Queen of Heaven: A Sci-Fi Novel Review

“It seems like everywhere I went, I wasn’t accepted. I think Katherine was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me.” “And moving to Mars will change that?” “No, but maybe in a new world, the odds will be different. Maybe love, adventure, and uncertainty will adjust themselves more favorably to the new odds. And even if there isn’t, it sure beats staying back on Earth wondering what if—at least I could say I took a chance and didn’t give up so easily.”

Michael Acosta is a widowed man, a prominent medical doctor with a genetic background who wants to feel belonged and have a sense of purpose in his life. If he had this, perhaps it could help him escape the pain he’s always in. In the future, 2092, the world of space travel is endless; technology is at its peak, and you can do anything if you set your mind to it. Michael however, despite rising in the ranks of the medical field, seems to think that life never seems to go his way.  He feels as if life has spiraled out of his hands because of so many personal tragic circumstances and he has hit what seems to be an impassable wall. Since he sees his future bleak, he often wonders if he should go to Mars and change his future? What would Mars be like? Would his circumstances change for the better if he just took this risk?

Queen of Heaven written by Jose Mercado Ventura is not only Sci-Fi, but it also has romance, intellect and intrigue. You can’t get lost in this book by the  scientific words, but you can get so lost into the written word, that you don’t realize you didn’t come up for air. In this book, Michael Acosta is chronically ill from multiple autoimmune disorders, which caused various impairments/disabilities. Yet, despite his disability, he has advanced far into the field of genetic science. Unfortunately for him while science was paving the way in his lifetime and studies to cure diseases, he was not so lucky. I think that it not only affected him physically, but also  psychologically. However, it has allowed him some clairvoyance into discovering cures, or treatments for the rest of mankind. 

Michael moving to Mars after the loss of his wife Katherine, allows him to have a clean slate so to speak. He was always wondering if he should go and then he did with encouragement from his friends and therapist. It is in this book that Ventura shows what it means to seek help or counseling when you need it most. He shows in Michael that if one practices, you can start to slowly learn to love life again, or appreciate the little nuances of the day. This book also allows you to appreciate the value of seeking therapy; recognizing trauma and learning how to cope and how to overcome it in a positive and constructive way. 

One of Michael’s biggest triumphs and angst is social interaction. He created a wall between him and socialization because of how often people neglected him, or what he perceived as pity. A lot of the time, they just didn’t accept him as he was and that hurt him. Obviously he reacted in ways that led his work as a doctor to become mundane. When he moved to Mars, the new clinic he worked at was not only bustling with bright students and patients, but it was the patients that needed him. It seems to me that he needed them as much as they needed him. It was a weird symbiosis, but it worked for Michael and it allowed his brain to thrive on positivity, changed his patterns of constant negative thoughts and allowed him to focus. 

Michael along his way of discovering his new found life, also learned friendship and love. It came slow because he wasn’t always trusting and it almost backfired. Why would anyone want to spend time with him besides just being nice and pity him because he is in constant pain and tries not to show it at work?  Why should he continue to learn to slowly enjoy life and all it has to offer? 

Spoiler alert here, but this woman who Michael wasn’t sure actually loved him because of his age, and disability is something else. This quote she said to him not only impacted him, but it also caused me to have a mist of tears in my eye. It is so powerful, touching and displays so much humanity in it. 

   “It’s such a shame that you have felt so alone and unloved for most of your life that you find it

impossible someone could love you or something good could happen to you. I know you told me

everything that you’ve been through, but I had no idea how much it hurt you, and I can’t blame you for

how you responded. You’ve become so cynical and had to build up this hard exterior, giving up all

hope and expectation to save yourself from disappointment. You were a victim of chance; it’s not your

fault. Instead of the world being a friend to you, it shunned you and made you feel like an outcast. All

that pain and loneliness . . . how else were you to respond? Becoming numb and unattached was the

only choice they gave you. But I’m here to say that you can love me in return. I won’t abandon you, and

I will love all your flaws unconditionally.”

Not only was this aimed at Michael, but I felt as if it could be aimed at those who were ostracized because of how different they were either on the outside or within. It is sad that people have had to build a wall because they were expecting to either find friendship, nurture and love, and instead quite the opposite. When one hears such words as above, it makes your heart melt and revives hope for humanity. I know what it is like to have built up a wall and all it took were kind words, constant words of love and appreciation and I let my icy walls around my heart to shatter. This is how this book has touched my soul and allowed me to not give up on my dreams no matter what obstacles try to roll its way through. I felt so much emotion from this book and could relate at times to Michael. 

This book continues with Michael’s journey as he continues to grow as a person along with harrowing events that spiraled out of control on Mars. Jose Ventura wrote this book in 2017 and I feel a lot of the material still rings true today.  There are some deep and heavy emotional materials that are written; but I believe it will also allow one to delve into a world of those who learn how to adapt to one’s disadvantages and makes them see the world from a different view. 

One of the many points in this book is about scientific discoveries, technological advancements and space travel. One of the constant scientific themes in this book is about regenerative tissue. Think of it as if your body is healing like Wolverine. Wouldn’t it be cool if our bodies could heal like this? People in this novel tend to live longer thanks to advancement in medicine and technology. I once watched a commercial online of a boy whose life is extended thanks to a man donating his stem cell. Without the selfless gift, that boy wouldn’t have lived a long and pain free life. The Association for Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies gives a thorough background about regenerative tissue therapies.

Living on Mars is something that people always wondered about and now it is coming to fruition. With a prospective future for humans to live off planet, all those Sci-Fi movies may one day become a reality. However, we must remember that Mars is a brutal planet to live on. This is possibly due to the fact that it does not have a magnetic field or magnetosphere. Our planet Earth has a magnetic field that keeps our planet safe from the Sun. Without this field our ozone layer would be more affected, the polarity of the planet would be off kilter, and the planet would die off. This is the theory that Brandon Weigel said has possibly happened to Mars. I just recently rewatched The Core and Earth in the film and Earth was going through a similar experience. Of course like any Sci-Fi movie, they would try and reverse the problem. In Weigel’s article on Medium, he thoroughly explains the causes of Mars dying and if science is really your thing, he gives a vast amount of information. 

In this book, Ventura shows that there are pretty much no bounds in science and it can soon be at your fingertips. In fact, Jose Ventura is studying biology, computer and information science. He hopes that he can help cure various chronic illnesses.  He has immersed himself into this book as parts of it is loosely based on his life  and I am glad he did. It is rare to see a main character who has flaws both visible and not visible and succeed even in small steps. It is also VERY rare to see a Sci-Fi and romantic story about a disabled person succeeding in life and not let the story be constantly about ableism. Michael was able to adapt to his surroundings and his disabilities. Most importantly he learned how to love himself, love others and be included in society at last. That is all we as human beings ever ask for is to be included and not thrown aside because we are different. It is our difference that makes the world go round. It allows us to be positively constructive to continue to evolve as a species with an undying love and respect.

If you are ready to immerse yourself in a book that is full of compassion, challenges, adaptability, and acceptance mixed with Sci-Fi wonder, then purchase Queen of Heaven today! The book’s release date is December 5, 2023 and is available for purchase on Bookshop.org, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

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