10/18/2021
Chen (We Could Be Heroes) delivers an emotional blend of space opera and family drama. Fifteen years ago, Jakob Shao joined the war efforts of the alien coalition that abducted him from Earth. Now, dire circumstances force him to return home and face the family left behind. Jakob’s disappearance devastated the Shao family, sending sisters Evie and Kassie on divergent paths: Evie spent those 15 years researching possible alien sightings, while Kassie has always believed that Jakob simply ran away—and that Evie has abandoned her responsibilities to chase a delusion. Chen captures both the love and the friction of their sibling relationship when Jakob returns with a cover story about backpacking through Europe, confirming Kassie’s theory. An element of doubt creeps in, however, when the FBI shows up wanting to question Jakob as part of a domestic terrorism investigation. Kassie and Evie agree to help, but Evie breaks her promise when given the opportunity to prove that Jakob was abducted. Chen adroitly explores the contradictory emotions typical of sibling dynamics and the holding pattern of familial roles against the distant backdrop of UFO investigation and intergalactic battle. The result is sure to keep readers turning pages. Agent: Eric Smith, P.S. Literary. (Jan.)
Praise for LIGHT YEARS FROM HOME
"A rich backstory... a highly satisfying ending... All the stars for Chen's warmhearted space-travel story.” –Kirkus, starred review
“A poignant, smart story that gives a twist to a classic sci-fi premise.” –BookBub
“Chen once again delivers a moving story of fractured familial relationships against the backdrop of a science fiction adventure…. The idea that an intergalactic war cannot seem to alter sibling dynamics feels true here, and readers will root for the Shaos to find the reconciliation they need to move forward. Fans of light sci-fi and emotional journeys should enjoy this touching family drama spiked with a hint of space opera. This combination of a cosmic adventure and the story of strained sibling ties packs high-stakes action and terrific emotional range into one dynamic novel.” –Shelf Awareness
"A vivid, strong novel that will enchant SF fans who enjoy concentrated, touching stories that narrow in on relationships and emotional consequences." —Booklist
"A heartfelt novel of family dysfunction wrapped in an intergalactic cloak… Chen’s strength in writing poignant character arcs, especially within family dynamics, shines here, as does his ability to craft intriguing blends of literary and speculative fiction with compelling, character-driven plots.” –Library Journal
“Chen delivers an emotional blend of space opera and family drama…. Captures both the love and the friction of [the] sibling relationship [and] adroitly explores the contradictory emotions typical of sibling dynamics and the holding pattern of familial roles against the distant backdrop of UFO investigation and intergalactic battle. The result is sure to keep readers turning pages.” –Publishers Weekly
"So good, sweet and funny and dark and weird, Light Years from Home is a tense family melodrama wrapped inside a wild alien abduction story. Nerve-jangling and heartbreaking, it explores the traumas of mental illness, the annoyances of sibling rivalry—and the dangers of an interstellar war whose fingers are slowly reaching for Earth. I could not put this book down. I wanted to know more about the aliens, sure, but mostly I was desperate to find out how the Shao family would come back together." —Annalee Newitz, bestselling author of Autonomous and Four Lost Cities
“Light Years From Home crosses the stakes and imagination of a space opera with the emotional depth and intricacy of a family drama. With a gamer’s heart and insight worthy of a psychologist, Chen writes a family in which sibling relationships are more complex than galactic warfare. It’s impossible not to see yourself in the Shaos, and it’s impossible not to love them. Reading Mike Chen is an absolute joy.” –Erika Swyler, bestselling author of Light from Other Stars
"Mike Chen delivers another perfect blend of sci-fi and heart, turning sweeping space opera inside out to examine real, intricate human emotions and complicated family dynamics. Honest, warm and insightful, with wry humor and gut-punch emotion by turns, Light Years from Home was a joy to read." —Rowenna Miller, author of the Unraveled Kingdom series
“Fast-paced, funny, and strung with as much love as there are stars in the sky, Mike Chen’s Light Years from Home re-invents the alien abduction story, recast here as an adrenaline-filled adventure about persevering and belonging. His heart-filled characters shine as they search for their place in the galaxy—and with each other, finding hope, new beginnings, and above all else, family.” –Alison Stine, Philip K Dick Award-winning author of Trashlands
“A beautifully realized deep dive on the meaning of family told within an alien abduction framework… The Shao family feels real and lived in, so I can only assume Mike Chen has insider knowledge on intergalactic warfare as well.” –Sarah Pinsker, Nebula Award-winning author of A Song for a New Day and We Are Satellites
“I love a book about siblings, and this one combines a clever sci-fi plot with a moving and deeply relatable depiction of a family in crisis. Propelled just as much by the complicated feelings Kassie, Evie, and Jakob have for each other as by Jakob’s quest to win an intergalactic war, the novel asks the wrenching question: is it worse to be the one to leave your family, maybe forever, or to be the ones left at home? Light Years from Home is science fiction with heart, and reminded me in the best possible way of The X-Files—not just because an alien abduction is at the center of the story, but also because of how attached I became to its compelling, funny, and flawed characters. Right now I think we’re all yearning for stories that either offer an escape or warm our hearts; Mike Chen's novel does both.” –Kate Hope Day, author of In the Quick
"Achingly real sibling dynamics and tense action combine in a moving portrait of the human cost of a cosmic adventure. With heart and humor, Light Years from Home explores how grief and trauma scatter a family across time and space, and what happens to the ones left behind." —Catriona Silvey, author of Meet Me in Another Life
Praise for the novels of Mike Chen
“An incredibly fun and thoughtful take on superhero lore, with flawed but immensely relatable main characters.” —Buzzfeed on We Could Be Heroes
“The story of deep friendship and the sheer power that comes from feeling less alone in the world…. An overall enjoyable, exciting, and action-packed read.” –Associated Press on We Could Be Heroes
"The perfect blend of light science fiction and contemporary fiction. It’s accessible and easy to read, but because of how vivid the characters are, this book is guaranteed to hook readers from the very first page." —The Nerd Daily on We Could Be Heroes
“Chen has a true gift for making the biggest of worlds center around the most complex workings of hearts... Compelling, realistic, and impossible to put down.” —Booklist, starred review, on A Beginning at the End
“Sometimes it is not the violent battles of post-apocalyptic stories that pull readers in; it is the emotional connection of humanity finding their way. Chen's prose lights a brilliant, fragile path through the darkness.” —Library Journal, starred review, on A Beginning at the End
“Clever, thrilling and full of heart, it is an instant sci-fi classic.” —Hypable.com on Here and Now and Then
08/01/2021
On a family camping trip 15 years ago, Evie and Kass Shao's father and brother suddenly vanished like smoke. Their father returned disoriented, claiming alien abduction, but brother Jakob never returned at all. While Kass has plunged forward with her life, Evie follows up on alien conspiracy theories in hopes of finding Jakob—who finally reappears, possibly trailing intergalactic warfare in his wake. With a 30,000-copy first printing.
★ 2021-11-30
Three siblings torn apart by their brother's disappearance, father's death, and mother's dementia team up to save an alien world.
Jakob Shao returns to Earth after years away to retrieve a device that's key to saving his alien friend Henry's home world from a species of ravaging marauders. After a stop in Reno, Nevada, Jakob makes his way to the family home in Mountain View, California, where he's reunited with his sisters. Twin Kassie is a divorced, cigarette-smoking psychologist, online role-playing gamer, and caregiver for the siblings' mother, Sofia Aguilar-Shao, who has dementia. Younger sister Evie is a selfie-taking veterinarian tech in Buffalo, New York, whose side hustle involves proving the existence of extraterrestrial life in an effort to locate her missing brother. Shattered by the death of their father, Arnold Shao, as an indirect result of Jakob's disappearance 15 years earlier, the siblings must overcome past hurts and misunderstandings and learn to appreciate one another and work together to determine whether Jakob is suffering from psychotic delusions, is a terrorist on the run from the FBI, or is actually a space soldier on a desperate mission. A rich backstory that explores the Shao family's disparate memories of the night Jakob and Arnold disappeared and a highly satisfying ending add welcome texture.
All the stars for Chen's warmhearted space-travel story.
★ 04/01/2022
Chen (We Could Be Heroes) returns with an endearing alien contact space opera that mixes dysfunctional family drama with UFO abduction conspiracies and makes for an excellent audiobook. Fifteen years ago, the Shao family was ripped apart when two of its members disappeared from a family camping trip: Arnold Shao, the family patriarch, who eventually returned, and his son Jakob, who did not. Arnold swore until his dying day that he and Jakob were abducted by aliens. Now Arnold's twin daughters Kass and Evie barely speak and live on opposite sides of the country. Kass takes care of their mother, who has dementia, while Evie has dropped out of college to dive into the conspiracy theory—riddled world of UFO hunters. Soon Jakob returns, but is he really the brother Evie and Kass remember? Chen has written supremely thoughtful science fiction intertwined with a deeply relatable family drama, narrated here with gusto and empathy by the incomparable Emily Woo Zeller. VERDICT Chen's novel is sure to please fans of literary fiction as well as staples of sci-fi TV like The X-Files and Fringe. A worthy addition to any contemporary science fiction audio collection.—Chelsea Lytal
Narrator Emily Woo Zeller gives an emotionally attuned performance of this family-driven science-fiction audiobook. A family is torn apart by son Jakob’s disappearance and the ensuing years of bitter recriminations and grief that followed. Then Jakob returns to Earth as an intergalactic soldier who protects an important code from a merciless enemy. His unexpected arrival forces his sisters, Evie and Kass, to confront long-held grievances and reassess their priorities. Zeller deftly shifts between the siblings’ perspectives as they are increasingly drawn into their brother’s enigmatic mission. Her tone and cadence reflect the shifting weight of Kass’s determination to hold it together and Evie’s singular search for truth as they make their cathartic journeys toward healing and closure. Smart pacing and thoughtful characterizations combine for a memorable experience. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Narrator Emily Woo Zeller gives an emotionally attuned performance of this family-driven science-fiction audiobook. A family is torn apart by son Jakob’s disappearance and the ensuing years of bitter recriminations and grief that followed. Then Jakob returns to Earth as an intergalactic soldier who protects an important code from a merciless enemy. His unexpected arrival forces his sisters, Evie and Kass, to confront long-held grievances and reassess their priorities. Zeller deftly shifts between the siblings’ perspectives as they are increasingly drawn into their brother’s enigmatic mission. Her tone and cadence reflect the shifting weight of Kass’s determination to hold it together and Evie’s singular search for truth as they make their cathartic journeys toward healing and closure. Smart pacing and thoughtful characterizations combine for a memorable experience. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
