“My name is Bless” by Laris Aiwin - Book Review
Laris Aiwin's "My Name is Bless: My Number is T-214", a science fiction romance with a touch of political thriller.
The sterile human race in 2274 survived only because of clones distributed across four starships. My Name is Bless takes place on the ARTIKA research facility, which is focused on experiments enabling naturally occurring procreation in specifically bred clones.
The story mostly is told from the point of view of T-214, nicknamed Bless. Her life follows rigid routines and strict hierarchies until a chance meeting upends everything. Unwittingly, Bless finds herself trapped between the oppressive government and the rebellious Equril faction.
Considering her life as a clone, Bless's naivete is not surprising. Although she becomes more aware and inquisitive as the story progresses, she remains somewhat naive. She's conflicted between what she's learned and the desire for self-determination.
While the first-person perspective works, a different narrative style might have been better, given the many characters and their varying importance to the plot. The numerical designations, like T-201 and L-412, make it especially hard to keep track of the characters. This also makes the characters seem shallow, since we know little about them. So, I didn't connect with everyone.
Although the author convincingly depicts life aboard the colony ship, I wish there had been more detailed descriptions in a few places. I especially wanted a more detailed account of the ship's sociological and political climate and the broader societal context to fully grasp the story's background.
All in all, My Name is Bless is an entertaining sci-fi romance set aboard a spaceship.
