Across a Field of Starlight
Author and Illustrator: Blue Delliquanti. Date: 2022.
ISBN: 9780593124147.
Publisher: Random House Graphic.
Genre: Graphic novel.
Reading Level: Grades 8-12.
Trailer: Out in space, no one can hear you scream. Except your best friend. And maybe your all knowing AI. And maybe the authoritarian regime you're fighting against. Other than that, though, no one can hear you scream. Scary, right? Not with friends like these.
Lu and Fassen met in what our extraterrestrial friends might call a once in a lightyear chance. While Lu is out collecting specimens for her peaceful community to study, Fassen is fighting for his life and trying to recover from another brutal attack from the oppressive Blossom empire. The real anomaly is they are trying to do these things on the same planet!!! Once Lu and Fassen cross paths there is no way to unwind their fated strings. Spanning the distances of space and time Fassen and Lu keep in touch as they pursue the paths their very different lives have presented to them. For Lu, life is about joy and discovery. Her community is not bogged down with the weight of capitalism and war so they are allotted significant freedom. Fassen, on the other hand, is from a community that was ruled by the oppressive Blossom empire. All they knows is fighting for survival. Fighting in a literal sense in battle, but also fighting for resources that he needs to survive.
When Fassen discovers some valuable Blossom technology that his rebellion group could use to fight them off everything changes: the battle for freedom from the oppressive empire, the relationship between Lu and Fassen, and the very fabric of the universe.
Take a look at this page from the book to get a feel for the vibe and illustration style!
Created By: Blue Delliquanti is a phenomenal multidisciplinary artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota (Patreon, n.d). After getting their start self-publishing an online comic called O Human Star, Blue found themselves with quite the fan base which they used to take their work into the next level. Through Random House Graphic, the graphic novel section of the renown Random House publishers, Blue released Across a Field of Starlight in 2022. Looking through Blue's work it is clear that portraying diverse Queer characters is the cornerstone of their work, which is rad!
Space is awesome in a totally horrifying sort of way (in my opinion). Check out this video about the eight wonders of our solar system (well, it's MY solar system. I don't know you. Maybe you're from another solar system. That would make sense.....)
Analysis: This story is PERFECT for the graphic novel format. While a text format might have made this book over 500 pages, the illustrations offer vibrant settings that perfectly compliment the story without bogging it down with too many descriptions. The visual elements serve to quickly bring the reader right into a very real, visceral story. I was impressed by the coloration because it dynamically changed in relation to the changing settings. I've never seen a graphic novel portray such accurate shadowing and lighting. I think that element speaks volumes to the care and consideration author Delliquanti put into this story. Not only is the story well developed, but the illustrations are well thought out and masterfully executed.
If you look at reviews for this novel you will notice it is kind of a mixed bag. Some people really enjoyed this book and others struggled to follow the storyline and felt confused about the characters. I'll admit, this story should not be marketed as a romantic love story. It isn't a romantic love story. It is a love story, sure. But more like the type of love that exists between people who care about each other like friends instead of romantic/sexual interest love. Lu and Fassen have a relationship that develops throughout the story but it never gets particularly romantic or at all physical. If you want some deep-space sexy time this is not the right book for that particular need. What you can look for in this book is:
-Representation of large bodies
-Representation of Queer people
-Representation of transgender and gender non-conforming folks
-People who respect pronouns and sexuality without questions or comments
-A story about Queer people that does not involve the questioning or persecution of their identities!!!!
In the Library: The really rad thing about Sci-Fi is that anything is possible in the sci-fi setting. Not only do these stories usually take place in space, which is full of infinite possibilities, but they can also take place in different times. I would love to encourage patrons to read this book and then come up with conceptualizations of other planets or times they would want to experience. In these conceptualizations anything is possible. They could create worlds where racism doesn't exist, where gender doesn't exist, where capitalism doesn't exist, where there is gender but it is totally different than how we construct gender on Earth now. ANYTHING. These worlds could then be put up on a display in the YA section.
Reason for Inclusion: One of my favorite aspects of this book is how accepted people are. One of the main characters is an amazingly powerful woman who has facial hair and her gender identity isn't questioned at all. I love that this story centers on Queer characters without hyper focusing on their painful experiences.
Potential Issues: As homophobia continues to plague our society there is always a chance that someone would have an issue with the innate Queerness of this book.
Sources:
About. (n.d). Blue Delliquanti. https://www.bluedelliquanti.com/about
Across a field of starlight. (n.d.).Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43864953
BBC Earth Lab. (2023, February 26). Eight wonders of our Solar system | the planets | bbc earth lab. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkQuOrsgVGY
Jones, Z.C. (2022, May 31). Star Wars pushes back against racist backlash to new Black character. CBSNews. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/star-wars-obi-wan-kenobi-reva-moses-ingram-disney/
Patreon. (n.d). Blue Delliquanti. https://www.patreon.com/bluedelliquanti
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