An Earth-shaking opening to the chronicle of a rapacious galactic empire.
In Goldsmith’s YA SF novel, a 12-year-old prodigy stricken with MLS is abducted by aliens.
Abandoned and suffering from muscular dystrophy, Thomas Hill is only 12 years old, but he’s discovered various miracle cures. The New Hampshire native conceals a secret during the resulting fuss made over him: The sickly boy is also a powerful psychic. Thomas makes contact with another unusual, sheltered young New Englander: Ariock Dovanack, a gigantic, shy misfit, still growing at the age of 22. Attempts by Thomas and others to probe the connections between the boys’ disorders are interrupted by a commando raid by humanoid aliens called the Torth, who have been remotely monitoring Thomas. Some 30 trillion in number (“The power and size of the Torth Empire was beyond imagination!”), the Torth are telepathic, selfish, and ruthless. They recognize Thomas as one of their own, perhaps the result of a runaway Torth on Earth practicing sexual reproduction outside established test-tube norms—one of many taboos punishable by instant death. Thomas’ intellect is outstanding, even by Torth standards. On the Torth-controlled planet Umdalkdul, power players debate executing the Earth boy as an abomination or converting him to their ways. The author’s breathless narrative establishes the totalitarian nightmare of existing within a galaxy of countless mind-readers, where there are no secrets and the slightest transgression brings hideous consequences. Wrapped within the narrative is a sharp critique of social media, as the Torth’s ubiquitous “Megacosm” hive-mind is basically a super-internet. Thoughtful explorations of morality, altruism, justice and mercy, and the idea that godlike powers come with godlike responsibilities add depth and breadth to this auspicious entry in SF literature’s mutant-superman genre. Though the material has natural YA appeal, it does not shun adult content or graphic carnage. The perilous premise seizes the reader’s attention from start to open-ended finish, and Goldsmith notes that this is only the opening act in a six-part saga.
An Earth-shaking opening to the chronicle of a rapacious galactic empire.Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2023
ISBN: 9781039442726
Page Count: 594
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner.
A young woman pursues a dangerous quest in late-1800s Egypt in this sequel to What the River Knows (2023).
After Inez Olivera was nearly murdered while assisting with her uncle’s archaeological expedition in Egypt, Tío Ricardo is eager to ship her home to safety in Argentina. But Inez burns with the need to stay and make sure that those who committed crimes against her family are held responsible. Unfortunately, the law precludes Inez, as a young unmarried woman, from accessing her inheritance (needed to fund her quest for justice) without her guardian uncle’s permission. Whitford Hayes, a former British soldier and her tío’s aide-de-camp, proposes marriage, which could solve her problems. But can Inez trust the secretive Whit? More danger and intrigue lurk at every turn in this exciting duology closer, which fully addresses the first entry’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger. The well-paced plot encompasses many fresh, new adventures and betrayals in this reimagined historical setting in which ancient magic abounds and not everyone or everything is what it seems. Even more captivating, however, is the complicated, nuanced love story between Whit and Inez. Their chemistry sizzles, but their relationship is achingly layered with both profound loyalty and deep deception. As their journey unearths new enemies and priceless archaeological finds, the duo must try to trust each other enough to survive.
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner. (cast of characters, map, timeline) (Historical fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781250822994
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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