This was another great purchase courtesy of the new YA graphic novel section at my Barnes & Noble! Across a Field of Starlight has everything I want in a book — thoughtful science fiction, an examination of what growing up in a traumatic situation of deprivation vs growing up in a utopian commune situation does to you, interrogation of colonialism, mental health, trans and queer characters (one of the main characters has the pansexual pride flag tattooed on their arm!), body diversity, etc, etc, etc… It was a breath of fresh air and made me personally feel very seen.
Fassen and Lu meet when they’re children. Lu’s family are part of a commune that lives in secret from the Ever-Blossoming Empire and the Fireback Brigade resistance. By living apart from both sides, the commune has managed to build a society in which no one goes without and where people can have the space to explore their interests and passions. Fassen grew up in the Fireback resistance and their parents were killed in a shuttle crash, so they have an understanding that they need to be useful in order to be deserving. Fassen and Lu keep in touch secretly as they grow up, but they haven’t seen each other in person again until a series of events cause them to have to work together, and maybe change the course of the war.
As I said above, this book really has it all. If you like mindfully done science fiction where the author is really digging into the moral issues of different government structures, and the implication of being willing to do anything for the resistance, then this is the book for you! The art is beautiful, the writing is layered, the relationships are nuanced and interesting, the plethora of body types and genders are a joy, and it is always a relief to read trans characters done by a trans author. I felt like I could exhale and I didn’t have to worry. The moment when Fassen finally gets on hormones and has stubble coming in! ***chef’s kiss*** I related very much to that bolt of intense and jealous need/desire when you first realize the options that are out there. The whole book was very well done, and I hope that RH Graphic keeps doing books like this and getting them into the hands of young readers who need them. I wish I’d had something like this when I was growing up.
Warnings for: violence (battles), imperialism/colonialism, PTSD type flashbacks, trauma (physical and emotional), attempted murder of children, deprivation of food, death.