The Girls from Alcyone by Cary Caffrey

Like many other children in this bleak, future America, Sigrid is sold into indentureship to pay off the debts incurred by her parents to the Kimura Corporation. However, Sigrid’s got something in her genetic makeup that makes her and other girls like her “special.” She is sent to The Kimura Academy For Girls on the planet Alcyone to be educated, physically trained, and surgically enhanced. Sigrid and the other girls are a successful experiment that other corporations are willing to steal, kidnap, and kill to get their hands on.

Cary Caffrey has created a dark, moody future world where corporations truly rule everything. The story of the special girls growing up away from their families is a sad one. The 21 girls form alliances among themselves with the typical “mean girls” and their followers, and Sigrid, the youngest and weakest, is at the bottom of the pack. Tormented, Sigrid is ostrasized from the larger group until she is befriended by the stronger, popular Suko. Under Suko’s protection, Sigrid is able to mature and grow and develop into one of the most accomplished of the group. The relationship between Sigrid and Suko eventually develops into one of a romantic and sexual nature but they are parted while still attempting to sort out their feelings for each other.

As their training comes to a close, the girls begin to receive their “contracts,” their assignments where they will work and begin to repay the debts their parents racked up even before the girls were born. Some are sent to Kimura operations, others to the naval service until their very existence is threatened by the Council for Trade & Finance, the governing council of the Federation of Commercial Enterprise. Called “abominations,” the council wants all the girls turned over to them to be used for their own mysterious purposes.

There is a bit of the geek fantasy about the novel with young girls achieving mental and physical perfections and skill levels in fighting hand-to-hand, flying planes, and operating any weaponry under the sun (as well as the aforementioned girl-with-girl romance.) It is a fun and entertaining tale that I would recommend if you’re in the mood for a fun, light, entertaining space story. I probably would not recommend it for the younger, young adult fans because of the few scenes of a sexual nature. This is the first in a series (The Girls from Alcyone series). Book 2 is already released and titled The Machines of Bellatrix. I'll probably be picking that one up soon.