An absorbing, inventive introduction to Parker’s version of the 23rd century, where politics still reign.
In the first volume of Parker’s (See the Worlds, 2015) planned sci-fi series, Earth’s act of aggression against Mars could incite the first interplanetary war.
In 2241, the fourth world war is over, and the United States and Nations has reason to celebrate. But there’s troubling news: the off-world colony on Mars may be looking to secede. Most of the USAN’s fuel is from deuterium, and the country will no longer be energy-independent if it has to trade for the precious mineral, which is much more abundant on Mars. As a demonstration of its power, the USAN retrofits two warships to send to the red planet. Mars, meanwhile, having established a government and the Martian Security Service, gets wind of the approaching ships and prepares its missile defense. It seems only a matter of time before one side pre-empts a strike with an attack of its own. Yet there’s not much action in Parker’s novel, consisting largely of political and military maneuvering. But he does fill his novel with a gloriously dense back story: the secession, for instance, is spearheaded by Charles Venkdt, whose family company was the first to send a human expedition to Mars nearly a century before. At the same time, the sci-fi elements are convincing, because they aren’t far removed from today’s norms: a comdev, for example, is like a smartphone that’s “biometrically encoded” to its owner for identity purposes, while the USAN president lives in the suitably named New White House. The story effectively generates suspense for the inevitable confrontation between the two planets: one of two warships, Otus and Ephialtes, may have been sabotaged, and the USAN’s garrison on Mars isn’t likely to surrender easily. Parker even hints at a Romeo and Juliet romance between Bobby Karjalainen, a Martian soldier who fought with the USAN during World War IV, and earthling Askel Lund, an engineer for Helios Matériel Corporation, which designed the ships. Hopefully the relationship will be explored in later books. Readers will definitely want to stick around for the epilogue; it’s a doozy.
An absorbing, inventive introduction to Parker’s version of the 23rd century, where politics still reign.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 505
Publisher: Unlimited
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.
Life lessons.
Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-46750-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
