Goldilocks by Laura Lam

An Earth gasping out its last days leads a group of five women to steal a spaceship and head for a habitable planet called Cavendish that could be the new home for humanity in Goldilocks by Laura Lam.

Climate change is making the Earth less hospitable every day. Political change is bringing down the glass ceiling on women harder than ever. Five women, led by industrialist Valerie Black and her adopted daughter Naomi Lovelace, steal the ship Atatlanta and head out for the planet Cavendish.

The early part of the novel focuses on some of the mechanical and logistical challenges of the space voyage. It becomes clear in the second half of the book that there are different agendas at work and some among the crew may be hiding secrets.

The story is seen mostly through Naomi's eyes and dominated by her and Valerie's viewpoints. The other characters form a nice balance of competing personalities and dispositions. Conditions and politics on Earth are interestingly portrayed both in the present and through flashbacks. They highlight what has led these women to make the decisions they made. The story is more of a slow boiler than fast-paced action. The challenges and close quarters of space flight highlight the tension in the early part of the book. In the second half of the book, distrust among the crew about secrets the others may be hiding ramps up the tension.

Lam does a good job of highlighting the science not only of long-distance space flight but the challenges and possibilities involved in settling a new world. The book also shines a light on societal changes that are one possible extrapolation of both the current political and actual climate.

Goldilocks is a thoughtful book and one that leads to reflection after you turn the final page. A couple of leaps of faith are required in the scheme to steal the spaceship, but they don’t detract from the excitement. Goldilocks does a good job of balancing the science and adventure aspects with thoughtful character exploration. Recommended read.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

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