The Cleaner, the Cat and the Space Station (The Shantivira Book 1)

i love science fiction and fantasy and this would be a great introduction to the genre for those who would like to try it out. I would classify it as eco sci-fi - there are underlying messages aboutmany themes running through todays world - sustainability, climate change, acceptance, inclusion, kindness. I didn't feel it was forced. There are nods to the quirkiness and imagination of many respected writers while retaining an original and authentic storyline that is Faye Abernathy's.As for the story, it sets the scene and introduces the characters in, what I hope, will become a full saga series (I understand book 2 is underway). The characters are a mix of races and species...and personalities. The personalities are multi levelled too, as we all are and my perception of individuals changed back and forth through the book as it can in real life. Looking at a character's motivations and values is important to me as it builds the fuller picture and acknowledges the background history.The scene setting is excellent especially around the space station, the dialogue isn't forced, and the character build up is steady. The writing is easy to read and the storyline easy enough to follow without being too simple. The final chapters are exciting and thought provoking. I was definitely left wanting to read the next book straight away to discover what happens next....but I'll have to wait until it's finished!A couple of nice additional touches is the email engagement between the author and readers (not too much, just enough to be kept up to date with book 2 progress) and a free download with the background to a key character.

The title caught my eye, and from there was transported to a secret space station by way of my home county (Shropshire)It was an enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to more tales of the space station.

An astonishing book, very readable, with credible 3D characters you can't help but care about. A great novel with compelling ideas. Looking forward to the next book.

Good title it drew me in. I didn't manage to finish it which is rare for me. I think the author will get better though, is has a sort of charm. The plotting is shaky with many juvenile errors in style and narration.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, thankful it's on Kindle Unlimited and I'm halfway through book two.

Full of feasible ideas on how first contact might actually work, great characters wonderful storylines with every chapter giving you at least one more thing to wrap your head around. Be warned if you start reading this you are going to lose sleep it's one of those you can't put down, I guarantee it will also change the way you look at the world, highly recommend this is a must read, Baz

Some insightful reading giving thought to what a civilised alien society is like and the ideals it wants others to develop and share. Surrounded with a likeable array of characters learning about themselves led a by shape shifting creature from the time of creation.

Great characters. The pace of the book is spot on, building up to the exciting climax. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Could have been a four star, good, fast, read. Unfortunately the point of view switching between chapters kept on throwing me out of the story. If you don’t mind multiple pov, you’ll enjoy this.

I’ve been off sci-fi for several years now, finding a lot of it repetitive or surprisingly unimaginative, but this one had humor, pathos, and a rather different kind of storyline, making it much more enjoyable than most other sci-fi I’ve tried to read and put down in disgust over the last few years. The characters of Kitty, Lucy, and especially Hanna, were by turns sympathetic, endearing, intriguing, and occasionally infuriating, though not all of them were all those things. The male characters were somewhat less well-developed, though I did find Joe and Hassan to be interesting. Definitely a good read!

Die Autorin entwirft ein fesselndes Szenario mit vielfältigen Charakteren. Die Grundannahme der verborgenen Raumstation ist witzig und gut umgesetzt, ebenso die beiläufigen Erinnerungen dass außerhalb Europas andere Werte und Verhaltensweisen als normal angesehen werden.Die (offen eingestandene) Umweltagenda ist - im Vergleich mit anderen Autoren - nicht zu irritierend (die Aussage, wir hätten die Technologie um die Probleme auf der Erde zu lösen ist allerdings etwas gewagt. Stichwort Energieerzeugung...)Es bleibt die Frage, ob die gütigen Aliens tatsächlich so gütig sind, aber das wird sich hoffentlich in zukünftigen Bänden klären.

With The Cleaner, the Cat and the Space Station, Fay Abernethy begins a promising new series that will delight fans of Becky Chambers.The characters, whether human or alien, are believable, the settings are detailed, and the action is just exciting enough. Personally, I've had enough of reading things that make me tense!The science and politics also feel right, and I absolutely loved the underlying emphasis on social collaboration and the environment that so offended one Goodreads reviewer (much to my amusement). I'd move to Syenitia in a heartbeat!As some other reviewers have mentioned, the only bit I didn't feel quite fitted was the whole Cat thing. It felt to me like this was something the author loved and wanted to write about but which didn't quite gel with the rest of the book.Then again, this is the start of a series, and I'm sure it'll all make sense in the end. More please!

The societal ideas in the book really resonated with me. I connected with Lucy and David and got them on a personal level. Hanna always seemed a bit stuck up and arrogant to me. And who wouldn't love Joe and Kitty.