Once Upon A Lucky Star
Alpha Red • Book 2
by N.D. Shar, Natalie Debrabandere
Why You'll Love This
A 161-year-old Navy Commander, a blushing AI therapist, and an alien warrior walk into the 23rd century — and somehow that's the calm part.
- Great if you want: irreverent sci-fi with a sharp, unapologetically fun female lead
- The experience: fast, punchy, and gleefully chaotic — never lets you settle
- The writing: Shar and Debrabandere write Storm's voice with deadpan swagger and real momentum
- Skip if: you want serious, grounded sci-fi with no camp or kink
About This Book
Storm Redfield is 161 years old, still commanding, still dangerous, and absolutely refusing to slow down. Set in the 23rd century, Once Upon A Lucky Star drops its fierce Navy Commander into a mission that starts as a routine return to Earth and spirals into something far more personal and far more dangerous. This is science fiction with real emotional weight — friendship, identity, what it means to be human when you're part machine — wrapped around high-stakes action and a protagonist who faces every impossible situation with sharp humor and harder resolve.
What makes this book genuinely fun to read is the voice. Storm narrates with the kind of confidence that never tips into arrogance, and the prose moves fast without sacrificing warmth or wit. Debrabandere and Shar build a richly textured future — alien cultures, AI companions, interstellar politics — but keep the focus tightly human. The pacing is brisk, the banter is sharp, and the quieter character moments land with surprising depth. Readers who want their sci-fi adventurous, irreverent, and emotionally honest will find exactly that here.
