TITAN OF THE STARS

In this duology opener, teens work together to survive being stuck on a spaceship with aliens.

The spaceship Titan’s maiden voyage is a weeklong journey from Earth to Mars. The more than 500 passengers include paying customers, who are enjoying a first-class experience, the crew, who are stressed about keeping the aforementioned group happy, and some journalists and scientists. Petrified aliens, found preserved in permafrost, are on display in cases. The point of view alternates between the queer, white-presenting leads: Celeste Sparrow is a junior engineer who knows where all the hidden tunnels are on the Titan, and Dominic Reubens is an aspiring artist, who’s fed up with his boyfriend, Adam Jeffers. While they’re both survivors of a terrible earthquake in Eastern Canada known as the St. Lawrence Rupture, their experiences on Earth couldn’t have been further apart. Celeste struggled to get where she is, while Dominic was adopted by prominent parents. Here on the Titan, crew member Celeste and wealthy Dominic are drawn to each other—initially out of curiosity but, when the aliens run amok, out of the need to survive. Dominic’s and Celeste’s perspectives initially unfold at a deliberate pace. When the action ramps up, the story vibrates with terror, offering readers a compelling and harrowing treat and highlighting the teens’ sheer cunning and urgent desire for survival. The presence and impact of colonial privilege and power are also inescapable.

Riveting and thoroughly enjoyable.