A woolly and complicated space opera that combines several familiar elements.
Anderson’s galaxy-spanning YA SF novel rewrites the history of humankind.
Ancient humanity was a successful and glorious space empire, spanning the “Verse” in symbiotic partnership with another species—the gentle, sasquatchlike Rothen. Humanity and Rothen-kind complemented each other spiritually and intellectually; then an insidious alien species called the Greys (the spindly, bigheaded types of UFO lore) used a horrific zombie-creating virus and other weapons to overthrow humans, taint their “meta-mind” artificial intelligence tech, and exterminate most Rothen. For 70,000 years, the Greys have indoctrinated captive humans with fake history and sham science and warehoused them on an alien gulag-planet—Earth—where archaic myths about dragons, mages, and monsters draw on distorted memories of the truth. A small number of humans persist in the cosmos, resisting the Greys and their equally horrid allies. Rain is a bully-hating, Earth schoolgirl ignorant of her messiahlike status, even as her multiple superpowers emerge. Lor is another human orphan wonder-girl with interesting abilities, who’s hunted by Greys on a horrific clone-factory planet that has a small, rare population of Rothen. Tonjin is a legendary warrior from another world whose actions on the planet Rien—humanity’s true home world—are destined to turn tragic. Multiple cliffhanger action takes place on multiple stages in Anderson’s novel, and it's a puzzler how the timelines match up. The kind-of-cool narrative is part space-opera comic book, and part metaphysical conspiracy saga that recalls Philip K. Dick’s famous theory that humans are secretly trapped by evil forces in an illusory but soul-stifling and awful prison. However, Anderson’s version has Wookieelike beings; a tangible Star Wars influence comes through, as does a debt to The Hunger Games, although the author credits Orson Scott Card’s work as an influence. A lengthy afterword describes the long gestation of the manuscript and the decision to render it as YA-level reading. Sequels are planned.
A woolly and complicated space opera that combines several familiar elements.Pub Date: April 22, 2022
ISBN: 9798808656956
Page Count: 401
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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