that universe, and I’m intrigued how that new astral environment could’ve transformed the way they talked and addressed each other. This is a novel that all Austen lovers would absolutely love and would find pleasure perusing the bewitching illustrations.

I quite enjoyed this retelling of the classic P&P. Lampley did a wonderful job using the same phrases and concepts as Austen, yet still managed to make it fresh with a whole new world woven through it. I loved the different points of view. It introduced certain characters in a way I enjoyed.

I also thought the tension in the story was, for the most part, really good. There was one major plot deviation from the book that I thought deprived the story of a bit of tension, and I didn't love that, but the rest of the story stuck pretty close to the plot line of the book. I did think that the Bennet family was a bit milder and more normal than the original P&P implied,

I could tell the story had been influenced slightly by the 2005 movie adaptations of the story. Certain scenes were very reminiscent of the movie, which overall I thought was fine, but perhaps pulled me out of the story a little. There were other times where certain characters had traits that weren't exactly described in the book, and reminded me of the adaptation. I did love Lizzie's characters, though, and I can't say the same for the 2005 adaptation. One slight oddity I found was (spoiler, alert!) in Georgiana, who seemed very bubble and vivacious until you met her, and then she became extememely awkward.

The space aspect of the movie was well done. It tied into the story well, not taking away from the main story, but enhancing it in a new way. All in all, I thought Pride and Prejudice in Space was very well done, and I would definitely recommend it to fans of Jane Austen.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Fan of Pride and Prejudice? Check. Fan of Alexis Lampley? Check. Fan of space operas? Check.
This is a beautiful book, and you can tell from the beginning that is is gorgeously illustrated and lovingly compiled to put a classic like P&P in front of a new generation and a new genre of readers. I think it achieve its goal in that way.

The story is a hair's breath away from the original, but somehow worlds away (literally). For me, it was almost too similar to the classic for me to get as much out of it that I wanted, but I think that was the point and it does that job admirably. the writing doesn't feel original to Alexis, but should it? This is more in the vein of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies than the original, and the departures from the original feel unique enough that it could be a new story much more removed, but still related to P&P. Variations on names, and less cut and pasted quotes from the original.

All that being said, I did enjoy it. It's different and fun and did I mention beautiful? It's well worth it to buy to sit beautifully in your home, but I bet you won't be able to resist reading it!

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is arguably the forerunner of all romantic comedies and certainly one of her most popular and irreverent works. And now, graphic designer and Nerdy Ink co-owner—and obsessive fan of Pride and Prejudice—Alexis Lampley gives this timeless, classic, Regency-era romance a new twist, setting it among the stars in a futuristic universe where spaceships and interplanetary travel are the daily norm. Featuring numerous four-color illustrations of the Londinium Lunar System, drawings of gowns by Lydia Bennet, and spaceship designs by Elizabeth Bennet, this is a futuristic take on a classic by a dedicated Jane Austen fan, for Austen newbies and super-fans alike.