Set in a near-future where humankind must look to the stars for its rare earth elements to sustain its high-tech existence, the first volume of Lou Iovino’s Rare Earth trilogy is an irresistible science fiction page-turner that will have readers openly weeping in places and applauding in others.

The story starts with Thea Watts attending her late father’s funeral services. Her dad, a legend in astromining circles when the industry was booming, has left his daughter his old ship, the Zephyr, which has been collecting space dust on the moon for years. Planning on selling the ship and moving on with her life, everything changes when she sits in her late father’s captain’s chair.

Deciding to oppose the all-powerful Conglomerate and relaunch her father’s independent astromining company, Thea has no idea what she’s up against. The ruthless Conglomerate has a stranglehold on the industry, but more insidious is a terrorist organization obsessed with resetting the world and returning the population to the “human condition.” As tragic accidents impact ship after ship and the body count increases, Thea and her crew of misfits begin operations.

This narrative is a masterclass in storytelling. While no novel is flawless, this little SF gem comes close. The deep character development and dynamism is extraordinary; readers will find themselves intensely invested in Thea and her team. The pacing is breakneck and the narrative action-packed. The backstory is believable but not over-explained, while the intertwining plot threads are impressively knotty.

But it’s the secondary elements that make this novel such a treasure. Subtle literary and science fiction references abound, which will delight deep readers (e.g., Thea’s middle name is Octavia). And every chapter ends with tremendous impact: a bombshell plot twist, a stunning image, a perception-altering statement, etc., making the reading addictive.

Inheritance is highly recommended, not just for discerning science fiction fans but also for aspiring writers looking to up their game. This is a blueprint of how it’s done.

A woman gets pulled into a dying industry plagued with corporate intrigue and disruption in this engaging SF thriller set in near-future space.

Thea Watts had spent the last three years taking care of her father, Scottie, slowly losing him to Alzheimer’s disease. Before he got sick, he had been an independent astrominer, so Thea rarely saw him while growing up. The Conglomerate and other national operations now dominate astromining, squeezing out the independent miners. Thea’s most significant inheritance is his ship, the Zephyr, used for traveling and mining rare earth minerals. Intent on selling it, Thea travels to Darkside Station on the moon. But a lowball offer from a Conglomerate buyer sends her on a different path. She cobbles together a five-person crew to run the ship, including Elliott, who becomes her lover. As if being a new, independent operator wasn’t struggle enough, Thea faces other massive obstacles. First, a couple of ships have been destroyed under mysterious circumstances in recent months. Second, the Conglomerate plans to force the Zephyr into its fold, and they make life miserable for Thea after she again rejects their offer. But when her ship comes under attack and tragedy strikes, Thea attempts to track the saboteur, whose identity is a surprise (to her). Iovino, whose previous work was Data
Mine (2022), does a marvelous job setting up his Rare Earth trilogy with this mesmerizing opener. The characterization is strong; Thea evolves from a bitter college dropout to a decisive leader, and the entire crew is well individualized and multidimensional. The author cleverly uses rare earth minerals as this world’s precious commodity. The vision of the astromining industry is sadly believable. The work’s biggest flaw is that the saboteur’s identity is relatively simple to guess, but this beginning successfully whets the reader’s appetite for the two books to follow.

A strong cast and a well-designed setting fuel this entertaining space opera.