The First Sister

The First Sister trilogy

By: Linden A. Lewis

Narrated by: Neo Cihi, Gary Tiedemann, Emily Woo Zeller

Combining the social commentary of The Handmaid’s Tale with the white-knuckled thrills of Red Rising, this epic space opera filled with “lush prose” (Publishers Weekly) follows a comfort woman as she claims her agency, a soldier questioning his allegiances, and a non-binary hero out to save the solar system.

First Sister has no name and no voice. As a priestess of the Sisterhood, she travels the stars alongside the soldiers of Earth and Mars—the same ones who own the rights to her body and soul. When her former captain abandons her, First Sister’s hopes for freedom are dashed when she is forced to stay on her ship with no friends, no power, and a new captain—Saito Ren—whom she knows nothing about. She is commanded to spy on Captain Ren by the Sisterhood, but soon discovers that working for the war effort is much harder when you’re falling in love.

Lito val Lucius climbed his way out of the slums to become an elite soldier of Venus but was defeated in combat by none other than Saito Ren, resulting in the disappearance of his partner, Hiro. When Lito learns that Hiro is both alive and a traitor to the cause, he now has a shot at redemption: track down and kill his former partner. But when he discovers recordings that Hiro secretly made, Lito’s own allegiances are put to the test. Ultimately, he must decide between following orders and following his heart.

With “a layered, action-filled plot and diverse characters” (Library Journal), The First Sister explores the power of technology, colonization, race, and gender and is perfect for fans of James S.A. Corey, Chuck Wendig, and Jay Posey.

dislikable characters

Pros: powerful start, 1 likable MC, unexpected twists, some strong emotions
Cons: 1 likable character, 1 easily manipulated white knight, and I kinda hoped all the other 'heroes' died a violent death. And the story is written as if I they are entitled to a level or empathy that excuse that they are really horrible people

Wonderful characters, small story

Bottom line: if you like character studies in an effortlessly articulated setting with a focused, maybe even minimalistic story, you'll really dig this. Almost nothing happens in the plot for the first 50% of the book, and that's just great. You seep in the characters and universe for a while, and then a very brief series of events happens towards the end. The titular character affects basically nothing in the plot, but is a perfect vehicle for the author to ruminate on morality and the politics of the war. Overall a fun, smart, and character-focused experience!

mostly fine but derivative

first let's talk about the good things: the story was coherent and made sense. The major characters were distinct and had their own voices (both figuratively and literally).

not so good things: The main characters were named after major characters from other famous sci-fi books. A nod here or there to other books is good but this was a little heavy handed. The book felt like a "baby's first sci-fi novel" and would be good for kids or young adults just getting into sci-fi but a lot of the themes are very well worn. Also the change of heart for one of the main characters that occurs happens way too suddenly and feels unearned, kneecapping the justification for the second half of the book.

There's a lot more that I could nitpick but honestly it's an ok book and I don't feel like I wasted my time reading it. recommend for young adults or people just getting into sci-fi.

Great immersive world.Nailed that quite well

The sisterhood is more benegesirit than hand maidens tale. The setting was detailed amazingly. Good world building and poltiics

Dynamic and exciting

I feel in love with these characters. They feel so alive and real. I cannot wait to see where they go next.