Ambrose Cusk is on a mission to save his sister from the base on Titan, Saturn’s moon. He’s been sent by his country while the only other country on Earth sends their representative, Kodiak Celius. Together, they must travel through space, fixing their craft and readying themselves for landing. Tensions rise, along with passion and companionship, but there’s something off about their mission and things are about to get crazy.

I haven’t read a lot sci-fi in a while. My selection growing up was David Weber and Star Wars books from my dad’s collection. So it’s not generally the genre I go for, but my friend said I should give this one a go. I absolutely loved it! First I was looking forward to them rescuing Ambrose’s sister from Titan and what would happen after that, but then I was invested in his and Kodiak’s growing relationship. As I kept reading, I was captured by the world building, which was very well done given that this is set in a spaceship and the characters are really only developed in this setting. But then I was invested in how all of this was going to end. I’d say more, but I don’t want to add spoilers. Just know that I stayed up late to finish.

When I had read the last sentence, I didn’t know to feel. These characters had gone through so much and I didn’t know how to process how they were feeling. Honestly, I felt anger, joy, loss, and hope for and with them throughout the book. I’m still processing this book; the implications of human actions, the grasping of difficult concepts, and a whole slew of other things I can’t even begin to identify. This one is definitely going to stay with me for a while and probably into my next few reads. But I regret nothing.

This one’s going to go on my instant recommendation list.

Title: The Darkness Outside Us

Author: Eliot Schrefer

Genre: Sci-fi, LGBTQ+, Thriller

Published: 2021

Pages: 393

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source:  Borrowed from a friend