The Two Lies of Faven Sythe

By: Megan E. O'Keefe

Narrated by: Zara Ramm

A search for a missing person uncovers a galaxy-spanning conspiracy in this thrilling standalone space opera from award-winning author Megan E. O'Keefe.

The Black Celeste is a ghost story. A once-legendary spaceship collecting dust in a cosmic graveyard known as the Clutch. Only famed pirate Bitter Amandine knows better, and she’ll do anything to never go near it again. No matter the cost.

Faven Sythe is crystborn, a member of the near-human species tasked with charting starpaths from station to station. She’s trained to be a navigator her entire life. But when her mentor disappears, leaving behind a mysterious starpath terminating in the Clutch, she is determined to find the truth. And only Amandine has the answers.

What they will find is a conspiracy bigger than either of them. Their quest for the truth will uncover secrets Amandine has long fought to keep buried – secrets about how she survived her last encounter in the Clutch, and what’s really hidden out there amongst the stars...

Critic reviews

"O’Keefe delivers a captivating exploration of identity in this smart, addictive space adventure full of intrigue, visceral danger, and deeply personal stakes. Come for the epic sci-fi action, stay for the charmingly broken characters just doing their best."—J. S. Dewes, author of The Last Watch on The Blighted Stars

"Full of deftly-plotted twists and turns, The Blighted Stars is a body-hopping, zombie-popping, rock-licking thrill ride."—Emily Skrutskie, author of Bonds of Brass on The Blighted Stars

"The story’s environmental themes are handled very well (O’Keefe gives the reader much to think about without sounding didactic); the characters are lively; and the writing is full of energy. A very promising series launch."—Booklist on The Blighted Stars

"The Blighted Stars yields enjoyable adventure full of romantic tension and alien mystery."—Wall Street Journal

"The Blighted Stars is everything I want in a book: lots of action, lots of character, and lots of heart. Megan E. O’Keefe delights with every page, from her stunning action sequences set on alien planets to her exploration of the twisted pathways taken by the human heart. This is space opera for the ages, wrapped in complicated and delicious layers of family and loyalty and science and love and duty. I couldn’t put it down!"—Karen Osborne, author of Architects of Memory

"Thrilling, yearning, and paranoid. This book kept me up way too late!”

—Max Gladstone, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author on The Blighted Stars

"The Blighted Stars is a delightfully twisty space opera filled with unique worldbuilding and deft explorations of humanity, family, and power. Add in a dash of rebellion and a hint of romance, and I'm hooked—I can't wait for the next book!” —Jessie Mihalik, author of Hunt the Stars

"Megan O’Keefe’s new novel begins in the middle of a sudden attack on a spaceship and never once lets up, moving at breakneck speed through danger after deadly danger: zombie-like misprints, a crash-landing on the wrong planet that has a bad habit of collapsing underneath you, and enemies everywhere as the pampered prince of a dynasty and the revolutionary who’s determined to take it down battle to stay alive--and solve a mystery. I know it’s a cliché to say 'You won’t be able to put it down,' but that’s exactly the effect The Blighted Stars has on you! Riveting adventure at a rocketing pace, with engaging characters thrown in for good measure!"—Connie Willis, author of Doomsday Book

"Emotional arcs and action sequences, vivid worldbuilding, and interesting explorations of body printing and corporate servitude provide an immersive story...O'Keefe's latest has the intrigue, surprises, and high stakes of her previous novels."—Library Journal on The Blighted Stars

Masterful Spin of Sci-Fi

I’m not easy to please with sci-fi, it’s just a genre I get bored with ~ but I LOVED this book! I sincerely hope it’ll turn into a series!! I think I only saw two twists coming, out of seriously .. so many 🤣 I could not be more pleased by how the story played out & how intriguing the stakes were!! Very fabulous!!

Unique world, fun space opera

I like this author’s creative worlds and the way she twists expectations. I do think we needed more time in universe before attempting to resolve the plot. We were like 90% through, mystery growing ever more shrouded, before any resolution starts happening and I felt a bit of whiplash, had to re listen to a few sections. I’m excited to continue reading more stories and I have to respect an author that doesn’t stretch a story like this into a trilogy book deal.

Really enjoyed this!

Wow! This book was fast paced, action packed, and filled with all the twists and turns! I really enjoyed the differences in personality between the two main characters, and how those differences were what attracted them to each other. The world itself I found very intriguing and immersive. Especially how Navigators craft their paths, and the origins of the Cryst born.
This is definitely a world and a cast of characters that I will take two more books of! Zara Ramm was phenomenal as Bitter Amandine and Faven, I could not get enough of either. Even the side characters stood out and were memorable. Overall very intense and enjoyable!

Huge twist

Huge unexpected plot twist. The narrator does an amazing job, great listen. It is a little hard to follow at times had to re listen a few times. Otherwise it was a good book.

Fun story, but lacking world-building

The story was fun and the premise interesting, but there was so little world-building that I didn’t really have a sense of the original worlds that any of the characters came from. Similarly, I wasn’t attached to the characters enough to feel or care about their growth. Great idea, mediocre execution.