Spooky Action at a Distance

Lovelace #2

by Felicia Watson

Lieutenant Naiche Decker has finally found a home aboard the UDC starship, Lovelace. With the Eternals war behind her, she’s looking forward to life as an explorer rather than a soldier. But her latest adventure – exploring a quantum entanglement – proves to be the most dangerous mission she's ever faced. Aiding her in this quest are her friends, CO Con Kennedy, and canine companion Kayatennae – as well as a remarkable Quantum Drive ship that links directly into its pilot’s brain. Complicating matters are an arrogant rival pilot and a race of mysterious aliens whose intentions are as murky as the waters they live in. Naiche will need all her strength, cunning, and skill to rise above these challenges and rescue her stranded comrades before they're lost forever.

Genres: Science Fiction

213 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2020

About the author

Felicia Watson started writing stories as soon as they handed her a pencil in first grade. She’s especially drawn to character driven tales, where we see people we recognize, people who struggle with their mistakes and shortcomings, acknowledge them, and use that knowledge to grow into wiser human beings.

When not writing, Felicia spends her time chasing after her not-so-brilliant, but darling and beloved dogs, is chased by her truly brilliant, darling and beloved husband, is known to friends and family as an amateur pastry chef, and still finds time for swimming and her day job as a scientist.

Reviews

[NoNo JoJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preface: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review
Explicit content: Implied sex

This was a fun read, mostly because I enjoyed being back with these characters again. The last book didn't seem like it was going to have a sequel, but I'm glad this exists, even if it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, given where we left off last time. You'd think there'd be huge ramifications to the ending of the last book and the discovery of what was actually driving their war with the Eternals, but that's barely touched on, in favor some good ol' fashioned space wandering.

That's the crux of this book, really, and will determine whether or not you like it - if you're looking for anything deep or philosophical, this ain't it. If you just want a fun, space-faring adventure, this will be right up your alley. It has the same flaws as the first book - a lack of astonishment/interest in the various intelligent life they find, which is especially bizarre given the setting, characters referred to interchangeably by their first/last names, a few key moments being glossed over or hand-waved - but I still enjoyed it for what it was. The characters are just as lovely and intriguing as before. We see them continue to grow and develop. There's some genuinely touching scenes, especially between our father/daughter pair. I still adore the the immensely strong platonic relationship between the main character and her best friend. The alien life they encounter is all unique and interesting, and pretty much every species could honestly carry a book all by itself. This was just a pleasant, chill read. If that's what you're after, this will hit the spot just right, but don't expect anything too deep or highbrow.

[Michelle Bibliovino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series just gets better! Lots of fun, great characters and cool space action. Niache Decker is coming into her own as an officer aboard the Lovelace, and as a daughter and friend. She might even be figuring out relationships!

Looking forward to book 3. If you’re into soft sci-fi space drama, this is a great series to try!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

[Lisa | Lady_Logomancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you again to the author for a gifted copy of Spooky Action at a Distance!

Once again, this little space opera really hits a home run in the character department. Our MC Naiche Decker and her best friend Con Kennedy return as well as her canine corpsman, Kay.

We switch gears from a war with a destructive alien force to exploration of space. What seems like a cool trip to the outer reaches of the galaxy quickly becomes a rescue mission to save fellow UDC ships from a giant anomaly in space called the expanse. It’s science but not deep science. It’s just enough to understand and not so much your eyes glaze over like you are in physics class, if you were anything like me.

I adored this installment of the book. The new characters and life forms introduced in this one are entertaining and enhance the found family appeal of the series. There’s enough action and tension to keep you engrossed. There’s growth in character dynamics that will have you rooting for some romance. It has all the best elements of a sci-fi space adventure.

Overall, I am still a big fan of these books and am really looking forward to the third of the series!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books are like a venture into the unknown. Some are like a thrilling rollercoaster ride. And some are like a warming cup of spiced latte with a cinnamon bun.

To me, Felicia Watson's Lovelace series is such a warm hug wrapped in a paperback.

The blurb reads:
"Lieutenant Naiche Decker has finally found a home aboard the UDC starship, Lovelace. With the Eternals war behind her, she's looking forward to life as an explorer rather than a soldier. But her latest adventure – exploring a quantum entanglement – proves to be the most dangerous mission she's ever faced. Aiding her in this quest are her friends, CO Con Kennedy, and canine companion Kayatennae – as well as a remarkable Quantum Drive ship that links directly into its pilot's brain. Complicating matters are an arrogant rival pilot and a race of mysterious aliens whose intentions are as murky as the waters they live in. Naiche will need all her strength, cunning, and skill to rise above these challenges and rescue her stranded comrades before they're lost forever."

Reviewing the following books in the series is always tricky. I want to tell you all about it, but I also don't want to spoil the story if you haven't read We Have Met The Enemy.
I will try to be careful, but there may be some minor spoilers ahead.

It's worth noting that you can jump right into the Spooky Action at a Distance if you haven't read the first book in the series - We Have Met The Enemy. However, there are some nuances that may elude you if you skipped it.

Naiche Decker, a rebellious Chiricahua Apache lieutenant, returns aboard the UDC starship Lovelace. Along with her are her best friend, Lieutenant Commander Conroy Kennedy, her canine best friend, Corpsman Third Class Kayatennae, and Captain Matteo Ricci.

The crew faces the Okeke Phenomenon - a quantum entanglement referred to as the Expanse, where the space-time field is in constant flux. Two ships, a scientific vessel, the Burnell, sent exploring the Expanse, and a rescue ship, the Meitner, tasked with the Burnell's retrieval, are missing. Another rescue ship sent to find the other two reported a mysterious attack.
Lovelace's navigation system cannot handle the Expanse. However, they bring along a small ship equipped with Quantum Navigation System. QNS uses a neural link between the pilot's brain and a quantum computing-assisted navigation drive. As the QNS port is an implant, only selected pilots can guide the ship. The pilot accompanying the Lovelace is Lieutenant Commander Talako Jacoway - Naiche's rival, with whom she's not on good terms since their school days.
While the crew is navigating the requirements of the search-and-rescue mission and interpersonal challenges of friendship and family ties, scientists predict that the Expanse will collapse. Can Lovelace pull off this perilous task?

If you've read the first book in the series, you're familiar with Felicia's style and focus. Her narrative is strongly character-driven and expands on the relationships built in the We Have Met The Enemy. The highlight of it was a connection between Decker and Jacoway. Their rivalry/conflict started during their school years and is linked to smartly woven sociopolitical commentary. Their views represent the disagreement between liberation and assimilation viewpoints of native identity.

The story uses less introspection than its predecessor and has more humour. I laughed a lot! In fairness, it's difficult to remain serious when the crew encounters Fwalayna Noctay on planet Vwallon, who Naiche endearingly called "walrus squids". The encounters also include "glass crabs" and fascinating pink dust, which has little regard for one's privacy.

Typically for a space opera, the main focus is on characters and their relationships. However, science is an integral part of the setting (even the title is a nod towards Albert Einstein), and I really like its use. Particularly when it comes to neutrinos. I admit, after this fundamental subatomic particle infamously mutated in the movie "2012" (sic!), almost anything goes. Personally, I think removing everything but neutrinos to uncover a fake projection was an excellent way to give them the respect they deserve.
Felicia Watson knows precisely what she's doing. After all, she's a scientist.

As I was writing these words, I finally realised why I have particularly warm feelings towards this series. It's an intelligent character- and plot-driven space romp, combining sociopolitical commentary with smart representation. It awakens a longing for a better world I felt when I was 10 years old - watching Star Trek and imagining how incredible the future will be, where we all work together for the betterment of humanity.

I still want that future, though it feels as far away now as it felt almost 30 years ago. For now, I will laugh and cry with the crew of UDC Lovelace, and look out to the stars while waiting for the next book in the series to arrive.
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More reviews on my blog ofbooksandcoffee.com

[Michelle Hogmire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally published here at Reedsy Discovery: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/spo...

Chiricahua Apache lieutenant Naiche Decker returns in this exciting space quest about a quantum entanglement, odd aliens, and old enemies.

Lovers of character-driven science fiction romps in space rejoice: Naiche Decker, a rebellious Chiricahua Apache lieutenant aboard the UDC starship Lovelace, returns in Felicia Watson's Spooky Action at a Distance (Lovelace Series #2) for a brand-new adventure about a quantum entanglement and an old antagonist from Decker's school days. Also along for the ride are Decker's human best friend, Lieutenant Commander Conroy Kennedy, her canine best friend, Corpsman Third Class Kayatennae, and her father, Captain Matteo Ricci. Will Decker and Ricci be able to work together--not only as crew, but also as family--in order to pull off a perilous search and rescue mission?

The Lovelace crew must tackle the Okeke Phenomenon: a quantum entanglement, where the space-time field is constantly changing, also referred to as The Expanse. The Burnell, a scientific vessel sent to explore the region, is missing, along with the first deployed rescue ship, the Meitner. A third rescue ship, the Daleko, seemingly suffered a mysterious attack, despite being equipped with a Quantum-Navigation System (QNS)--a neural link between a port behind the pilot's ear and a quantum-computing assisted navigation drive. The Lovelace will bring the QNS-equipped vessel the Cerxai to The Expanse and aid efforts to find and guide the lost ships to safety. Of course, that means a pilot with a QNS port has to come along for the ride. That pilot is none other than Lieutenant Commander Talako Jacoway--a rival who Decker has disliked for a long time. Meanwhile, scientists predict that The Expanse is at risk of collapsing, so time is an enormous factor for everyone trapped inside.

Felicia Watson's adventure takes the Lovelace--and readers--everywhere from the aquatic planet Vwallon (occupied by aliens called Fwalayna Noctay, which Decker lovingly refers to as "walrus squids") to the treacherous planet Scorpii-d (the aliens here are huge glass-like crabs called Goaps). The range of creatures that inhabit Watson's world are fascinating, strange, and imaginative, one of my favorites being the Dardanze--a bony wheel-like being that feeds on sound waves. But most important for this book are the Jayhine, a bizarre pink dust cloud from The Expanse, which could either be a dangerous enemy or an essential friend to the Lovelace.

While this book features slightly less political commentary than the first Lovelace installment, Spooky Action at a Distance still manages to smartly address Decker's heritage alongside all the action. One of the main reasons Decker dislikes Jacoway has to do with a disagreement about whether the Apache people should adopt a liberation or assimilation viewpoint, when it comes to balancing native identity with integrating into society. Hearing the two characters hash out their ideas is one of the novel's many high points, another one being Watson's fun and clever way of inserting real scientific concepts into her science fiction creation. Expanding the way that a quantum entanglement can link two particles over space-time (the "spooky action at a distance" of the title) into a phenomenon that impacts an entire region of space-time is an astute move that allows for captivating fictional possibilities. She also finds a great science fiction use for neutrinos--uncovering a fake projection by removing everything but neutrinos from the lepton particles of a sensor array. Even my partner--an experimental particle physicist who specializes in neutrino detection and tends to be picky about how quantum physics is represented in fiction--liked that one.

All in all, at this point, I'd follow the Lovelace, Naiche Decker, and Felicia Watson anywhere. And I'd encourage other readers to do the same.

[Judi Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Space opera
Description: This is a sequel to Watson’s We Have Met The Enemy, which I reviewed on my blog (judimoore.wordpress.com) in May this year. I enjoyed that, so when I saw this in Big Al’s ‘to review’ list I grabbed it.
This is, actually, the better book of the two in my opinion. The prose is supple and accurate. It begins with action. While the reader is given time to breathe, the action thereafter never really lets up. The introspection which sometimes slowed the pace of WHMTE is more lightly worn this time. Old griefs and enmities have been reconciled when this book opens (mostly): there is more humour. There is a fresh challenge to occupy the very talented and skilled crew of the UDC spaceship Lovelace. An engaging sense of jeopardy is maintained; characters interact credibly, and blossom – sometimes in surprising ways; McGuffins are skilfully crafted, aliens are both imaginative and credible, and the tech is believable and serviceable without getting in the way.
Author: Felicia Watson’s day job is as a scientist. But when she’s writing she says she is “drawn to character driven tales, where we see people we recognize, people who struggle with their mistakes and shortcomings, acknowledge them, and use that knowledge to grow into wiser human beings.” (Goodreads biog). Certainly that is what she has done with these two books set aboard the Lovelace.
Appraisal: I found this novel galloped along. I finished it inside a week (which is quick for me). The structure of the book works well, enabling the story to be character-driven as much as plot-driven. The Lovelace, the space-ship home of the protagonists, is tasked with an urgent mission to The Expanse to rescue two UDC ships which have become stuck there. Time is of the essence (of course) as The Expanse is becoming increasingly unstable and will shortly leave the area of space in which it is currently located.
There is a canine Corpsman (3rd class). There is interesting information on Native American peoples. There is pink dust (you will love the pink dust). The author continues to consider, alongside the rollicking action and with a light touch, what a more equable society in the future might look like, and how it might yet leave room for improvement.
As with WHMTE, Watson has prefaced each chapter with an epigraph. Once again she has ranged widely for these, from Milton to Emily Dickinson, and taking in some interesting outliers along the way. They are always germane to the matter in the chapter to come.
The only thing I didn’t get was the title.**
Given that this is the second book of two – does it stand alone? Pretty much. There are just a couple of things you will need to take on trust if you don’t start with We Have Met The Enemy.
I don’t give 5*s to many books I review. The top rating needs to be reserved for the really good stuff, right? This is a ***** book. If you like SF, I heartily recommend it to you.
*Prepared for Big Al & Pals review site. Received a complimentary file of the book for review purposes.
** which, I have since learned, references Albert Einstein’s view of quantum entanglement

[Jason Pettus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felicia Watson's 2020 Spooky Action at a Distance, the newest title by startup genre indie publisher DX Varos, also happens to be a sequel of sorts to 2019's We Have Met the Enemy, and the publisher kindly sent both books so that I'd be up to speed when I read the newer one. Known collectively as the still-ongoing "Lovelace Series," it's essentially your standard space-opera fare with shades of James S.A. Corey's superior "The Expanse," in which a motley spaceship crew in a now-colonized Sol system first get entangled in an ongoing war with a seemingly unstoppable alien race known as "Eternals" (the main plot of Enemy), then in Spooky get dispatched to investigate a scientific curiosity which unsurprisingly turns out to be more complex than anticipated. The books are as much about the interpersonal relationships between the crew members, and a universe-building deep dive into their backgrounds, as they are about the unknown threats that drive the plots; and while I didn't find either of them to be particularly disagreeable, I must confess that I didn't find them to be particularly great either, a pleasant foray into mid-tier SF that ate up a week of my free time in a way I found pleasant but afterwards forgettable, for which I would normally award 3 and a half stars but am rounding up to 4 here at the no-half-star Goodreads. For these reasons, I'm mainly recommending it only to hardcore convention-going genre superfans, the kind who blow through a different sci-fi book each day and therefore are perhaps less critical of any one particular title. These people will enjoy both Lovelace books just fine, although others would be best off steering clear altogether.

[Enjoy my writing? Get a lot more of it at patreon.com/jasonpettus.]

[Nikki Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

You can see this and other reviews (including my review for the first book in the series, We Have Met the Eneemy) at https://thebookdragon.blog

Decker and Con are at it again on the Lovelace, piloted by Deck’s father Captain Ricci. This time, they’re on a rescue mission to go retrieve a couple of their ships from the Expanse, an area of the universe that defies normal science. And not only that, but the Expanse seems to be collapsing… And when it does, the 80 lives aboard those two ships will be gone. Forever.

To start off with, the writing, as it was with the first book, is phenomenal. The characters are dynamic and authentic. They seem to lead real lives with real problems. And the specificity with which Watson is able to regale us with tales onboard a space ship and traveling to difference planets with different species… Well, I’m no science expert, but it all sounds highly plausible to me. Which is saying something considering it’s a sci-fi! To make it realistic is a deserved feat.

However, there were a few things that were bothersome, forcing me to lower my rating. The first, along the lines of characterization, was that all of the characters sounded the same in their dialogue. They used the same slang, colloquialisms, and spoke with the same cadence. This almost negated their brilliant authenticity as mentioned above, as it brought me out of the story and reminded me that these are simply characters written on a 2D page.

Another aspect involving characterization was that the development between and within characters was lacking in this book–which is the opposite from the first. In fact, even though there was potential for Jacoway and Deck to have a great character arc together, their two characters instead immediately made up within the first third of the book without any sort of conflict. Deck and her father, Con and Deck, Ricci and Lindstrom, etc. All the characters seemed to already have completed any growth prior to this novel. That was a large let down for me, as I tend to enjoy the character-driven stories the most.

Additionally, the book lacked plot as well. Similar to the first novel, the ending was relatively anticlimactic. There were large stakes, but I never felt them as a reader. It was all just… meh. Either they did it or they didn’t. It also didn’t help that the Lovelace continually diverted their main mission to work on spontaneous side missions of little impact.

Lastly, we didn’t get to see much about the other species as I would have expected. Finding a completely new race of beings, so different from our own carbon-based lifeforms, I would expect to be a big deal. But the characters don’t seem to care much about learning about other races–or speaking with them to divert conflict before going into all-out war without knowing the other side.

Overall, this story is a quick and fun read! Perfect for a low-stress escape into another world.

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Another fun installment of the Lovelace Series. I don't think this one was quite as deeply plotted as the first book, with the convenient pink aliens coming to the rescue so often. But, like with the first book, I still enjoyed the elements you so often don't see in books—platonic male/female friendships (even best friends), actual female/female friendships, parents who have made mistakes but aren't bad people, a heroine who's allowed to be sexual without being shamed, older adults having sex, women initiating sex, an equal number of men and women in positions of power and authority, exploration of cultural differences within a minority group, racial and sexual diversity in the cast, etc. These are the sorts of things that bring me back to an author. (I realize I said sex a lot. So, I should mention there is no on-page sex. But it is discussed and the reader is led to understand it happens.)

All in all, while I didn't think it a perfect book I'd be well up for reading more.

[Happy Booker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky action at a distance is a traditional science fiction/space opera written in the vein of Gene Roddenberry-Esque storytelling. Even though this is a sequel to last years We Have met the Enemy; the two are self-contained complete stories.


Lt. Naiche is at peace. She is happy where she is living. Her father is with her, and they are on a ship where he is commanding. They are on a mission to look for a scientific expedition. However, things take a turn.



I had not read the first book, and so was wondering if that was going to matter. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the story stood with its single form; yet, kept its connectivity to the previous book.



The literature was standard. It was what you would expect from a sci-fi story. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between father and daughter: that added texture and a different source of love to the story.



I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read sci-fi and space ship stories.

[Mark Sneed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book with the character Naiche Decker and the Uniterrae military I have read. I liked this novel. The sequel to We Have Met the Enemy is a little more cohesive as a story. In the first novel, which is not necessary to read to understand the sequel, the groundwork is laid to connect Decker with her estranged father. This sci-fi novel has a better balance of science and fiction. There is some science in the sci-fi novel. I like that element. I like the idea of space travel and L-speed. I like cosmic pools, black holes and quasars. Decker and the team find themselves meeting an alien species which initially is deemed as hostile and dangerous and with calmer heads and reflection they find the aliens are not hostile at all. Isn't that always the way? I liked the story because this one was mostly in space and revolved around space travel and issues relating to space travel. Enjoyed it immensely.

[Shani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lt. Naiche Decker and her father are back in this sequel to We have met the enemy. This time around they’re on a ship together that her father is in charge of. The usual banter is as strong in this one as before. They’re on a mission to find a crew that might have just been picked up and be gone forever. But it’s their determination that will set them apart, and there will be some drama mixed in. After all, they can’t make everyone on the crew happy. As they continue their journey, they’re faced with some pretty hard decisions. To continue on and help, or to save themselves and go. Overall its a pretty smooth read, it's fun and different. I’m curious to see what the author has come out next. Well done!