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 heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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