To promote his upcoming YA sci-fi novel, STAR CITY, author Edwin Peng released three prequel short stories, the Star City Shorts. Each is only the length of a chapter or so, and so I ate 'em up pretty quickly and now, sadly, must wait impatiently for the release of the novel itself. Below are my reviews of the short stories.
TITLE: The Star City Shorts
AUTHOR: Edwin Peng
PUBLISHER: Evolved Publishing
GENRE
Young Adult - Sci-Fi
REVIEWS
THE ANNOUNCEMENT (Star City Short, #1)
| Nebraska high schooler Emma just wants to get through the school day... never mind the fuss her friends are making about the upcoming dance. But then she's called into an assembly where the President announces something that will change the world... This fun little story is like one of those samplers they hand out at grocery stores... it gives you just enough of a taste to leave you wanting more. It's the first of 4 planned prequel short stories to Edwin Peng's STAR CITY sci-fi series and teases the reader with glimpses at an intriguing world and story to come. I can't wait to read more :-) Find it on Amazon |
THE TEST (Star City Short, #2)
Asteroid mining apprentice Sepporinen, a member of the Ba'ren race of advanced, space-faring aliens, wants nothing more than to ace his tests and join the mining guild. His people's Exploratory Mission has recently arrived at Earth, but he's more interested in kicking off his career than learning about humans. But when he finds himself tasked with learning about Earth's mining operations, he realizes that not everything is as it seems... and there's a dangerous conspiracy afoot.
"The Test" is the second of three prequel short stories leading up to Edwin Peng's upcoming YA sci-fi novel, STAR CITY. Like the first prequel, "The Announcement," it offers a little taste of awesome things to come. While "The Announcement" introduced the reader to STAR CITY's Earthling protagonist, "The Test" offers a tantalizing glimpse at the alien culture she'll encounter in the novel.
There's a lot packed into "The Test," which is a quick little read that introduces the reader to the Ba'ren and their spacefaring ways. Peng does a lot of world-building in just a few pages, and it was a lot of fun to learn about this out-of-the-world civilization. Also, the aliens' observations of humans are absolutely delightful... a combo of fun quips and cutting social commentary. The story also teases the reader with dark conspiracies swirling behind what should be a peaceful first contact mission... Of course, this is a prequel, so it ends on an agonizing cliffhanger... Can't wait to read STAR CITY when it comes out and find out where it all goes!
Find it on Amazon
THE MEETING (Star City Short, #3)
 "The Meeting" is the third of three prequel short stories leading up to Edwin Peng's upcoming YA sci-fi novel, STAR CITY. Each of these shorts offers a brief glimpse at a different aspect of the story, and "The Meeting" teases at what might happen with future relations between the Ba'ren and the humans. It seems like things won't be going smoothly, and I can't wait to find out how it all turns out! "The Meeting" is a super quick read that introduces new aspects to the world of Star City... and hints at trouble to come. I read all three Star City shorts within 24 hours or so, and together, they introduce an exciting story full of new worlds and conspiracies. Now, to wait impatiently for the novel itself... Find it on Amazon ABOUT THE AUTHOR Edwin Peng lives in beautiful Lincoln, Nebraska with his beloved Pokémon buddy, Eevee. During the day, he indulges in super-villainy by performing high-power laser research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. At night, his secret identity is that of a literary superhero fighting to make the Young Adult Science Fiction genre less clichéd and more inclusive. Edwin is the author of the Star City series, which features badass heroines and space aliens who love blueberry pies. The first novel and companion short stories will be released by Evolved Publishing in autumn 2017. |
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