Shines brightest as a thriller but basks gloriously in its dusty, red-planet ambiance.
In Samson’s sci-fi thriller (Demon’s Redemption, 2009), a crew sent on a rescue mission to Mars battles what might be a flesh-eating alien life form, sabotage and a murderer aboard their ship.
Col. John Hellman leads the Planetary Exploration Command on its way to the red planet to learn what became of the last six-person crew. On Mars, the members discover skeletal remains and crystal rods like the ones brought back from an earlier mission, which are now being examined on Earth by John’s wife, Marie, director of PEC’s Extra-Terrestrial Biology division. Believing the rods may be responsible for the piles of bones, John fears for Marie’s safety, but first, he must contend with someone sending encrypted messages to his crew and their being attacked. Though sci-fi, the novel concentrates mostly on the mystery behind murders occurring on both Earth and Mars. Suspense deftly builds from the start, when John’s friend Tom tells him PEC speculates that an infection killed the missing crew—which would explain why a doctor, Sarah Carpenter, has been appointed the mission’s commander. Also, rather than the crew calmly waking up from stasis on Mars, tension is further established by someone having a heart attack after hypersleep and the area being scanned for signs of life before anyone even steps foot on the planet. Survivors of the previous mission tell of the crew’s demise—possibly related to aliens—but the tensest moments take place after one of John’s crew is bludgeoned to death and another has his throat slashed. Distrust boils among the crew while accusations and theories abound; as psychologist Cynthia proclaims, “[T]rust is always a gamble.” Back on Earth, Marie can’t escape the paranoia. PEC believes she’s in cahoots with a saboteur among John’s crew, and when a trusted colleague dies, she blames her employers. Although the couple’s interplanetary stories receive equal coverage, John’s account is the more exhilarating of the two, especially for its Mars locale. Samson’s novel includes subtle, wry nods to other sci-fi works—the mission has shades of both Alien and Aliens—and Star Trek fans will appreciate a familiar refrain, with variations voiced by more than one character: “I’m a scientist, not a politician.”
Shines brightest as a thriller but basks gloriously in its dusty, red-planet ambiance.Pub Date: May 17, 2010
ISBN: 978-1936165384
Page Count: 568
Publisher: Purple Sword Publications, LLC.
Review Posted Online: Sept. 4, 2013
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
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
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