Starlite

By: Jonathan Latt

Narrated by: Dallin Bradford

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

When the universe throws him a curveball, Bevil Cyrex finds himself adrift in space on a ship determined to kill him. But then, in a stroke of luck, he stumbles across an ancient and abandoned space station called The Starlite. Once he is on board the station, Bevil soon finds himself befriending a nanite swarm that takes on the appearance and mannerisms of his grandmother. Bevil sets out to repair the station and open it up for business, unaware that he is currently being hunted by a former mob enforcer out for revenge. He will also have to contend with various threats of invasion, marriage and death. Bevil will need to rely on his quick thinking and courage if he is to succeed.

Discover the thrilling story of Bevil and the Starlite station in this award-winning science fiction adventure. If you enjoyed Robert Heinlein’s classic science fiction tales like Tunnel in the Sky, Citizen of the Galaxy, and Starman Jones, then you'll love Starlite.

©2022 Jonathan Latt (P)2023 Jonathan Latt

Fun sci-fi with a retro-futuristic vibe

If you’re looking for an easy science fiction tale that doesn’t take things too seriously, then Starlite by Jonathan Latt is for you. Set hundreds of years into humanity’s future, it has a charming kind of retro-futuristic vibe to it that I loved.

Primarily the story follows Bevil Cyrex, a young man trying to make his fortune in the galaxy while avoiding responsibilities and dodging marriage arrangements being made by his mother. Humanity has reached the stars, and some portion of us (collectively known as Star Folk) have decided that living on hulking great spaceships was the way to go rather than settling down on planets.

Bevil is the son of a ship captain, and one day could inherit the title, but he’s got things he’d rather be doing. While mining an asteroid, he stumbles upon a somewhat more illegal but potentially better score. Things happen, and next thing he’s stuck in the middle of the deep black abyss of space with a dwindling power supply and no way to get home.

This is where he happens upon a Starlite. Before the invention of warp drives to jump through space, technological limitations created a need for full-service waystation type hotels in deep space. The Starlite chain of stations were the premier chain. These were all put out of business once warp technology came in and stripped for parts, all except the Starlite Bevil finds looks to have been forgotten about and abandoned just as construction was finished.

Through rights of salvage, he claims the pristine, if technologically backward, station as his own. There, with a swarm of nanobots that resemble his grandmother for some reason, Bevil stakes his claim on the salvaged station with eyes on making it habitable for Star Folk and other explorers like him.

What follows is a fast-paced plot interweaved with space battles, family dramas, and overcoming past prejudices and tragic histories to make for a story that I didn’t want to stop listening to.

The sci-fi isn’t too high-tech so we don’t get bogged down in details. For the most part, how a lot of things work is briefly explained before moving on. It’s more of a slice-of-life type science fiction where the hero is thrust into adventure and decides to run a hotel rather than go off being a hero.

The various supporting characters were believable, all with their own unique backgrounds and stories. Light humour sprinkled throughout which gave me some genuine laugh-out-loud moments.

The narration by Dallin Bradford was well done with excellent production value. No noticeable background noises, retakes, or things of that nature. A clean read with appropriate pacing.

The story wrapped up nicely while also leaving me wanting more! There are enough open questions of larger battles and struggles to come that point towards at least another book, so there may be another visit to Starlite station in my future.