Book Blurb:

There are no second chances in the Pangu Star System.

Ver and Aryl, apprentices at the most prestigious biology lab among the system’s moons, know this better than anyone. They’ve left behind difficult pasts and pinned their hopes for the future on Cal, their brilliant but demanding boss. But one night while working late in the lab, they find Cal sprawled on the floor, dead.

Murdered.

And they immediately become the prime suspects.

Their motives seem obvious. Ver, who left her home moon to study the life-threatening disease wracking her body, had a hopeless attachment to Cal that could’ve become twisted by jealousy. Aryl, on the other hand, clashed with workaholic Cal because she valued more in her life than research.

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REVIEW:

Pangu’s Shadow is the perfect book for anyone looking for a whip-smart murder mystery wrapped in layers of complex characters and a healthy sprinkling of thought-provoking social commentary. From immigration to geographical privilege, medical care accessibility to body modifications, this book fearlessly delves into a myriad of sociopolitical topics while keeping readers on the edge of their seat. 

The story kicks off with an introduction to Aryl and Ver, whose lives are thrown together when their lab instructor is found dead and the two of them are the prime suspects. Ver and Aryl are incredibly nuanced characters with distinctive voices—I particularly love how many of Ver’s chapters opens with sharing a scientific fact and relating it to the scene taking place. Aryl’s love for dance was such a visceral passion I could feel it thrumming through her very core—her love of dance, combined with her academic work in the biosciences, gave her very dynamic internals. Her complicated relationship with regards to her scientific studies also adds depth to her character; on one hand, Aryl understands her parents have sacrificed a lot in order to give her this opportunity at a prestigious school so that she might claw herself up on the socioeconomic ladder, and yet on the other hand, Aryl yearns to live a life where her passion for dance and the sciences can coexist healthily without others judging her.

While Aryl could leap and twirl the day away, Ver’s body is slowly falling apart. Diagnosed with a disease that ravages her nerves, musculature system, and more, Ver knows she has limited time to live. As it is, her body is physically fragile—she relies on her cane for mobility and medications to treat the pain. Her hardships have only made her ever more determined to discover a cure for the disease the plagues her and so many others from her homeworld. Being the researcher that she is, Ver is able to both objectively accepts her disabilities while subjectively raging against the unfairness of it all, and this seemingly contradictory stance on something so devastatingly intimidate makes her feel all the more real.

In particular, I enjoyed how the book handled the exploration of discrimination happening within even underprivileged communities themselves, especially when it feels easier to turn on each other by playing the blame game rather than fighting against the more powerful oppressor. Just as—if not more—importantly, I thought it was wonderful how Aryl and Ver had the courage and strength to break the generational trauma that had been passed down through their families. By first overcoming their personal differences with each other, Aryl and Ver were then able join forces and tackle the Big Bad.

With short chapters that make the reading fly by, a whole solar system to explore, and a murder mystery to solve, Pangu’s Shadow is a star all around!

Tags: sci fi mystery, queer romance, lunar setting, academic setting, disability rep, immigrant experience, societal commentary, futuristic technology, intelligent prosthetics