We already spend a lot of this novel in Joss’s past; this change would not have affected this structure. With a little streamlining and conceptual editing, If the Stars Are Lit could have been a truly exceptional story. I really, really don’t enjoy tearing down queer indie SF stories, especially as I want more of them to exist. It’s true that If the Stars Are Lit has a whole bunch of fantastic ideas and some very solid worldbuilding. Indeed, in reading this novel, “twisted” is the word that comes to mind again and again.