Light from Other Stars (Swyler) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
In Erika Swyler’s glittering novel Light from Other Stars, Nedda has sky-high dreams of following in Judith Resnik’s footsteps but finds herself subject to the reckless whims of others.… Both external and internal landscapes—including Florida orange groves in sweltering demise, the constrictions of womanhood, and deep space—are rendered with precision.… [E]licits wonder and sadness in turn.
Foreword Reviews


A tender and ambitious journey through space and time, Light From Other Stars contains stunning twists and turns along the way from Nedda’s childhood to her later life aboard a spacecraft on a mission bound for Mars.
Vulture


Exquisite prose in an ambitious novel told in two timelines.… It's hard to imagine a sci-fi book so focused on pure, deep emotion while centered on the Earth and the wonders of space. Light from Other Stars hits big issues: loneliness, the bond between parent and child; grief; death and what happens to us after death . . . Plain and simple, I loved this book.
Midwest Book Review


A masterful story that hops through time to tell a tale of love and ambition, grief and resilience.… It is full of joy and wonder, a reminder to never stop looking up into the stars and the infinite spaces in between them.
Nylon


(Starred review) In the dual narratives of Swyler’s poignant latest, a small Florida town falls into a sinkhole in time…. Swyler’s beautiful story, told in eloquent prose, induces shivers of wonder. This meditation on time, loss, and the depth of human connection is both melancholy and astonishing.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review) [Swyler] offers a moving, often heartrending story with lyrical grace.… Fans of the film Interstellar, Jeff VanderMeer’s “Southern Reach" trilogy, and character-driven drama will have a new favorite. Simply gorgeous.
Library Journal


(Starred review) [B]ends genres as it explores how the past intrudes on the present.… Although… plenty of science fiction elements, [the novel is] also a coming-of-age story.…  Swyler has set herself an ambitious task. But the novel is well-paced, with a satisfying twist near the end.
BookPage


(Starred review) Love and loss compel a brilliant scientist to defy the laws of physics.… Grand in scope and graceful in execution, Swyler's latest is at once a wistfully nostalgic coming-of-age tale and a profound work of horror-tinged science fiction.
Kirkus Reviews