MIRO CHRONICLES: AMETI RISING

In Arons’ middle-grade SF novel, a boy, his young friends, and their trusty animal companions help protect a planet.

On the world of Miro, Ameti Apprentices vigorously train to channel Orra, the natural energy that runs throughout the planet. This source of power can be dangerous if not properly controlled. Twelve-year-old Jimmy Aster and his peers finally earn their level-six collars, which come with sockets for Orra orbs and links to each Ameti’s AI assistant to help “keep that energy stable.” Each Ameti also has an animal companion who communicates via earbud. Jimmy’s is the snow wolf Bella, though he longs to find his previous otter companion, Otto, who’s missing. He gets the chance on a newly assigned mission—he and friends Tala and Derek (aka the Scouts) head to the jungle, where Otto likely is, to recover a crashed training plane. Also out there somewhere on Miro is a power-hungry villain who’s collaring Alpha animals to use as weapons. While his ultimate goal remains frighteningly obscure, he’s clearly plotting a devastating event that Jimmy and the other Ameti vow to stop. Arons’ second installment in this series is as animated as the first. The young apprentices brave Miro’s icy surface, utilizing various orbs (they heat up with a fire orb, for example) and relying on animals. Jimmy makes for an admirable and tenacious protagonist who takes accountability for his mistakes, including a rather huge one. Despite the distant-future setting, the characters are relatable; Jimmy is “just friends” with Tara, so why does watching her flirt with another Ameti make him uncomfortable? The story deftly incorporates an environmental theme as the villain’s quest for more power, which involves extensive drilling, could possibly set off an ecological disaster. While this sophomore outing sets up the next entry in the series, a few subplots reach welcome and befitting resolutions.

This brisk, futuristic romp derives its energy from a hearty, multispecies cast.