The book “As*troheads: Nearby” by Olga Gromyko is the sixth in the “As*troheads” series. Like the previous book in the cycle, “As*troheads: Before, Between, After“, this two-volume set is another collection of novellas and short stories.
However, I’ve noticed some clear differences. The works in the previous book were loosely connected: two novellas were tied by events, but the rest were simply sketches about beloved characters, some of which didn’t even qualify as full-fledged stories—just brief jokes on the theme.
In “As*troheads: Nearby”, there is a clear chronology of events, and many of the novellas and stories continue from previous ones in the same book. But the most important difference is that this collection introduces a new overarching theme.
Now for a few spoilers, so those who haven’t read the earlier books in the series might want to skip this part.
Initially, the series focused on the adventures of a colorful crew, which unexpectedly included a sentient cyborg (a technical defect). After many adventures, it turned out that there were quite a few “defective” cyborgs, and a fight for their rights became necessary. Thus, a separate organization for the rehabilitation of sentient cyborgs was created. This new book is dedicated to that theme.
Clearly, such a theme couldn’t be fully explored within the confines of a single transport crew. As a result, new cyborgs with their own stories and struggles to adapt to society are introduced into the narrative.
This approach brings fresh life to the series, which I personally really enjoyed. There are still a couple of brief, throwaway stories “about nothing,” but overall, the book turned out quite good.
My rating: 4.5/5
