Author: Seth MacFarlane
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Pages: 108
Formats: Kindle
Rating: 5 stars
As a fan of The Orville, I must say their season three is the it’s reached it’s apex in terms of reaching its mark- while it started off as a “comedic” sci fi, instead it’s in the annals of classic sci fi as a well written and performed piece of artistic work, pondering questions in a way that only science fiction can do.
When I saw that there was a novella being written I eagerly pre ordered it- I had already read the comic books which were both brilliantly written and drawn, so I had high expectations of the novella.
Waiting to read it in the correct order- it is advertised as being based after the eighth episode of season three- when I saw the eighth episode I eagerly devoured the novella.
Full disclosure I am a massive book worm, so within a few pages I got a bit of a feeling of where this novella was heading and even said something out loud, but while I was proven right, it didn’t detract from the journey to the end.
An easy novella to read, I’m hesitant to give too many details of the plot away lest I ruin the enjoyment for a fellow reader. Admittedly I did wonder one big question, but that question was soon put to rest within the next chapter, which in my opinion shows you that Seth MacFarlane knows how to plot out a storyline.
What I can tell is that this novella does what classic science fiction does best- it ponders humanity both in the past and the future, in this case using the future as a frame to explore humanity’s past [spoiler redacted] (sorry not sorry!).
While only a short read this novella will make you engage and think of the ideas that it raises- which is what good science fiction do (for other examples look at both the novel and the 1997 adaptation of Heinlein’s Starship Troopers [despite massive differences both hold up extremely well though don’t try comparing to each other as you’ll go insane] and Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five).
If you’re on the fence about reading this novella I recommend it- it will stay with you and make you ponder a lot of things.