Book Beginnings on Friday September 7, 2012

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Gilion at Rose City Reader. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include  include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

"Excerpt from Trevor Vaquero's "Tales of my Father" Archive - I don't remember my dad as anything more than a giant shadow with a rough beard, a ready smile, and a warm hug."

This is from the prolog of Spin the Sky by Katy Stauber.  The story uses flashbacks in the form of stories that Trevor has collected about his father mixed in the with story of Cesar's return home after a 15 year absence.  Yes, this is a take on a old familiar classic.  I received a copy of the book from Netgalley.  It was released in June but was still available just a few weeks ago.  Here is the Goodreads Summary:

Fifteen years after winning the Spacer War, Cesar Vaquero has returned to Ithaca, a rugged orbital colony that boasts the only herd of cattle in space, and a wife and a son who don’t even recognize him when he shows up at their doorstep. Posing as a homeless drifter, he soon discovers that making his way home past space pirates, one-eyed giants, and mad scientists was the easy part . . .

Penelope swore off men after her husband disappeared. She’s been busy enough running the ranch, raising her son, and fending off pushy suitors eager to get their hands on her and her herd. But something about this war-weary drifter stirs forgotten feelings in her, even as sabotage, rustlers, and a space stampede threaten to tear Ithaca apart!Spin the Sky is an rollicking, high-spirited riff on a certain classic odyssey—featuring characters as big and full of surprises as Space itself!

I loved the story.  It is good science fiction with some romance thrown in.