July 1, 2024sarahylockwood

The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O’Keefe

Rate: 4/5

Medium: Audiobook

Overview (No Spoiler):

The Blighted Stars is a prime example of why I love going into novels blind to the premise. O’Keefe opens up this story with all the stereotypical pieces required for a space adventure, but once the chaos starts to unfold, the true potential and depth of the mystery is unveiled. I remember after one early plot twist, I actually paused the audiobook to sit and ponder all the multifacited implications. 

With a technology that allows people to essentially be 3D printed with their last uploaded memories, The Blighted Stars has instant appeal. In O’Keefe’s literary world, controlling this technology has allowed the rich to dominate, with five key families controlling everything. While reading, I kept finding myself drawing parallels to the movie, Time, and the book, Altered Carbon. O’Keefe did put limits on this technology, such as, if a character’s death is too traumatic or you have been reprinted one too many times, your print can crack, causing irreversible damage. The worldbuilding that O’Keefe weaves around this scientific achievement is mired in politics and personal motivations, which are complex to say the least. As a whole, the premise is brilliant from an analytical standpoint. 

Besides the human point of views, we are treated to the fascinating internal dialogue of a ship’s AI system. These chapters added so much mystery while also granting clarity to other unexplained events. To be completely honest, despite our small time with the ship, I grew surprisingly attached to it as it gained sesiance and recognized the conundrum it finds itself wrapped up in.

There is a strange love connection that serves to check a box, rather than be organically derived. This aspect of the plot is by far my least favorite because it seems incongruous considering the dire situation everyone finds themselves in. A love story is not needed when O’Keefe has delightfully developed amazing worldbuilding and an intricate mystery will keep the reader guessing.

Overall, if you are looking for a new novel that triggers nostalgia for The Expanse or Westworld, The Blighted Stars is the perfect zombie space opera for you!

Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):

  • I did not buy Tarquin and Naira’s love story at all. It seemed so forced. Did she have a relationship with his father?
  • The printing of the neural maps was a brilliant technological addition. There are so many ways for this to be utilized from a story standpoint. The potential is endless! 
  • Tarquin’s mom being alive and on the Sixth Crandle was such a great plot twist!
  • The Relkatite controlling everything seems so overwhelming to try to overcome. How can this be beaten? 
  • What an oversight by Tarquin to not destroy the transmitter behind him.
  • The misprints in the trees was so creepy!

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