KINETIC

A speedy YA space-war adventure.

The first volume of a planned series introduces Alex Carter, an otherwise typical teenager who joins a team of “kinetics”—telekinetic humans with the power to shape and control matter and energy with their minds. Shyra, an alien and survivor of the first wave of an invasion from another galaxy, recruits the kinetics. She informs them that they must help fight the invading Zenakuu, who are spreading like locusts through the universe. Only the kinetics can save the Earth and all the other worlds, and they must work together and marshal all their resources to do so. An amalgam of fantasy, sci-fi and comic-book superheroes, the novel has a fast-paced sense of adventure and action. The story hurtles into outer space from its first chapter, and the narrative never decelerates. The sensibility here is thoroughly YA: Alex contains the typical outsized serving of adolescent self-doubt, and despite leaving his home and all that he knows to train for interstellar war, he still has time to nurture a romance with fellow recruit Cassie. Crisp and clean prose facilitates a fast, smooth read. Characters maintain their separate identities, particularly the compassionate Alex, an endearing, vulnerable hero. The book feels cinematic, as its people, places and fantastic equipment maintain a high gloss. The violence is harsh but not grotesque, and if the reader is open to the sense of wonder here, the authors repay that commitment with consistent believability. Overall, this action-filled adventure/fantasy satisfies.

A frenetic, continually entertaining war of the worlds set in deep space.