ARC Review: Lost But Not Alone

Moss’d in Space by Rebecca Thorne

Publication Date: June 30, 2026

Summary from Netgalley:

Torian Razner finally bought a starship, and contrary to Amelia’s assessment, it was not “a meteoric sign of stupidity.” Sure, the alien starship may have been abandoned for a century, and it may be covered in moss now… but it’s Torian’s ticket to freedom, regardless of what her ex… ah, captain… said.

Except Torian’s first flight reveals a surprise passenger: the moss is actually an organic computer with a snarky attitude and serious abandonment issues. The target of its loathing? The immortal alien who built it (and then parked the starship, with Moss inside, and forgot about it). The same alien who just found Torian and accused her of “stealing” the ship.

It’s entirely possible that Amelia was right about this meteoric stupidity.

ARC provided by Tor Publishing Group via Netgalley for an honest review.

Confession:

I think this might be the first cozy science fiction I have read, at least since the cozy genre became a thing. I really enjoyed it mostly because of Moss, the sentient organic computer that was certainly the star of the book. I also enjoyed the other aliens that Torian encounters in her adventures and I loved the found family aspect of the story. I still had issues with the pacing though, it was pretty slow throughout most of the book.

Torian is an interesting and well thought out character. But to be honest, I never really liked or connected to her, or for that matter, any of the humans in this story. I could relate to her wanting to save her sister, but whenever the two of them interacted, they were like oil and vinegar. They didn’t seem to even like or trust each other that much. I had the same issue with the romance between Torian and Amelia. They also didn’t seem to get along, nor did they seem particularly compatible. Torian seemed more comfortable with the aliens she encounters than she did the humans.

Moss (Mechanical Operations and Support Systems) was the character that kept me invested in this story. I just loved them. They were snarky and had a lot of issues, but they were also kind and considerate of Torian and eventually the other characters. I loved how protective they were of Torian almost from the start. Moss was just a really interesting AI, and I really enjoyed them. I will probably continue the series just because I want to see what they do next.

The other aliens that Torian encounters were also a lot of fun. Dutch, the alien that created Moss, and Zen, a very scary looking alien, were great. I loved their relationship and also how willing they were to help Torian when she got into trouble. I loved Dutch and Moss’s relationship as well and how hard Dutch tried to make up for his abandonment of Moss. I am glad that they will be sticking around for the next adventure.

Like many books in the cozy genre, the pacing was really slow. I’m not sure why cozy means slow, but there you are. The story could have used a bit more action as well. Even though there were a couple of times when lives were at stake, I never felt the urgency of them being in danger. The big danger that they encountered near the end of the book was resolved simply by talking to the creatures that were attacking them, a bit of a let down to be honest. The ending however was a huge cliffhanger that I am excited to see resolved in the next book.

Fans of the author will probably love this one, even if science fiction isn’t their thing. Fans of cozy books will also enjoy it. But if you are looking for a fast paced action filled science fiction story, this isn’t the one. However, if you love interesting aliens and an AI with a great personality you should give this one a try.