Action-packed interplanetary hijinks.
Four friends face off against an impending alien invasion.
High schoolers Jack Delaney, Cameron Yates, Megan Joyce, and Ayo Osikoya-Arinola aren’t the most popular students at their school. But as tHeScOuRgE, ForgeFire666, Zuul, and Hephaestus in Distant Dawn, a global online co-op game featuring massive mechs and tentacled alien foes, they comprise the Raid Mob, the game’s most legendary squad. Their skills have gained them exclusive first access to the company’s new virtual reality controller set, and this next Fullmersion level of Distant Dawn brings the sights and smells very close. When the teens seemingly come face to face with aliens spouting plans for a takeover of Earth, they must use their skills to save humanity. Are reality and the world of Distant Dawn colliding, or are they just experiencing overstimulation from the new tech? Sullivan explores themes of friendship, family, resolve, and reality in this fight-filled series opener. Cameron, who stutters, and Ayo, who is autistic, in particular draw strength from their virtual selves. Sullivan also touches upon issues in technology and gaming like doxxing and data mining. Extended action-packed scenes should engage gamers and science-fiction fans, though some casual readers may find them dense. Illustrated elements, including scoreboards, robot and weapon specs, and blacked-out “game over” spreads, add an immersive element, as does a musical playlist. Other than Nigerian British Ayo, the main characters read White.
Action-packed interplanetary hijinks. (Science fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-78226-959-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Clock Tower Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
Fast-moving and intriguing though inconsistent on multiple fronts.
Kids endure rigorous competition aboard a spaceship.
When Babel Communications invites 10 teens to participate in “the most serious space exploration known to mankind,” Emmett signs on. Surely it’s the jackpot: they’ll each receive $50,000 every month for life, and Emmett’s mother will get a kidney transplant, otherwise impossible for poor people. They head through space toward the planet Eden, where they’ll mine a substance called nyxia, “the new black gold.” En route, the corporation forces them into brutal competition with one another—fighting, running through violent virtual reality racecourses, and manipulating nyxia, which can become almost anything. It even forms language-translating facemasks, allowing Emmett, a black boy from Detroit, to communicate with competitors from other countries. Emmett's initial understanding of his own blackness may throw readers off, but a black protagonist in outer space is welcome. Awkward moments in the smattering of black vernacular are rare. Textual descriptions can be scanty; however, copious action and a reality TV atmosphere (the scoreboard shows regularly) make the pace flow. Emmett’s first-person voice is immediate and innocent: he realizes that Babel’s ruthless and coldblooded but doesn’t apply that to his understanding of what’s really going on. Readers will guess more than he does, though most confirmation waits for the next installment—this ends on a cliffhanger.
Fast-moving and intriguing though inconsistent on multiple fronts. (Science fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-55679-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2026 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.
