Sci-Fi

Review: There Are No Stars Here by J. S. Thompson

September 24, 2025

Synopsis

Will you make the perfect sacrifice?

The Earth has turned against us. The solution is Worthington’s Domes, sealed cities designed to preserve life and give the planet time to heal. Inside Shamut, safety is promised to those willing to abandon the past and forget the stars.
Solanis Tailor entered Shamut after a devastating storm tore her world apart, leaving behind the man she loved and the life she knew. Years later, with a daughter to protect and a position of influence within reach, Solanis has convinced herself the trade was worth it. Safety might be enough.

But when a voice from her past resurfaces, the cracks in her carefully built life begin to spread. As control slips and secrets rise to the surface, Solanis must confront what she gave up, what she still has to lose, and what it will cost to protect her daughter and their future.

Review

The book is mainly told from the POV of 2 main characters (Manuel & Solanis), while others might make an appearance. Both suffer from the climate crisis reaching a point where living outside is no longer possible everywhere. Huge parts of the earth suffer from the *Haze* that forces people to stay inside, destroys huge areas and makes them unliveable and grows continuously, making it harder and harder for humankind to survive in the outside world.

Both of our main characters loose family members and try to survive. Each in their own way driven by different motives. Manuel wants to make the world better again while Solanis wants to find a place that is safe. She moves into one of the domes housing millions of people by giving them shelter. People have a save home, friends, and a job. Sounds like a perfect place. Or is it too perfect? When Solanis is confronted with the reality of what is actually going onshe has to ask herself the question, if she is willing to risk everything or accept that being safe comes with consequences.

Do I see certain elements as a possible future? Absolutely. Will there always be people out there that try to benefit from others that have no other option than to trust them? Also yes. At the end of the book the main questions being asked is: What are you willing to give up and ignore for a comfortable life?

In enjoyed the book a lot and liked the writing. The authors having a background in politics with his career shows in a lot of the story arcs and how they are presented.

One thing that could have been beneficial is adding a clear timeline in the beginning. I would have liked just a simple reference to the year in the first chapters to better follow the timeline.
Giving some of the characters a bit more of a detailed backstory was something I was looking for also. I simply did not care about some of them.

🌙 Recension: There Are No Stars Here by J. S. Thompson
📚 Genre: Sci-Fi & Dystopia
📅 Release Date: October 2nd, 2025
📖 Verlag: RealityLife
📗 ISBN: 979-8998830433 (Kindle) / 979-8998830402 (Hardcover)
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 537 pages (Kindle) / 474 (Printed)
⭐️ 4/5