Braking Day

Starred review from February 21, 2022
Engineer-in-training Ravi MacLeod unwittingly becomes entangled in a dangerous conspiracy in Oyebanji’s brilliant debut, a vibrant exploration of society aboard a generation starship. One hundred and thirty-two years earlier, a fleet comprising three generation ships left an Earth overtaken by AI to forge a new life for humans on a planet orbiting Tau Ceti, the “Destination Star.” As they approach their final destination, Oyebanji paints a convincing picture of a society molded by unusual circumstance, highlighting its commitment to the mission and a class structure based on one’s status as either officer or crew member. Ravi’s on track to be the first in his family to make officer when he starts having visions of a strange girl outside the ship without a space suit who delivers an urgent warning. Concerned he might be going insane, Ravi turns to his cousin, Boz, for help, and the pair stumble across information that suggests the three-ship fleet is hiding a devastating secret about their departure from Earth. Oyebanji builds intrigue upon intrigue through the novel’s first half and pays off the suspense with a series of jaw-dropping revelations. Innovative worldbuilding, a plot packed with surprises, and Oyebanji’s nuanced exploration of social and cultural shifts make this a must-read for space opera fans. Agent: Brady McReynolds, JABberwocky Literary.

Starred review from April 1, 2022

DEBUT In lawyer Oyebanji's debut sf thriller, the colony ships Archimedes, Bohr, and Chandrasekhar, after 132 years in flight from Homeworld Earth, are getting ready to brake for their Destination World. Ravi MacLeod is the first in his family to break from their petty criminal traditions and train to become an officer. As a trainee engineer, he realizes that something is very wrong aboard the Archimedes. The officers are covering up something big: a fourth ship has brought more to their new home than peaceful intentions. But so has the Archimedes. It's up to Ravi, his ace-hacker cousin Boz, and a mysterious girl who might be a hallucination to arrange a solution before the fleet destroys itself. The tension mounts as Ravi is determined to prevent mutually assured destruction while his ship's officers are equally determined to pretend all is well. VERDICT This is a story of people who are their own worst enemies as groups fracture, danger ramps up, and options close in. It will appeal to fans of colony ship stories and coming-of-age tales.--Marlene Harris

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 25, 2022
Ravi MacLeod is a bright young engineering trainee, working hard in the lead up to Braking Day. That's the day his home ship, launched from Earth over a century before, will finally approach the Destination World and begin the complex and dangerous process of stopping. When Ravi starts having strange dreams and hallucinations, a mystery that could jeopardize the mission begins to unfold. Generations before, First Crew fled Earth, where humanity had become subjugated to omnipotent AI. Now Ravi is beginning to worry that something might have followed them. With the help of his rebellious hacker cousin, Boz, Ravi must discover who's out there in the void, stalking the fleet, and what their intentions are. The cleverly foreshadowed, genuinely surprising revelations in the final act bring the book roaring back to a satisfying conclusion. Lovingly crafted characterization and world building, along with a satisfying twist, make Braking Day a worthy entry in the (space)shipboard thriller genre exemplified by classics such as Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 and Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes (2017).

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