One for the Books: Voyaging to new frontiers in space

With NASA’s Artemis moon project in the headlines, I thought it would be fun to look at a few imagined off-Earth futures. I wouldn’t claim to be a diehard fan of science fiction, but I do like a good story set on another planet or aboard a spaceship, such as Mary Doria Russell’s “The Sparrow” or Andy Weir’s “The Martian” and “Project Hail Mary.” Plenty of recent books fall into this category, but many are part of long-running series, and I didn’t want to jump into one already established. These novels are all firsts or standalones.

“A Hole in the Sky” by Peter F. Hamilton is the first of a new series. This coming-of-age story starts out like a YA romance with the feel of “Hunger Games.” It’s a special day in the life of Hazel, 17, and her brother, Frazer, 14. They live on the arkship Daedalus, a generation ship from Earth that’s been searching for a new planet for 900 years. “To start with, the ship was an asteroid, just a huge lump of stone floating round Earth’s sun. The Builders hollowed out the habitat section in the centre, making a cylindrical chamber fifty-five kilometres long and eleven in diameter.”