After a colony has long lost contact with Earth, Ichiko is sent to investigate their planet to determine if their planet is habitable, and likewise, if any of them may return to Earth. Lyrical and richly imagined, Amid the Crowd of Stars is a unique take on extrasolar planetary exploration. Where this story succeeds most is in its worldbuilding--focusing on the Lupusian’s society and the flora and fauna of the planet. Due to the nature of the story then, it’s definitely a slow burn. Don’t expect any large, hostile threats like giant worms from Dune or mutant bears like from Annihilation . Instead, the biggest threats are microbial ones and the fear of contamination. To me, this is a really interesting angle to take. However, I have major unanswered questions about the story. For example, Ichiko is a sociologist, archeologist, and exobiologist all in one, and she refers to herself as belonging to a research team. We’re mostly limited to her POV. However, we don’t really see or h...