The Captain’s Log – sisters of the vast black (Lina Rather)

Ahoy there me mateys!  Aye, this novella has nuns in space.  But it also has so much more.  It is a fantastic character study about a group of women who have secrets and what happens when Rome and the Earth’s government try to involve them in a conspiracy.

Well the first thing I have to squee about is the living ship that is a kinda slug that the nuns live in.  I love me some spaceships.  I love me some living spaceships where ye get to hear about the realities of what living in one is like.  These ships were fascinating and I loved the details about them like genetic studies and how ye raise them.  This ship is even more complicated because it has hit maturity way too early and wants to breed!

The nuns themselves were pretty awesome.  There are 10 in the ship and ye get to know five of them pretty well.  Sister Faustina was me favourite with Sister Gemma a close second.  I enjoyed the idea of a priest from Rome coming onboard to get them caught up with church doctrine and policy.  I loved it even more that the nuns manage to have faith and adapt to both space and progress.

The only major problem I had was that the climax and ending were abrupt and I guessed some of the bad guy plot twists.  That said, this was fun and I am so glad I finally got to read it.  Arrr!

Goodreads has this to say about the novella:

Years ago, Old Earth sent forth sisters and brothers into the vast dark of the prodigal colonies armed only with crucifixes and iron faith. Now, the sisters of the Order of Saint Rita are on an interstellar mission of mercy aboard Our Lady of Impossible Constellations, a living, breathing ship which seems determined to develop a will of its own.

When the order receives a distress call from a newly-formed colony, the sisters discover that the bodies and souls in their care—and that of the galactic diaspora—are in danger. And not from void beyond, but from the nascent Central Governance and the Church itself.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Lina Rather – Author

To buy the book go to:

sisters of the vast black – Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List