A hard sci-fi novel with a dystopian twist. If Red Mars was half the length and infused with The Martian and the Bobiverse series.

Warm, tropical weather, strong gusts of wind, poisonous air, and metallic-tasting seas that kill more organisms than it breeds - yet, life on the South Island goes about as well as it can. There was a reason why Earth colonized this place. Everything is familiar, consistent - consistency is a welcome reprieve, and Ava’s planet has plenty of it.

The fifth to be born among the stars, Ava sets forth to make a name for herself despite this obscure claim to fame. Being raised by emotionless, loveless robots doesn’t exactly merit a natural flair for spontaneity or empathy, but Ava makes do. At the very least, she tries to. Her life is here on South Island, where the sea represents freedom and the air symbolizes a dangerous kind of thrill. But now, her existence is under threat.

The autonomous supply ship fails to deliver. With only a few weeks’ worth of oxygen left, Ava and her beau must embark on a journey to retrieve more. However, what once was a straightforward quest slowly morphs into one rife with ambush.

Something has affected the robots’ advanced processors, causing them to spiral into a fruitless quest for an artifact that may not even exist.

And the more they wait, the more Ava’s in peril. Will Ava be able to save herself and her colony from asphyxiation? Will the robots prove too strong, too cunning to be overcome? Or will Ava succumb to her own resentful demons and allow her personal battles to take center stage?

Find out for yourself in No Lack of Sunshine by debut sci-fi author Eric Kay.