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When two worlds are at war for as long as Landfall and Wreath have been fighting, the wounds are almost impossible to heal. They fester and rot until everyone involved has suffered in some inconceivable way. In Brian K Vaughan's third volume of Saga, the two star-crossed lovers find themselves hurtling through the stars to find a safe place for to raise their child.
Alana and Marko weren't sure where in the world it was safe to take Hazel, but they thought the man who was responsible for her even existing might be the place to start. D. Oswart Heist was an author who wrote the very book that made them think they could act on the chemistry between them. When they arrive, they are half surprised and half not, to find Heist drunk, disheveled, and blathering like an idiot. His planet of Quietus is even less warm and inviting, but they have no choice but to explore every option to keep Hazel safe.
On Quietus they learn a lot about themselves. With Marko's mother still grieving the loss of his father and Izabel, their ghostly appendage, taking care of Hazel, they get to know Heist, the tortured literary genius with more darkness inside him than hope these days. Meanwhile, The Will is still hunting them, and the story of their marriage and their baby is still feared to be the catalyst for a revolution in a world where no one wants this war to continue. Hazel is a symbol of everything Wreath and Landfall have failed to do for the people of the universe, and too many people want that symbol gone.
There is just something about this story that sucks me in with each volume. I recommended this series to a student recently, one who isn't an avid reader, and he was so into the story, he stayed up all night to read the first volume and couldn't wait to tell me about it. That is what I call one seriously awesome story! While Alana and Marko and the others are an interesting story arc, the other stories, like the Will and the two journalists, are just as interesting. I think each new story arc is so awesome, it could be its own complete series! But how they all tie in together and twist and turn is addictive. So give this series a shot if you haven't already. You won't be sorry! (unless you are dying for volume 4 like me!)
The world we live in is only a speck of dust compared to the universe. Imagine all that could be out there. Including a planet that is just a giant egg ready to hatch. In Brian K. Vaughan's second volume of Saga, Alana and Marko are still trying to find a way to keep Hazel safe.
Alana and Marko might have escaped a spider-woman, found a spaceship made of a tree, and bound their daughter to the upper torso of a little girl ghost to save Marko, but nothing prepared them for what was walking onto their new ship... Marko's parents. When they banish Izabel to the closest planet, Marko insists on going to save the ghost girl. His mother goes with him, not only to make sure he stays safe, but also to harangue him for getting mixed up with a Landfall girl. Meanwhile, Alana and Marko's father are left on the ship to... bond? Hard to do when she makes the ship wrap him up in vines and hang him from the ceiling!
Meanwhile, The Will is getting over the death of the woman he loved and is caught up with saving a little girl from the brothels. Meanwhile, Prince Robot IV is determined to find Marko and Alana before his wife has their child, and he has a plan of exactly where they are going to go. What none of them know is that everything they think they know is wildly and completely wrong. And all of them are thrust into this world because of one little girl. Hazel.
It's official. Brian K. Vaughan is a master. A complete and utter master. And the art by Fiona Staples? A. Maze. Ing. It is so beautiful and so unique, its hard to pry yourself away from the images to keep going with the story, but then again, the story is so awesome, it is hard to keep yourself from flying through the thing without hesitating to enjoy it! Such a conundrum!
I really loved the addition of Marko's parents, too. His mother was tough as nails (any idea why he is so smitten with Alana?!). But his father was the one who really got me. He was a man who was instantly in love with his new granddaughter and still had a dark secret he was hiding. I loved how protective he was of both new additions to his family, and he made this story just that much more special.
But still, the best of all was the world building. This saga (pun intended) never ceases to amaze me with its different planets and worlds out there. They are weird, creepy, bizarre, and so exciting to see! I almost hope the group keeps traveling because I want to see more, more, more!
Star-crossed lovers are a tale as old as time and a tale we can't get enough of. Whether they be from two feuding families in Verona or two warring planets (well, a planet and a moon, actually), when two souls from the corners of the universe are fighting to be together, we pray for a happy ending. In Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, being hunted by mercenaries might prevent any sort of happy ending.
Hazel was born on Cleave, but her parents were from some place far away. Alana is a soldier from the planet Landfall and Marko is a solder from Landfall's moon, Wreath. Wreath and Landfall have been at war for so long, they had to take the war out of their backyards in order to save the rest of their civilizations. Alana and Marko were never supposed to meet, let alone have a child together, but when she broke him out of prison, they became the most hunted couple in the galaxy and Hazel, their child, was the most coveted target.
Alana and Marko just want to be left alone with their baby, but they represent something the powers that be can't stand for, a unity among the races. When the Robot Prince is sent to find them, two mercenaries are offered a king's ransom to kill them and capture the baby, and a war rages around them, all seems hopeless to Alana and Marko. But somehow, by the grace of the inexplicable, they live each night to see the light of a new day. Unfortunately, it is not without consequences.
Oh, wow! Just Wow! I loved Vaughn's Y: The Last Man series, but I worried I might not like this one. Wrong. Dead wrong. From the magnificent world building, to the incredible characters, to the story that doesn't let you down for a single breath, this was an absolutely incredible graphic novel. Volume 1 is the first six issues, so I have quickly ordered the next two volumes, because I just can't get enough of this story!
Naughty Bits: OK, we all know it is tough to find a series in this genre without the naughty bits for younger readers, and this is no different. There are only a couple of moments, like the brothel The Will goes to or the Robot Prince's moment with his wife, but this is relatively tame for the genre. I recommended it for a student who read Watchman because I figured if they could handle that rape scene, this nudity and sex would be milder. Still, it is something to keep in mind, perhaps to ask parents first if they object if your student is younger.
Saga is a great start to what I can only assume will be a wonderful series, and I am excited to dig into the next two volumes. Alana and Marko are my new favorite characters. She is tough as nails, and his devotion to his family (including giving up the sword that will protect them because now that he has a daughter, he doesn't want to take part in the killing of people) is inspiring. While you might not like them, the supporting characters, whether they be mercenary, robot, or ghost, are just as intriguing. This is an amazing new world and you won't be able to get enough of it... LIKE ME!
The sun sustains our life, but if it were just a smidge closer to us, it could be the death of our delicate little planet. In Kristi Helvig's Burn Out, the planet is a scorched wasteland, but one girl refuses to give in.
Tora Reynolds is the only one left on earth. The sun was knocked closer to earth and has become a Red Giant, burning everything in its wake. Her father, a weapons developer for the government, made sure they would have a safe place to hide for when things eventually went bad (really bad). He planned to protect the whole family, but when her mother and sister died out in the sun, it was just him and Tora. Until his final meeting with the people who wanted their guns didn't go so well. Now, in an underground bunker full of the most dangerous weapons on earth, space, and everything in between, she imagines she will last here for a while, but she has a bottle full of pain pills for Plan B in case everything falls apart.
When Markus, a family "friend," shows up looking to trade with Tora, she turns him down. His deal, the weapons for a ride off the scorched hell hole that Earth has become, is tempting, but she won't let anyone get their hands on those guns and ruin yet another planet. He isn't happy about being turned down, and he returns with a band of mercenaries ready to take the guns from her by force. Tora knew her father trusted Markus, but she was always skeptical about his loyalty. Now that he is ready to kill her for being between him and the guns, she knows her instincts were right. But the idea of a planet with abundant water is very tempting. First things first. If Tora is going to make it to the new planet, she is going to have to trust someone else, but that isn't all that is standing in her way.
Helvig's debut science fiction, post-apocalyptic story was a real knock out! It was so action packed, which is the exact opposite of what you would expect from a burnt out wasteland. Tora was a brave girl to keep going on in such a world, but she was one tough cookie. The fact that she wasn't afraid to get into a shoot-out with heavily armed mercenaries certainly demonstrated that tenacity! I couldn't get enough of her, but sometimes I wished things would go a little better for her. Just once, can't the girl catch a break?
This would be a great book for any kid who likes action-packed books and loses interest easily, because it never seems to slow for a even a moment. There were certainly some unanswered questions by the end, so I hope Helvig continues with the story. The supporting characters were just as interesting as Tora and Markus, so you won't be let down when the action centers around all of them. And the idea of the sun finally being the impetus of our demise is more terrifying than you think! You won't take that sunshine for granted again on a beautiful spring day!
When you have lost everything, is there anything left to keep you on the right path? For Waverly, Seth, and Kieran, life on the ships headed to a new planet has been nothing short of devastating. But it doesn't end there. In Amy Kathleen Ryan's conclusion to the Skychasers series, she gives us Flame, which you are sure to burn right through.
As Waverly and the other girls approach New Horizon, Anne Mather's ship, they leave the blown up bits of their ship, the Empyrean, behind them. People have died, their home is destroyed, and they are forced into the home of their enemy, a woman who had no qualms about drugging the Empyrean girls and harvesting their eggs to repopulate New Horizon. Living with them is deplorable, but it is the only option. They aren't even sure who made it onto the ship and who is lost forever thanks to the New Horizon terrorists who planted the bomb. While the people of New Horizons welcome them with open arms, it is hard to forget what happened to them on that ship, and who was responsible for it.
Seth managed to get on the ship undetected, but quickly, the authorities on New Horizon were notified of his existence. They don't know where he is, but they know they don't want him roaming around on his own. Waverly can't let go of what they did to her, and seeing her mother, whose mind has obviously been tampered with, makes her resentment grow into an unmanageable beast. When she is approached by a group of insurgents who wish to take down Anne Mather, she finds herself embroiled in a treasonous plan that could easily destroy her. Kieran, kind, trustworthy Kieran, is the most misunderstood and underestimated kid on the ship. Anne believes she can use him to win the faith of the entire ship, but what she doesn't realize is that Kieran may be the strongest of all of them. Never underestimate a boy who was born to lead.
Well, Ryan certainly knew where she wanted to go with this story, and she went there, all right! While the beginning of the series trifled with a love triangle, the end of the series was nothing short of world-making. Ryan took her young, naive characters and forced them to grow up, and grow up quickly. They were teenagers, but in these circumstances, they were the most responsible and humane of any people on those ships. It was a beautiful transformation to witness, and I whole-heartedly enjoyed it. I also really loved the conflict between these teens and the adults around them. Most of my young adult readers know what it feels like to not be taken seriously because of their age. They fall victim to mall curfews, decisions made about them, not with them, and they struggle to find their place in a world that expects them to act like adults while treating them like young children. It is a difficult point of their lives when their identities are being shaped, and Ryan's characters are a quintessential example of those circumstances. I think my students would find a lot of themselves in this story, even if it is a dystopic space opera!
This is a fabulous series for any teen, male or female. I think the subject matter is appropriate for younger readers with stronger language skills as well. It is an excellent story with characters you wish you knew in real life. As with any ending, you have a way you hope it ends. I think we all have a little disappointment with series conclusions, not because they didn't end well, but because we are sad to see them go, and I feel just that for this final book. The ending was perfect, in my opinion, but I wish it didn't have to end here. I won't ruin the ending, but when you get there, you will agree with me that you want to see more of these characters. The ending was beautiful, but it isn't done for me. I want more!
As you look up at the stars, you can imagine a world where any universe is at your fingertips. Imagine if those universes really could be at your fingertips with the mere thrust of hyperdrive. In These Broken Stars, by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, the worlds, planets, and universes collide when two star-crossed lovers fall from space.
Lilac LaRoux's father is the richest man in the universe. To say she is untouchable isn't an understatement. Her father would make any man who dared to look at her too long, ultimately disappear. Tarver Merendsen may be a decorated war hero, but he wasn't born among these people, and they don't hesitate to let him know. He is on the luxury liner, but he doesn't belong there. When he bumps into Lilac, he is drawn to her. He doesn't know who she is, but she is still out of his league. She is equally as interested, but she will never risk putting another man on the wrong side of her father. Not after what happened to her childhood love.
When the ship starts to pull out of hyperspace, everyone is supposed to run for escape pods. Tarver tries to help people from being trampled, but in the rush, he and Lilac are swept the same way. They find an empty pod and manage to start disengage from the ship, although not all pods make it. In fact, they seem to be the only one that was able to actually disengage from the ship before it plummeted to the nearest planet. Lilac and Tarver have a bumpy landing, but at least they are alive. What they don't expect is a planet that seems to defy all logic. It appears to be terraformed, but there are creatures on the planet that wouldn't exist on a terraformed planet. If that isn't peculiar enough, Lilac keeps hearing voices in the wind. Tarver is convinced they are a result of her shock at the situation, but when they save them from certain death, he begins to realize there is something different about this planet. They had hoped to be rescued by Lilac's father soon, but will anyone find them before they find out the deep, dark secrets that lie in this planet?
This book has gotten a lot of hype and I can see why. It is like Titanic on a luxury spaceliner. And who didn't fall for the love story on Titanic, right?! Well, you will love Tarver and Lilac just as much as you loved Jack and Rose. In fact, this story was captivating. Not only the romantic spark between the two characters, but also the world they find themselves in. It is so unique and interesting, and I can't tell you how much I loved reading about it. I will say I preferred the first 2/3 of the book to the last 1/3, though. By the end it got really trippy and out there, and that is where the true science fiction came in. While this seemed at first like a simple space opera, there was a lot more to it by the end. The deep and confusing back story was interesting, but to be honest, I would have been just as happy following Tarver and Lilac around the planet! That isn't to say I didn't like that last 1/3, I just preferred the beginning of the story more.
This is a complex story with average to above average language but a clean story that would be appropriate for any age. Given the complexity of the story, I would save this for students of any age as long as they have strong reading and comprehension skills. A student with weaker skills might get lost in the latter portion of the book. I think my favorite part of the story has to be Lilac. Even though she could easily have been a useless, overprivileged brat, she surprised even Tarver when she bit her lip and muscled through the daunting task of surviving on an alien planet. It was an awesome portrayal of a female character, and I loved reading about her! I look forward to seeing where this series goes from here!
When your options are dying in a spaceship that is slowly shutting down or descending to an unknown planet possibly full of monsters, you realize your choice will be life or death either way. Amy and Elder chose the latter, and the new planet might be scary, but in Beth Revis's Shades of Earth, the real fear comes from the things you know rather than the ones you don't know.
The landing is far from smooth, but Amy knows landing means she can finally unfreeze her parents and the rest of the Earthborns. The problem is the shipborns- they don't trust the Earthborns. When they finally unfreeze the group that was meant to make the transition to the new planet safer and more efficient, Elder realizes Orion's prediction may have been correct: the Earthborns were either going to make them slaves or soldiers. But the Earthborns know how to use their weapons, and with crazy pterodactyl-like creatures trying to eat them, guns can come in handy.
But the creatures on the planet aren't the only thing to worry about. When people start going missing, and Phydus (the ship's crowd control drug) is found in the systems of the dead and the creatures, the group begins to realize something fishy is happening on the planet. They find ruins that were clearly made for humans, and Sol-Earth still hasn't contacted them. They fear that the extra 200 years they were trapped in the ship may have made them a lost cause and they are now left to survive on their own. But people keep disappearing and an explosion on the shuttle destroys all their food and weapon reserves. So whether or not Earth can hear them becomes the least of their problems. Instead, the Earthborns and the Shipborns have to come together for one purpose: survival.
This series was one of those runaway successes that just got better and better with each book. The story was interesting on a claustrophobic ship, so with a new planet to explore, it was even better! My one criticism was that I wanted more of the new planet. I wanted more and more creatures! But I suppose I have to be satisfied with what I got, which was still pretty great! The added conflict between the Earthborns and Shipborns just made the story that much more interesting. After all, the idea of who has the upper hand in such a situation is so subjective, you will find yourself rooting for someone different with each turn of a page!
This is a fabulous story for either a science fiction fan or someone who prefers modern novels. The series is gripping enough to hold anyone's interest over the three books. In fact, while the ending was solid, I still wish the story would continue on the new planet. There are some interesting discussions to be had regarding the technology in the book as well. For instance, how fast does technology out-lap itself? Become obsolete? While we don't have 500 years to run an experiment, I am sure showing our students a cell phone from 10 years ago, or better yet, one of those car phones in a bag, will certainly drive the point home! This series is a beautiful expression of technology, human emotion, and basic human instinct all wrapped into one!
Life is about perspective. The idea of spending your entire life stuck in a spaceship (granted a really really big one) can be either a life doomed to claustrophobia and dreams of the outside, or it can feel safe, like the only home you have ever known. Perspective can mean the difference between contentment and a desire to find anyway to change. In Across the Universe, Elder and Amy couldn't be more different if they tried: one born on the ship and meant to lead, and one born centuries earlier on earth and just included to pacify her important parents. But Amy's removal from the frozen state sent everything on ship Godspeed hurtling down a new path. Now, in Beth Revis' sequel A Million Suns, we find out just how far off the beaten path the ship has gone.
After learning about the problems with the ship and the decades of lies that have been passed around, Elder is determined to fin out just how far off course the ship has been blown from finding their new planet. He isn't prepared to learn the ship actually hasn't moved for years. Now that he has removed the sedative from the ship's system, all the citizens of Godspeed are less like zombies, able to think for themselves, and ready to stage a mutiny. Elder wasn't ready to take the leader's position in the first place, but he certainly wasn't ready to be tested so quickly. Now he must find a way to keep the ship together and still find the planet they were supposed to reach decades ago.
Amy knows she may never see her parents again since she was unfrozen and they must stay frozen until the ship lands. She barely survived Orion's crazed attacks, but with him safely frozen, she doesn't have to worry about him anymore... until she finds the messages he left for her that hold the secrets about the layers of deceit and mystery that have seeped into every part of the ship. Now she knows she has to follow Orion's clues and messages to find the truth behind the Godspeed. Unfortunately, even though Orion is safely frozen, that doesn't mean Amy is safe. On a ship where everyone is the same, there is nothing normal about her and thousands of people blame her for everything that has gone wrong since she was unfrozen. Can Amy get to the truth behind the lies before the ship is torn apart one piece at a time?
When I started this book, I knew a major part of the story was going to be the people, now out of their drug-induced haze, and how they needed to be controlled or reasoned with. But I really didn't want this to be the whole book. Fortunately, Amy's part of the story gave that nice touch of newness and excitement to the story that made Elder's part, controlling the ship's people, still interesting. I liked the fact that the chapters alternated between the two characters as well. Sometimes you finished an Elder chapter and were like, "What? What happened?" and had to rush through an Amy chapter to find out, and vice versa. This made the story really interesting and made me plow through it quickly! It also keeps the story from getting monotonous, especially since each character was dealing with their own situations. The mystery behind the ship is like an onion. Every chapter peels back a layer of lies only to expose another layer beneath. You think you know what is going on with the ship only to find out it was just another web of lies! And when you finally, after so many lies, get to the truth, you won't believe your eyes!
This was a wonderful follow up to the great first book. It ends in a way that will make you furious you have to wait until next January to read the final piece of the trilogy. The ending opens up a third book that is going to be just as exciting, maybe even more so, than the first two. The writing is clear and easy to read, but there are some situations like rape and murder occurring on the ship. The descriptions aren't gratuitous, but the situations are there. I think this was a great second book and am happy a friend recommended this series! Literally Can. Not. Wait. until the third book- it's gonna be legendary!
