science fiction

Review: Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

| Tasha

dont turn around

Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Noa woke up on a table, an IV in her arm.  She had no memory of how she got there.  Years earlier, she had managed to escape from the foster care system by hacking computers and creating a fake family.  She is tough and smart.  That is what saves her when she makes a harrowing escape from the warehouse where she awoke.  But men are following her and nowhere is safe.  The only chance she has is to survive in that shadow world where there is no record of her existence.  But she needs access to cash and a computer to pull it off.  That’s where Peter comes into the story.  A wealthy kid, he watched his brother die from the mysterious disease that kills teens.  When Peter sniffs around his father’s files, he stumbles upon one that has men chasing him as well.  So he needs a great hacker to help him find out more.  That person is Noa.  Now the two of them know just enough to get them killed and the only option they have is to trust each other and keep running.

Gagnon creates a future world here that is just a few years ahead of our own.  From the raging disease that is striking down an entire generation to the mysterious people who are using teens for experiments, this is a world that is darker and wilder than our own.  At the same time, it’s a world that is close enough to ours to make it understandable and almost reality.  Gagnon writes about hacking as a beautiful mental exercise, something that the wild and intelligent teen would do simply as a challenge.

Noa is an amazing heroine.  Though she doesn’t have super powers of any kind, she is frighteningly strong mentally and gutsy as can be.  For those looking for a strong heroine, Noa is a modern and fascinating one who offers complexity and vulnerability too.  Peter is another interesting character with his hacking hobby that is used for good and his disturbingly distant parents.  The two of them together are dynamite.

Thrilling and fast paced, this book will appeal to teens who love computers as well as those looking for a riveting read.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from HarperCollins.

Review: What Came from the Stars by Gary D. Schmidt

| Tasha

what came from the stars

What Came from the Stars by Gary D. Schmidt

Valorim is a world torn by war.  The evil Lord Mondus is threatening everything that they hold dear, but one young man, Young Waeglim, manages to save it all.  He crafts the Chain of Valorim Art and flings it away into space, out of the reach of Lord Mondus and his threatening hordes of O’Mondim.  A young man on earth finds the chain and wears it.  His name is Tommy and his life is changed when he wears the chain, creating a new life from one devastated by the lost of his mother.  He starts to be able to do amazing art by using ‘”thrimble” and making it so lifelike it moves.  He speaks in a strange language, adding words that no one can find in any dictionary.  But most of all, he knows he has to save his home from the development that threatens it.  It was a place his mother loved, and one that means everything to his little sister and his father.  This is a book about loss and grief and yes, the universe too.

Schmidt amazed me here.  It is a book that plays with the motifs of science fiction, brings them to life, creates a world, and then… you just need to read this book.  For me, the ambiguous nature of the story itself as well as the ending means that it has a myriad of possible readings.  It could be just about loss of a parent and coping mechanisms, but I think it is about so much more.  It is about the power of art, the beauty of family, and the wonder of possibilities. 

Perhaps my favorite part of the book is the way that the world of Valorim and the earth world are separated by writing styles.  The earth world reads almost as any other modern children’s book.  It is peppered with Valorim words, but mostly straight forward.  The Valorim sections are flowery, lovely and wild reading.  They remind me most of the Jabberwocky poem from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll.   It contains the same adventuresome spirit, the danger, the violence, but mostly the wordsmithing. 

I adored this book.  It would be ideal for classroom discussion because everyone is certain to have taken it in their own unique way.  I’d also suggest it for a perfect book to read on your own and discover.  It’s tremendous.  Appropriate for ages 12-14.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Legends of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

| Tasha

legends of zita

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Released September 4, 2012.

This is the sequel to the wonderful graphic novel, Zita the Spacegirl.  In this second book, Zita is having to deal with her fame seriously cramping her style.  She can’t go anywhere without security (in the form of the friends she made in the first book.)  So when an opportunity arises, Zita heads away with Mouse for a little time alone.  Little does Zita know, but a discontinued robot who can make herself look like another person, has disguised herself as Zita.  By the time Zita realizes what has happened, Piper and the others have left with her to try to save a planet.  Now Zita has to follow them and steals a spaceship to catch up.  Unfortunately, this makes her a criminal and the Doom Squad are after her.  This is just the beginning of another amazing adventure of Zita the Spacegirl.

Dealing with the negative side of her fame is a wonderful way to open this second book. Add to it the strange robot who can imitate people, the ferocious Doom Squad, and several new friends she makes along the way, and you have another Zita book that is impossible to put down.  Zita is a great protagonist, a fantastic mix of normal girl and heroine.  She has real adventures in space as a young girl, something you don’t often see in children’s graphic novels.  She also solves many of her own problems, not relying on others to save her. 

Hatke’s art is clean and clear and filled with color.  He manages to create characters who project their personalities just through a few facial expressions and their appearance.  His pacing is spot on, carrying the book forward as fast as you can turn the pages.

This series belongs in every public library, offering a great young heroine in graphic novel form.  Appropriate for ages 7-10.

Reviewed from copy received from First Second.

2011 Andre Norton Award Winner

| Tasha

The 2011 Nebula Winners have been announced.  As always, teens will enjoy many of the science fiction and fantasy winners for adults, but happily there is also a category just for young adult books: The Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The winner is:

The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman

Other books on the shortlist were:

   

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

The Boy at the End of the World by Greg van Eekhout

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

  

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson

Review: The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman

| Tasha

obsidian blade

The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman

This is the dazzling first book in a new trilogy by veteran author, Hautman.  It is the story of Tucker, a teen boy from Hopewell, Minnesota who sees his minister father suddenly disappear into a disk that hangs in mid-air.  His father returns an hour later, changed.   He looks older, his clothes are worn, and his feet are covered in odd blue boots.   But the most significant change is that he no longer believes in God.  After his father returns, Tucker’s mother begins a slow descent into madness.  She stops cooking, stops getting dressed, and her hair turns from red to pure white.  Tucker longs to return to the days when his family was not falling apart, but before he can even begin to hope for that, his father disappears with his mother.  Tucker knows they have both entered the disk again, looking for a cure for her.  This book blends family relationships, technology, time travel and religion into one intoxicating mixture that is impossible to sip slowly.

This book would definitely be categorized as science fiction, but that definition does not fit quite so easily here.  With its detailed look at modern life and families, the audacity with which it explores faith and religion, and the wrenching take on modern technologies, this book is far more than that narrow genre might imply.  Hautman has created a work that transcends simple definition, reaching quickly beyond them. 

Hautman whirls readers through time, creating places that read like Narnia, others that seem more like an Indiana Jones film, and then slows down to take in the crucifixion.   It is a trip through our shared past and future, dancing back and forth across the line until the reader is unsure which is which.  Hautman excels at asking impertinent questions, taking great risks, and exploring the lines that teens themselves like to toy with. 

The book is beautifully written.  The character of Tucker is well done, though others may need time in the upcoming books to come more fully to life.  The book is plotted tightly, picking up pace until by the end, you simply cannot read fast enough to figure things out.  And the final trick is the end of this first book, which is just like stepping through a diskos of your own.  

A triumph of a first book in a series, this reminds me strongly of the wonder of Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness.  I’d suggest getting it into the hands of teens who enjoyed that series which had the same complexity both in terms of storyline and ethics.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Candlewick Press.

Review: A Million Suns by Beth Revis

| Tasha

million suns

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

The second book in the Across the Universe series takes up the story three months after Amy was awoken from her cryosleep.  Elder has become Eldest and has taken control of the ship.  The population has stopped being drugged by Phydus but that has created new problems of controlling the suddenly unruly population.  Amy gets a clue that starts both her and Elder on a quest to figure out the truth behind the ship no longer moving through space.  It quickly becomes a race against time as killings start with the ominous phrase “Follow the leader” on each body.  The truth may set you free, but getting to it can be deadly.

I was thrilled to get my hands on this second book, because I found the first so fresh and fascinating.  The story continues with the same claustrophobic feeling aboard the ship, where readers will think that they know the truth of the situation but will quickly realize that there is much more to the story of their journey into space.  I did find the book hard to get into at first because the beginning was slow moving.  That is quickly remedied and the pacing of the rest of the book is very successful.

The setting of Godspeed is a compelling one that Revis uses to great effect throughout the story.  The ship itself holds many of the secrets, making it a vital part of the tale.  The characters are equally complex.  Elder and Amy have a relationship that is romantic yet troubled.  Combined with the tight setting, the desperation of their quest, and the killings, it makes for a riveting read of mystery, science fiction and romance.

This complex and engaging science fiction novel will be embraced by fans of the series, who will immediately start thinking about what will happen in book three.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

| Tasha

cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is the best mechanic in New Beijing, so it is natural that the prince would bring his broken android to her for repair.  What he doesn’t know is that Cinder herself is also an android.  She is owned by her cruel stepmother, who uses Cinder to bring in the income for the entire household.  As a plague ravages Earth, the world is also under threat from above as the Lunar queen arrives to pressure the prince into marriage.  As the plague reaches her own family, Cinder is given away to become a test subject.  This brings her into direct contact again with the prince and also gives her new information about her unknown past.  It’s a past that may just be the key to the entire planet’s safety.

This is a glorious melding of science fiction and fairy tale where androids and Cinderella mash up.  It is the strength of the story itself that works well here.  The blend makes the book compulsively readable with the science fiction giving a grittiness to the expected fairy tale story.  At the same time, one looks for the fairy tale components and how they are reinterpreted.  The entire concept works brilliantly.

The middle of the novel does have some pacing issues.  While the reader knows Cinder’s secret past before Cinder does, that knowledge contributes to the slowing of the novel.  There is also a pivotal plot point that is set aside what seems to be a very long time, further slowing the pace. 

Cinder is a dynamic heroine who is notably human and caring.  She is strong, but beyond that is also reassuringly sometimes clumsy and confused.  The reworking of some of the characters of the fairy tale, including one of the step sisters works well.  While the book follows the arc of the Cinderella story, Meyer also inserts new facets that fill the tale with surprises for the reader.

A riveting book that features a strong heroine and a brilliant storyline, this book will be enjoyed by dystopian and romance fans alike.  Appropriate for ages 13-17.

Reviewed from copy received from Feiwel & Friends.

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Review: Prized by Caragh M. O’Brien

| Tasha

prized

Prized by Caragh M. O’Brien

In this sequel to Birthmarked, Gaia has escaped into the wasteland with her infant sister, following a rumor to guide her.  Gaia is reaching the end of her strength and her baby sister is perishing when she is discovered by a rider from Sylum.  When she is brought into their matriarchal society, Gaia is forced to give up her sister into the society for care and must submit herself to their rules.  No man can speak to her first much less touch her, and a kiss can get you jailed.  Sylum is slowly dying, since there are many more male births than female.  But Sylum also cannot be escaped easily.  Newcomers get physically ill and then after that violent illness are unable to leave.  If they try to leave, they will die of an even more extreme illness.  So Gaia is trapped in Sylum without her sister, trying to follow their rules, when she discovers that Leon is also there, imprisoned.  In order to free him, Gaia has to give up the last of her will to the ruler of Sylum. 

I adored the first book in this series.  The Enclave was a skewed society that was fully rendered and well thought out.  O’Brien has done the impossible in a single series and created within her world another complete society that makes sense, surprises, and then displays its darker side.  Sylum is a world run by women, but also a decaying society where there are few rights especially for those who refuse to follow the rules.  It is a beautiful, green but dreadful place where the darkness is right below the lovely surface.  In short, it is immensely readable and a wonderful dystopian setting.

O’Brien introduces us to new characters just as we are getting reacquainted with those we enjoyed in the first book.  Gaia remains a fierce, independent force who is bright, inspiring and strong.  She is a character thrown into a society she does not understand, who makes waves with every step and friends too.  There are two brothers who serve as additional love interests in this complex society that forbids touching.  They are wonderfully similar but also very different, attractive in different ways to Gaia.  Still, there is also the angry and ever-frustrating yet fascinating Leon to consider.  As Gaia muses, it is actually a love square rather than a triangle.

This is a compulsively readable book, just like the first.  The world is well drawn, but it is the different societies that truly shine here.  I look forward to the rest of the series, because this book was very unexpected and I can’t guess what is going to happen next.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

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Review: All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

| Tasha

all these things ive done

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

This is the first book in a new dystopian science fiction series by the author of Elsewhere.  In the year 2083, the United States are in a darker time.  Coffee and chocolate are illegal, water is rationed, phone calls are very expensive, and paper books are antiques.  Anya Balanchine lives with her grandmother who is kept alive with machines, her older brother and her younger sister.  She is the daughter of New York’s most powerful mob boss, who unfortunately was killed years earlier right in front of Anya and her sister.  Her mother is dead too, murdered in her car which is how her older brother received his brain injury.  But Anya is determined to stay clear of her family’s connections and have a real life.  Yet everything comes back to chocolate, crime and family, and what Anya will have to do to protect the people she loves.

Zevin has created a book that takes place in a dystopian world.  While she gives lots of details about that world and about New York City as a decaying giant, the focus is on Anya, her family and her friends.   The book has such focus and is so well written, readers won’t miss the larger world being explained.  Instead this is about an insular world inside of a dystopian setting.  The focus is powerful, creating a gripping reading experience.

In Anya, Zevin has created a protagonist who is razor sharp, very tough, yet melts like chocolate too.  The romance in this book is beautifully built.  It reads as real, poignant, and star-crossed.  Anya is a young woman carrying far more than her share of the weight of the world.  This first book in a series reads as a complete and satisfying story, yet as a reader I was thrilled to see it was only the beginning.

Get this into the hands of fans of Holly Black’s White Cat.  The combination of mob and dystopian make this a thriller that is sure to surprise and delight.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from copy received from Farrar Straus & Giroux.

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