Packs too much into too little space but still merits a look, especially for Frank Herbert fanciers.
In first-time author OZ’s futuristic sci-fi novel, desert rebels on a ruined planet attempt to manipulate a young historian into destroying the empire.
The author adapts many aspects of Frank Herbert’s Dune saga, particularly the quasi-Arab culture Herbert conceived for the far future. Here, however, the strong 9/11 theme overshadows the ecological considerations. Several centuries hence, the galaxy belongs to the Caliphate, a theocratic empire that arose after the Arab world emerged victorious from centuries of warfare with the West. The “Desert Peoples” prevailed due to their invention of a teleportation technique that enabled them to escape from the ravaged Earth, a bombed, polluted and barren wasteland. Regardless of its state, Earth remains vital to the religion and prestige of the mighty Caliphate. Ben Har-Jude, a “Chrislam” scholar of humble origins in a Caliphate backwater planet, goes to one of Earth’s few habitable oases to pursue his studies. There, he and a mentor are captured by the Durans, a hardy race of rebel fighters dwelling in the deep desert. Descended from genetically modified “Merkan” soldiers, the Durans—and their beautiful blonde warrior princess, Farah—soon gain Ben’s sympathies. But the Durans, like their Gulf War ancestors, are still capable of unleashing shock and awe. Unlike Herbert’s wordy worldbuilding and memorable ensemble cast, OZ compresses his epic. Exposition comes in bursts, and bombshell revelations arrive thick and fast. Still, the overall vision is compelling and the situation morally complex. OZ scores points (or belabors them, depending on reader perspective) looking “back” on hot-button contemporary issues such as Wall Street mischief and climate change. Sci-fi fans who don’t object to the pulpy pace should find the novel a respectable riff on Herbert rather than knock-off pastiche or fanfic.
Packs too much into too little space but still merits a look, especially for Frank Herbert fanciers.Pub Date: March 12, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 195
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Review Posted Online: June 11, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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