From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-In this overstuffed but unusually promising debut, Jeapes delivers a space opera worthy of David Brin or early C. J. Cherryh, replete with complex politics; ingeniously different aliens; brutal fire fights; cliff-hangers; and tough, likable characters. When a supposedly secret orbiting surveillance station is attacked by the Kin, a ferocious species that had nuked civilization on their own neighboring planet into oblivion, junior officer Joel Gilmore and his horselike "Rustie" associate Boon Round flee to that "Dead Planet," where several surprises await. Meanwhile, Joel's father, Michael, a recently retired Commodore, and the young man's heartthrob, seasoned Marine Lieutenant Donna McCallum, join a rescue expedition only to wind up falling toward the local sun in a disabled spacecraft with a Doomsday Device aboard. The author has a few kinks to iron out. Joel and Michael wrestle for the role of protagonist, and the human/Rustie backstory is developed in such lovingly complicated detail that it actually takes over the plot. However, by the time Jeapes's principal characters are together and he's sprung one final, stunning revelation, SF/action/adventure fans who also enjoy peering into alien minds will know they're in good hands. Look for this memorable cast to appear in further exploits.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Booklist
Gr. 7-10. Set in the year 2153, this action-packed military sf novel involves humans teamed up with a race of quadruped servants, the First Breed, who have been genetically altered by an advanced race that has pretty much wiped itself out. Lieutenant Joel Gilmore and Boon Round, a First Breed, are doing maintenance work on surveillance equipment orbiting the SkySpy asteroid when they witness a devastating attack on the asteroid by the very aliens being watched. From there, increasingly savage events unfold from human, First Breed, and alien points of view, providing an intriguing picture of completely different mindsets and cultures. There are some awkward transitions, and readers might wish for a bit more background, but the action is convincing and so fast paced that the result is a real thriller of a story. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
