He’s found a home and located his history (though he still doesn’t remember it), but Chase Garrety is far from safe in this sequel to The Lost Planet (2014).
The children of genetically enhanced supersoldiers, Chase and his sullen younger sister, Lilli, both have powers of their own. Chase can “phase” through solid matter, and Lilli can make copies of herself and project them to other locations. They have to hide their abilities from most of the crew of the Fleet starship Kuyddestor; only the captain (whom Lilli calls uncle), Lt. Maurus and the ship’s doctor know. A faction within the Federation (which is united with but does not control the Fleet) would like to get its hands on Chase and Lilli. Chase is worried the captain will be hunted down for helping them, especially when the Kuyddestor gets a new assignment: assisting with peace talks between the planets Storros and Werikos. When Chase discovers an opportunity to learn about his parents, the siblings, Chase’s hacker friend, Parker, and new acquaintance Analora head into danger. The ship’s computer is hacked and then the ship is hijacked, and Chase has no idea whom to trust. Searles’ action- and intrigue-packed sci-fi thriller is peopled with characters who are sometimes confused, sometimes heroic and sometimes brats—that is to say, always genuine. They make realistic choices that are sometimes wrong in a believable and interesting future milieu. In particular, Lilli’s exploitation of her ability makes for great plot points.
Star Trek for young fans of the genre, who’ll be thrilled at the prospect of a sequel. (Science fiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-03880-7
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
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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
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The victory of Jacob and his fellow peculiars over the previous episode’s wights and hollowgasts turns out to be only one move in a larger game as Riggs (Tales of the Peculiar, 2016, etc.) shifts the scene to America.
Reading largely as a setup for a new (if not exactly original) story arc, the tale commences just after Jacob’s timely rescue from his decidedly hostile parents. Following aimless visits back to newly liberated Devil’s Acre and perfunctory normalling lessons for his magically talented friends, Jacob eventually sets out on a road trip to find and recruit Noor, a powerful but imperiled young peculiar of Asian Indian ancestry. Along the way he encounters a semilawless patchwork of peculiar gangs, syndicates, and isolated small communities—many at loggerheads, some in the midst of negotiating a tentative alliance with the Ymbryne Council, but all threatened by the shadowy Organization. The by-now-tangled skein of rivalries, romantic troubles, and family issues continues to ravel amid bursts of savage violence and low comedy (“I had never seen an invisible person throw up before,” Jacob writes, “and it was something I won’t soon forget”). A fresh set of found snapshots serves, as before, to add an eldritch atmosphere to each set of incidents. The cast defaults to white but includes several people of color with active roles.
Not much forward momentum but a tasty array of chills, thrills, and chortles. (Horror/Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7352-3214-3
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Sept. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
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