Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis Narrator: Braden Wright
Published by Brilliance Audio on March 19, 2024
Source: Purchased
Genres: Science Fiction
Length: 10 hrs 3 mins
Pages: 324
Format: Audiobook
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Audible
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This cozy debut science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars.
Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as: Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver's conference? And perhaps most pertinently—who is driving the ship?
Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It's the love of his life and the only place he's ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl's comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?
The Floating Hotel is the Abeona, a spaceship hotel touring the galaxy. It’s definitely light on technology. The Abeona itself is rather retro, with lots of wood and paper and pneumatic tubes There seems to be only one woman on the maintenance team and we never really know many details of how the ship works, just that it does and has been doing so for decades.
Every chapter in Floating Hotel is written from a new character’s POV. Most of them are staff or returning regulars, and each has a past, or purpose, that has led them to the hotel. We learn their backstories and see how they spend their days. The stories and characters gradually build a picture of the vibrant life on the hotel, while weaving in a few mysteries as the plot meanders along.
I enjoyed the book, right up until the end. I wish the mystery portion could have somehow worked out differently or maybe been worked through the narratives better. Or maybe i just hate when endings make me cry.
About Grace Curtis
Outside of novels, Grace Curtis mostly makes her living from video games. She’s written for magazines like Eurogamer and Edge, and has a wonderful day job at an indie game publisher called Future Friends. When not writing she can usually be found up a hill somewhere, climbing or hiking or lolling idly in the grass. She lives in Bristol, UK.
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