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“Pride & Prejudice & Planets” asks a burning question: What if Elizabeth Bennet lived on another planet?

Pride & Prejudice and Planets: An Alternate-Reality Pride & Prejudice Science Fiction Variation by Renata McMann & Summer Hanford

Captain Fitzwilliam Darcy is a talented Captain in the British Intergalactic Force, allied with other intelligent species to defend Earth (and especially Great Britain) against a powerful race known only as The Enemy. The Bennets live on a faraway planet with a small human minority, where Ambassador Charles Bingley travels to normalize strained relations between the aliens and earth. The universe created in this novel is rich and interesting, and while it might not appeal to hard science fiction purists, it is on par with a Star Trek vision of galactic relations.

The storyline parallels the classic Pride & Prejudice storyline closely. There is even an appendix at the back of the book listing the parallels for fans. I enjoy a good Pride & Prejudice retelling in an interesting setting and consumed this book very quickly — once I got past the first chapter, anyway, which lacks the energy of Jane Austen’s original opening. After that, the book had a good deal of action and interesting worldbuilding, and even though it was clear what would ultimately happen, the story was fun, fast-paced, and had enough suspense to stay interesting.

Some new versions of the classic characters were interesting and fun, including Lady Catherine and Anne de Bourgh, William Collins, Charlotte Lucas, the Bennets, Georgiana Darcy, and Richard Fitzwilliam’s character. This book’s Caroline Bingley is especially tragic and entertaining. If you think she’s a handful in Hertfordshire, can you imagine her on another planet?

For anyone who enjoys both sci-fi and Pride & Prejudice retellings, this is a good one.

Available to buy on Amazon Kindle or borrow with Kindle Unlimited.