August 5, 2019
In this intriguing science fantasy debut, the population is divided between preindustrial settlers who live on Earth Adjacent and the aristocratic people of the Tower, a space station ruled by the enigmatic Queen Elizabeth. Successfully terraforming Earth Adjacent hinges on the society curing a congenital heart defect that some element of the planet’s environment causes in everyone born there. Although the authoritarian Commissioner has found a way to protect his Settlement, those whose lives have been saved by illegal clockwork tech have formed an outlaw village. When Nathaniel, the Commissioner’s son and heir apparent, goes on the hunt to arrest Anna, a mechanic who services illegal medical tech, his belief that technology is inherently dangerous undergoes a seismic shift, and is further rocked by his first meeting with his Tower fiancée, Eliza, who reveals that she’s been sent by the Queen herself to overthrow the Commissioner. As Eliza and Anna decide what their budding mutual attraction means, and Nathaniel struggles to choose a life not defined by his father’s expectations, they also make daring plans that will decide the future of a whole world. This is a fun and unusual blending of space-age tech and steampunk-style clockwork that readers with a love of adventure will enjoy. Ages 14–up. Agent: Saba Sulaiman, Talcott Notch Literary.
August 15, 2019
Three young people in a post-Earth world work together to uncover a mystery. Anna is a gifted mechanic bucking the laws against technology. Nathaniel, son of the abusive and powerful Commissioner, just wants to make his father happy. And Eliza, who has dedicated her life to serving as the Queen's spy, is loyally preparing for a strategic marriage. Set in a distant future where humans have fled to space and are searching for a safe terrestrial home after destroying Earth, these three have to navigate their differing agendas, burgeoning identities, and a strange illness that attacks the hearts of anyone born on Earth Adjacent. The easily followed plot twists and turns between them, and debut author Thor departs from clichés in the genre in interesting and modern ways; Nathaniel explores an asexual and aromantic orientation while Eliza and Anna develop a steamy connection. The main characters are cued as white, but racial identity categories don't seem to have survived the apocalypse, nor did anything resembling a community for LGBTQ people. The prose becomes a bit labored and graceless at times, with an occasionally dragging plot, but the worldbuilding and sympathetic characters will keep readers invested in this strange but plausible future. A blend of space opera, queer romance, and high-stakes dystopia, this story will appeal to a broad audience. (Science fiction. 14-18)
COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
September 1, 2019
Grades 8-11 A mysterious disease called Tarnish threatens the hearts of all who are born on Earth Adjacent, but the tech-phobic Commissioner has outlawed life-saving medical implants called TICCERs. Anna has a metal TICCER in her chest, but she has other secrets: under the alias of the Technician, she smuggles banned tech into the Settlement, making her the Commissioner's most-wanted criminal. When the Commissioner's son, Nathaniel, pursues her in the hopes of winning his cruel father's approval, and when the Queen's assassin, Eliza, arrives on Earth Adjacent with orders to spy on the Commissioner, the three become tenuous allies in their attempt to unravel the mystery of Tarnish. Fans of Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles will enjoy this steampunk adventure starring a trio of queer teens from different social strata who are not just on a world-saving mission but are fearlessly and tenderly exploring the difference between legality and morality, discovering language for their identities, and challenging systems and perpetuators of oppression. Thor's debut would make an important and delightful addition to any collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)
August 15, 2019
Three young people in a post-Earth world work together to uncover a mystery. Anna is a gifted mechanic bucking the laws against technology. Nathaniel, son of the abusive and powerful Commissioner, just wants to make his father happy. And Eliza, who has dedicated her life to serving as the Queen's spy, is loyally preparing for a strategic marriage. Set in a distant future where humans have fled to space and are searching for a safe terrestrial home after destroying Earth, these three have to navigate their differing agendas, burgeoning identities, and a strange illness that attacks the hearts of anyone born on Earth Adjacent. The easily followed plot twists and turns between them, and debut author Thor departs from clich�s in the genre in interesting and modern ways; Nathaniel explores an asexual and aromantic orientation while Eliza and Anna develop a steamy connection. The main characters are cued as white, but racial identity categories don't seem to have survived the apocalypse, nor did anything resembling a community for LGBTQ people. The prose becomes a bit labored and graceless at times, with an occasionally dragging plot, but the worldbuilding and sympathetic characters will keep readers invested in this strange but plausible future. A blend of space opera, queer romance, and high-stakes dystopia, this story will appeal to a broad audience. (Science fiction. 14-18)
COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.