Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Non-Binary
Reviewer: Scott
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About The Book
Sallon Lee is quiet, shy, and has no friends. They have no idea what they want for their future on the space station in which they live.
But they do know one thing: they have a huge crush on Ignis. The problem is, Ignis is so cool and popular, and has no idea who Sal is.
Sal has no chance with him.
Then a chance encounter throws the two of them together, and Sal finds themself forming a fast friendship with Ignis, thinking about their future, and other firsts.
Futures, Friends, and Other Firsts is a 6100 word sci-fi, solarpunk, hopepunk novelette that takes place in the same universe as Amara Lynn’s Tundras, Travelers, and Other Travesties, but can be read and enjoyed on its own.
The Review
This is the first story I’ve read by Amara Lynn. It won’t be the last. It’s really short – about 30 pages – and more YA than sci-fi, but it is set on a space station in a future time when being non-binary is about as remarkable as having brown hair.
The story caught my attention with the submitted excerpt, when the author requested a Queer Sci Fi announcement. It’s told in first person, and Sallon Lee is a quintessential teenager, caught up in high school politics and burdened with a hopeless crush on the best looking guy in their class:
“The thing about Ignis is, it’s hard to get him alone. He’s popular and charismatic, tall and lean, with golden brown skin, golden blond hair and pale blue eyes. He’s like the sun. Warm and bright, breathing life into everything his light touches.”
Is it too weird to admit I was kinda crushing on Ignis when I read that? Salon has it bad, and their struggle to deal with it when they finally catch Ignis’s attention defines the story.
Lynn gets the teen angst vibe just right, without it becoming annoying or a full-blown depression. Sallon is a joy to read, and, although I won’t spoil the ending, this is a beautiful, sweet little story. You should give it a try. Lynn is one to watch.
The Reviewer
Scott is the founder of Queer Sci Fi, and a fantasy and sci fi writer in his own right, with more than 30 published short stories, novellas and novels to his credit, including two trilogies.