Weekly Read: Found by Lesli Weber

One of the best parts about publishing my own book has been making connections with other authors, from making new friends at writing retreats to interviewing authors whose books I adore, to meeting newbies in the same first-time publishing boat as I’m currently paddling in.

Lesli Weber, author of Found is one of my fellow newbies.

She self-published her debut novel this summer, and you guys, IT’S SO GOOD!!!

I “met” Lesli through and author facebook group, and after connecting with her through some cross-promotion opportunities, she gifted me a copy of her ebook.

Normally, I wouldn’t review a book gifted to me by a fellow newbie indie author.

As much as I love indie, there’s a much wider spectrum of writing quality in indie publishing, and the last thing I’d ever want to do is tell a fellow author I DNF’d their book. But I made a special exception for Lesli because her book was already on my TBR before she sent it to me. I knew Found would be my kind of novel based on the glowing praise it received from Kirkus Reviews, stating it has a “fast-paced plotline” and that “weight is accorded to the emotional states of the players.”

Fast paced and emotional is my kind of read.

But even though I knew Lesli’s book would be a fun adventure with quality writing, I was still surprised by what I discovered in the pages of Found.

This story is about more than alien abduction. More than intriguing intercultural exchange. It’s about grief and resilience and the connections that give us the strength to continue in the face of loss.

Michelle, the protagonist, has already experienced her fair share of loss when the story opens. She and her brother are picking up the pieces of tragedy, beginning a new life on Mars where Michelle’s college sweetheart has found work as a researcher.

Michelle’s day to day life in the Mars colony and her interactions with her husband and brother are so genuine and relatable that as a reader you really feel the pain along with Michelle when she’s ripped away from her new home by alien abduction.

Along with other colony women, Michelle is subjected to lab tests and animal-like treatment. But the adventure really begins when she’s rescued by a second group of aliens, the Vinyi.

At first, Vinyi military doctor Sam and engineer Suji see Michelle as a pet. But when she begins to learn their language, they realize that Michelle is more than a pet, she’s a person. But not all of her hosts believe their guest is sentient, and when Michelle is attacked by those who would see her in a cage, Sam and Suji realize the only way to save Michelle’s life is to petition for her induction as a Vinyi citizen.

Michelle must learn the ways of an intriguing alien culture and prove her worth as a warrior in order to earn the right to personhood. And more than that, she must learn to keep fighting in a universe that isn’t fair, to keep living when it would be easier to die, and to find the strength within herself to move forward through heartwrenching loss.

This book took me on a wild ride of emotions as Michelle goes through the wringer and comes out the other side having experienced real, believable character growth. It’s these emotional depths that make Lesli Weber’s Found stand out among the crowd of space exploration adventures in both the Indie and Trad Pub spheres.

I’d recommend Found to readers who enjoy the strong, level headed female characters in Mary Robinette Kowal’s Lady Astronaut series, and to fans of alien cultural exchange and inter-species friendships like those in Yume Kitasei’s The Stardust Grail. And, bonus, because its Indie you can download Found for a lower price than either of these trad-pub comps! You can also order signed copies directly from the author’s website!

It’s not a romance, but Lesli Weber’s Found is most definitely science fiction with tons of heart. I’ll be looking out for the next book in the Vinyi Chronicles, which Lesli hopes to draft this year!