Victories Greater Than Death is the beginning of the debut YA science fiction series by award-winning author Charlie Jane Anders. 2021 is the year I wanted to read more science fiction and as a lover of the young adult genre, Victories Greater Than Death was a must read. It was presented to me very early on with a fantastic cover and interesting synopsis and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, so there was a lot of hype on my end.
What is it all about you ask? Victories Greater Than Death tells the story of Tina, the human clone and reincarnation of the most brilliant and daring alien commander in all the galaxy. She has known from birth that her destiny is more than any of her human friends could ever imagine and has spent her life waiting for the rescue beacon within her to activate. When it does, it sets off a thrilling and whirlwind adventure that takes Tina, her best friend Rachael, and some of the smartest young people on Earth into an intergalactic war where they must save the world.
The premise of this book left me on the edge of my seat! It has everything a good science fiction novel should have: good and bad aliens, a space war, and a near impossible mission to save the world. Anders has added a diverse and gender fluid cast of heroes to tell this tale and it was a huge part of the plot that drew me to this book.
This is the first book I have personally read that normalises the use of pronouns. I adored this inclusion throughout the book and that each character is introduced by both name and pronouns. It makes this book so inclusive and a true shining beacon in our current society. We live in a society that is becoming more aware of gender fluidity every day and while there is still a long way to go, there is hope for acceptance for all. Victories Greater Than Death normalises the use of pronouns for all, both those that identify with the gender they were assigned at birth and those that don’t.
The main trope throughout the book is the classic Chosen One narrative with a great twist! Tina has spent her life living and knowing that she is the chosen one, the one that will save the galaxy and as such enters this adventure without the awkwardness that most chosen one narratives fall into. But Anders doesn’t stop there and throws in one more twist that gives Tina’s character a dangerous edge. Tina is the clone of a legendary space captain but when the memory retrieval process fails to reveal the required personal memories the heroes are left scrambling for a new plan.
The worldbuilding throughout the novel was troublesome for me as at times there was a lack of information that would have made the plot flow more seamlessly. This was very apparent in the descriptions of some of the alien races and in some of the motivations of certain characters. At times I got lost in the plot as it was a bit hard to follow and when this happened it was easy to get distracted and lose my place. The bits that I did pick up were interesting and I enjoyed that the “bad” aliens were not simply bad because they were scary or because they looked different, but because there is a complex society with differing political choices and stances.
The political opinions I picked up on throughout this book were ones that mirror our own society. There are discussions on racism, gender identity, and the associated stigmatism people face from society. I wish there was a bit more focus on these issues but they are intertwined with explosions and epic adventures, which while cool also shift peoples focus from them so they don’t feel “too serious”.
I am an adult who loves young adult fiction for its ease of reading. Victories Greater Than Death appeared to fall into the younger YA category and the language used felt intentionally simplified. Young adult is a unique genre where I feel that authors aren’t required to “dumb down” their worlds or characters to connect with their audiences. Anders took this tact in this book and it really distracted me from the overall finish of the novel.
Overall, Victories Greater Than Death is a wonderful book and will appeal to readers new to the science fiction genre and readers with an appreciation for inclusivity and diversity. Readers that have experience within the science fiction genre may find this book clunky and unsophisticated, but that being said, the book has overwhelmingly endearing qualities. Tina is an intriguing main character and the action that ensues will take you on a wild ride. There is also a cute romance that I didn’t touch on in this review, but was an enjoyable addition that I hope to see more of in the following books.
Victories Greater Than Death is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A thrilling adventure set against an intergalactic war with international bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders at the helm in her YA debut—think Star Wars meets Doctor Who, and buckle your seatbelts.
Tina has always known her destiny is outside the norm—after all, she is the human clone of the most brilliant alien commander in all the galaxies (even if the rest of the world is still deciding whether aliens exist). But she is tired of waiting for her life to begin.
And then it does—and maybe Tina should have been more prepared. At least she has a crew around her that she can trust—and her best friend at her side. Now, they just have to save the world.
From internationally bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky) comes a thrilling adventure set against an intergalactic war—Anders’s long-awaited YA debut.
