Victories Greater Than Death

Charlie Jane Anders

Apr 2021 · Unstoppable! Book 1 · Sold by Tor Teen

About this ebook

Outsmart Your Enemies. Outrun the Galaxy.

“Just please, remember what I told you. Run. Don’t stop running for anything.”

Tina never worries about being 'ordinary'--she doesn't have to, since she's known practically forever that she's not just Tina Mains, average teenager and beloved daughter. She's also the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon, and one day soon, it's going to activate, and then her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars will finally be possible. Tina's legacy, after all, is intergalactic--she is the hidden clone of a famed alien hero, left on Earth disguised as a human to give the universe another chance to defeat a terrible evil.

But when the beacon activates, it turns out that Tina's destiny isn't quite what she expected. Things are far more dangerous than she ever assumed--and everyone in the galaxy is expecting her to actually be the brilliant tactician and legendary savior Captain Thaoh Argentian, but Tina....is just Tina. And the Royal Fleet is losing the war, badly--the starship that found her is on the run and they barely manage to escape Earth with the planet still intact.

Luckily, Tina is surrounded by a crew she can trust, and her best friend Rachel, and she is still determined to save all the worlds. But first she'll have to save herself.

Buckle up your seatbelt for this thrilling YA sci-fi adventure set against an intergalactic war from internationally bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

'Victories Greater Than Death' by Charlie Jane Anders is a YA space opera in the theme of Crownchasers and Aurora Rising about the clone of a famed alien hero, left on Earth in a human disguise to give the universe another chance to defeat a villain with one seriously nasty ability. Tina Mains, seemingly average teenager.. is also the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon that she knows will one day switch on, leading her to the heroic life she's always dreamed of among the stars. But when that day finally comes, things don't go at all as planned. Those who know her secret identity expect her to actually be the legend she was born of.. and she only has limited access to the late Captain's knowledge and skills. War has taken a toll on the Royal Fleet meant to retrieve her when the time came. They're losing badly and resources are already low. They barely escape Earth with Tina and her best friend with the planet intact. This story is a quick read full of lots of page-turning action and drama, but there are some things I had to adjust to. Initially, I thought the dialogue was incredibly awkward. Stilted in large part by a strange greeting ritual, which.. though I applaud what I perceive as the intent, just felt overly formal. It becomes more likely, as the social interactions only get stranger from there, that this almost discordant social dance is an intentional representation of just how different things are from what we know. These are people from different worlds, and the most common ground between them is an organizational social structure likely devised by the Royal Fleet itself. Probably the only thing more universal between them is the hope for survival against the odds. Relatively quickly, the group assembles what can only be called a collection.. of the Earth's best and brightest to be of assistance on their journey. A rag-tag band of talented misfits, who together.. just might have all the skills necessary to save the worlds. Of course, most of them are prone to melodrama on some level. However, there are a couple of lovely potential love interests and the cast is beautifully diverse. I loved seeing that diversity framed of its strengths as an ideal in societies less concerned with labels and more focused on supreme happiness. Though the story is pretty wild and generally outrageous, it's definitely a lot of fun and well worth the read. (I received this title as an ARC, but also purchased a copy. All opinions are mine and freely given.)

About the author

Charlie Jane Anders is the author of Victories Greater Than Death, the first book in the young-adult Unstoppable trilogy, along with the short story collection Even Greater Mistakes. Her other books include The City in the Middle of the Night and All the Birds in the Sky. Her fiction and journalism have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Slate, McSweeney's, Mother Jones, the Boston Review, Tor.com, Tin House, Conjunctions, Wired Magazine, and other places. Her TED Talk, "Go Ahead, Dream About the Future" got 700,000 views in its first week. With Annalee Newitz, she co-hosts the podcast Our Opinions Are Correct.