Book Review: Floating Hotel - Grace Curtis
About the book
A locked room mystery that's out of this world.
Full of charm and warmth, Floating Hotel is a hopeful story of misfits, rebels and found family.
Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home to the very best views the galaxy has to offer.
Year round it moves from planet to planet, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in luxury - and a magnet for intrigue.
Intrigues such as: Why are there love poems in the lobby in-tray? How many spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver's conference? And perhaps most pertinently - who is driving the ship?
At the centre of these mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime caretaker to the hotel.
It's the love of his life and the only place he's ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl's comprehension converge, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?
Why we love it
Having previously read Frontier by Grace Curtis, I was really looking forward to getting stuck into Floating Hotel and thankfully, it did not disappoint.
The story takes place on board the Grand Abeona, a giant spaceship converted into a once luxurious, now slightly fading, hotel that travels throughout the galaxy picking up up guests and crew as it goes.
Anyone who’s ever worked in hospitality will immediately recognise the eclectic mix of runaways and misfits that combine to staff an establishment like the Grand Abeona. The chefs, housekeepers, front desk team and so on, whose clashing personalities and essential skills somehow manage to keep the whole operation afloat, quite literally in the case of this particular interstellar hotel. It’s a familiar upstairs-downstairs world with calm elegance on the surface and a whirlwind of chaotic energy behind the scenes.
With the same episodic style of writing as used in Frontier, the novel unfolds with each chapter told from the perspective of a different member of the ship’s crew. While I’m not always a fan of books told from multiple points of view, it’s something which Grace Curtis has an incredible knack for and it adds so much texture and richness to the worlds that she creates.
We really get to know this motley team and what drew each of them to the Grand Abeona, as well as their relationship with Carl, the hotel’s warm and dedicated manager.
By taking time to explore each character’s personal history, we also get a greater understanding of the wider universe outside the walls of the hotel, with an evil emperor at the heart of a galaxy of neglected planets, stripped of resources and simmering with rebellion and intrigue.
If you loved watching Firefly, The Expanse or Andor, you’ll definitely love this.
Having said that, there’s a cosy warmth and optimism to the book that isn’t always found in science fiction. Despite the futuristic setting and all the political intrigue, the focus throughout the book is firmly on people and the relationships they form. It’s a story that reminds you that even in the farthest corners of space, what matters most are the people you connect with along the way.
Thoroughly recommended for anyone who loves ensemble-style character-driven science fiction, filled with heart, humour and imagination.
