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The Stars Change

The Stars Change is a gorgeous illustrated novella with art by Jack Kotz that is very hard to categorize and describe. It’s science fiction, with romantic and erotic elements. It’s not a romance per se, but romance readers who are also drawn to other kinds of fiction will appreciate the emphasis this book places on the importance of all kinds of love.

At the University of All Worlds, humans (mostly colonists from Southeast Asia), non-humanoid aliens, and humans who have been genetically modified come together to work and to learn, but not without considerable tension. When some members of the University become aware of an impending missile attack, they have to decide whether to hide, run, or try to stop the attack. The events of this one night shape and are shaped by a variety of emotional connections to friends, family, lovers, and community.

This book begins with a series of chapters that work as connected short stories. As the book goes on, the connections between the stories grow stronger so that by the end of the book, all the characters are united in one story arc. Some of these stories are happy, some sad. Some involve a lot of sex (the very first chapter includes a graphic depiction of casual sex in a park at night). There’s a lesbian couple, and an older couple (who still enjoy their sexy times), and non-gender-binary couples. There are couples who are breaking up and couples who are just starting to explore the idea of a relationship. The book also explores relationships between exes, friends, parents and children, individuals, communities, and cultures. There’s also a lot of food; don’t read this while you are hungry.

I loved the use of language in this book, and the way it uses science fiction to explore race, gender, and sexuality. Above all, I’m just a huge sucker for stories that explore themes of accountability, forgiveness, diversity, and compassion. It’s a cerebral book in tone, yet I found it to be incredibly moving.

– Carrie S

The Stars Change: an erotic science fiction novel-in-stories. On a South Asian-settled university planet, tensions are rising, and as they reach the brink of interstellar war, life (and sex) continues. Humans, aliens, and modified humans gather at the University of All Worlds in search of knowledge… and self-knowledge… but the first bomb has fallen and the fate of this multicultural, multispecies mecca is in question. Some people will seek solace in physical contact, some will look for spiritual answers, while others will find their strength in community, family, and love. Some will rush home to make love to their wife. Or wives. Or husbands. Or indeterminate gender human and/or alien partners. Others will be forced to decide where they stand — what is worth fighting for, or maybe even worth dying for.

In The Stars Change, author Mary Anne Mohanraj presents a multi-layered, thought-provoking, and far-reaching work on sexuality and the connections between people–whether male or female, human or alien. The Stars Change is part space opera, part literary mosaic of story, poem, and art.

It is fitting that a book that emphasizes the power of community was funded through Kickstarter. Begun as a project entitled “Demi Monde,” The Stars Change is the result of the money raised by supporters that went to pay for not only the art and illustrations in the book, but the author’s time, allowing her to focus on writing for that crucial interval.