A shipshape but easygoing romp that offers youngsters the comical wish fulfillment of being let loose on a starship.
In this middle-grade-SF sequel, Eudora Jenkins, a spacegoing third-grader, schemes to free a group of live lobsters before it’s served as part of a starship banquet—with unexpected results.
Horn offers the second entry in his series, following Eudora Space Kid: The Great Engine Room Takeover(2021). Eudora is an elementary-school-age girl in the year 4021, whose mother serves aboard a giant “astroliner” called the Athena. It’s populated by a diverse, multispecies crew who hail from all over the 20-world Planetary Republic. The security chief, Lt. Londo, is a leonine alien called a Qlaxon, whose fearsome warrior society is traditionally the antagonist of the Republic, but he’s a pleasant guy; Eudora’s adoptive father, Max, is a part-cephalopod scientist. The young girl manages to get into trouble routinely on the ship, much to the consternation of long-suffering Captain Jax and his no-nonsense Number Two, Stella Ying. Eudora’s misadventures this time around center on the girl’s realization that a shipboard colony of 30 live lobsters, which are objects of intense study by Max, are currently in demand as food at the great ship’s annual New Year’s Dinner Buffet. Eudora is properly horrified at this possibility, and with her friend Arnold, Londo’s human stepson, she conspires to raid her father’s lab and abduct the endangered crustaceans. But what is her next step to guarantee that the lobsters do not end up as seafood? It turns out that Eudora has not quite thought that far ahead, and she hasn’t quite worked out all the details of her plan.
This series’ fictional world obviously has a very strong Star Trek influence, although its tone is one of juvenile-level whimsy. The massive Athena is a clear stand-in for the USS Enterprise and the catlike Qlaxon seem to be generally modeled after the cherished Starfleet frenemies, the Klingons (although the Trek universe has a feline-esque species of aliens, too, known as the Caitians). In addition, the children even carry around very helpful tricorders by another name. Eudora is shown to have clear STEM ambitions in her goal to be the ship’s chief engineer someday, although that aspect of her character is shown to be somewhat less vital to the plot over the course of this installment. The narrative has no violence to speak of and the work’s central plea for animal rights (at least when it comes to lobsters) is generally conveyed with a very light touch. The work is also accessorized with grayscale illustrations by Hoover, which have a style that’s mildly reminiscent of anime. In general, this is an upbeat work that makes a fine chapter-book diversion for young readers, who may possibly use this series as a springboard to some of the juvenile-skewing titles by such SF authors as Robert A. Heinlein; for example, if one likes Eudora’s SF adventures, one may later love Heinlein’s 1963 novel Podkayne of Mars, which features the adventures of 15-year-old girl on a spaceliner.
A shipshape but easygoing romp that offers youngsters the comical wish fulfillment of being let loose on a starship.Pub Date: March 21, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-73667-742-1
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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