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18 obres 438 Membres 32 Ressenyes

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Obres de Dom Testa

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The first book in Testa’s Galahad series is part science fiction, part mystery, and part coming of age story. The 251 teenagers (ranging from 15 to 16 years old) are without adult supervision, have been given the monumental task to travel to another world and save the human race–plus they’ll be spending the more hormonal years of their life all crammed together in a ship as large as a mall. They’re all highly gifted children skilled in engineering, medicine, agriculture and fitness, but they are still just that: children.

Between their heightened intelligence, two years of arduous training for the mission, and the knowledge that they are leaving behind everything, they are all extremely mature. They rationalize and act in a way more befitting someone twice their age, but moments of their age flash through. Gap Lee prefers to joke to break the tension and stress of the situation. Channy is bubbly and enthusiastic. Lita is warm and comforting. Bon prefers to brood and work alone. And Triana, the leader of the mission, is introspective and contemplative.

Going into The Comet’s Curse, I was expecting a science fiction novel populated with immature, inexperienced teenagers. Instead I found a novel that tackled the weighty issue of how to prepare a generation of people to be mankind’s last hope. The book alternates between showcasing the “present” time on board the Galahad and the past two years leading to the ship’s departure. Interspersed is commentary from the ship’s onboard computer system, Roc, as he acts as the “container” for their “message in a bottle.” The last few chapters are running nearly concurrently, following events aboard the ship and the dawning realization happening on Earth.

I admit a lot of the science talk went over my head. There’s a whole lot of tech talk, psychology talk, and medical talk as Testa lays out the groundwork for the end of mankind, but also its last great hope. I found it more interesting whenever Roc would interrupt with his hilarious and quirky dialogues regarding the crew of the Galahad. The crew is very large, but we really only get to know a handful of them, the Council Leadership on board. Their interactions and divergent personalities fuel a lot of the story developments, but they’re also treated almost as contrivances for the plot at times. Triana and Gap are given more time than the other 3 council members (Bon, Channy, and Lita), but we’re told about a lot of their development rather than shown.

Triana writes journal entries to summarize the day, but also has a lot of silent dialogues with herself second-guessing and worrying about what she is doing. Gap spends a lot of his time dishing out his problems by talking to others; many of the personal realizations he comes to are first spoken by a second party. I couldn’t tell if this was because the book felt broken up everytime it would go between the “present” and “past,” or because I was looking for more information than a first book should give.

The mystery on board is, quite frankly, sinister. Most people will guess who is behind the disruptions early on, and guess the motivations behind them, but that doesn’t lessen the grave problem this person represents. Testa doesn’t allow the narrative to dumb down the possible threat to the crew members’ lives. In this, like everything else, there is a momentary sense of panic, but it’s quickly dealt with by the Council. Sometimes this efficiency felt more artificial then realistic, but the situation is a unique one, and the vast majority of the crew is an unknown commodity. A few are given names, or appearances, but very few have more than a brief flash of personality.

As a young adult science fiction novel this is wonderful. It’s engaging; there are likable characters, and a circumstance that is close enough to possible to give the reader pause. The book worked best when it dealt with the very human reactions to the situation, not just the teens but the adults being affected as well.
… (més)
 
Marcat
lexilewords | Hi ha 17 ressenyes més | Dec 28, 2023 |
When last we checked in on the intrepid crew of the Galahad, a coup is averted, relationships are broken, and they’re all pretty lucky to get through the Kulpier Belt. This time around we get more alien life forms (they kind of look like birds…sort of)! And more angst! And someone is going to die–Lita’s second in command in the sick bay Alexa is having prophetic, but morbid, dreams of a person being mourned and memorialized. Another legacy from the Cassini (truly, the gift that keeps on giving).

In some ways Alexa’s dream, which she’s not fully able to comprehend or understand because she doesn’t know who is going to die, or how or even when, is the underlying tension of the book. As the reader, you know it’s coming, that at some point a character we’ve read about for the last few books and gotten to know will not be there again. As Alexa attempts to discuss the dream with Bon, the fear she has about that future is palpable.

Then there are the creatures that attach themselves to the Galahad. They are, mostly, non-threatening and seem to be largely a reconnaissance measure. By who or for what reason, no idea. I sometimes have to remind myself that there is no “Prime Directive” for the Galahad crew–their goal is to survive and reach their new home. Everything else is left to them to figure out.

Channy’s first pangs of romance and love was largely unappreciated by me. On the one hand it was a new facet to explore–her love interest, Taresh, has a unique view on romance in the stars–and a new way for Channy to develop. Her constant “perky moral support” role was tiresome, to say the least. Except that after the mess that Gap’s relationship with Hannah became, the confusion that is Triana/Bon’s relationship, added to the whole thing with Bon/Alexa…the situation with Taresh felt more like a way for Testa to give Channy a viable excuse to be distracted. A trend I have noticed throughout the books is that something needs to be distracting the kids emotionally. Every time.

Once again the crew faces an outside problem–that of the Outer Space Birds, but it takes a backseat to the internal woes of the teenagers. Until the two collide, and the aftermath is less than pretty, and the ending is startling. Not quite what I expected, though in hindsight it makes more sense. The overwhelming guilt, the increasing disillusionment, the decrease in concentration….
… (més)
 
Marcat
lexilewords | Dec 28, 2023 |
In my review of the first book, The Comet’s Curse, I mentioned wanting to be shown more of what life on the Galahad was like and wanting less of the author telling us about it. Guess who delivered?

Four months after the incident with the stowaway, the crew of the Galahad is preparing for a last-minute addition to their schedule. As they jet past Saturn, they’re to pick up a pod sent planet-side from a team of scientists studying the planet for signs of life. Sounds routine enough. Of course, that doesn’t account for the mysterious message that Lita, who’s in charge of Medical, receives from Earth. Or the lack of tangible data about what the group of 30 scientists were studying. Or even the strange illness affecting a couple dozen crew members, including Bon.

By this point the crew has fallen into a sense of normalcy. There is no longer a collective feeling of grief settling on their shoulders, but one of determination. The Council members–Lita, Bon, Gap, Triana and Channy–have worked hard to keep things running smoothly for the ship. And as predicted, interpersonal relationships have developed, which is perfectly normal in any group of teenagers, let alone those who will be living together in relatively small space for five years.

I had definite moments of irritation with Triana; she would begin to worry over a new threat to the ship and then just begin brooding over Bon. Since their emotional embrace four months earlier, the two have avoided each other in every way but the most professional. This upsets her and makes her feel at a loss. Add to it Gap has put a distance to her as well (though she doesn’t know he saw her and Bon hugging), and she’s all over the place in terms of emotional need.

Lita and Channy are given more to do in this book than the last; Lita is busy trying to figure out the mysterious illness that has sprung up for no logical reason, while Channy is busy trying to keep the Council together as a whole. I don’t know whether it’s a conscious thing or not for her, but she doesn’t like seeing tensions and does her best to mitigate those moments with humor and chatter.

Adding to the mix is Hannah, a girl from Alaska who is a genius (literally) with science. She’s the one who first notices the strange correlations between the events on board and the events on Saturn with the scientists. She notices that more is happening to the ill crew members than simple space sickness. She also gives them a solution. I liked her immensely; in a quiet way she insinuated herself in the group and became a real asset.

The ramifications of what happens in this book are hinted at by Roc, the AI who runs the ship’s computer and autonomic functions, in his commentaries. Testa cut back on his observations quite a bit from the first book, but Roc stills makes his presence known and supplies hints and details in a clever, amusing way.

The next book due out is The Cassini Code in November, and book four is due out next March, currently titled The Dark Zone (I’m sure it has no relation whatsoever with the Canadian sci-fi comedy romp Lexx). From the descriptions it sounds as if there’s a reckoning and tough decisions ahead that could make or break this troop.
… (més)
 
Marcat
lexilewords | Hi ha 6 ressenyes més | Dec 28, 2023 |
Each book keeps being better than the last. I am loving the adventures this man who cannot die keeps getting into. This time he is up against a hacker who is aiming to end the world by destroying its economy. And Eric also has to figure out, as usual, who he can trust. ANd, again as usual, he chooses right. Or does he? Read it to see!
 
Marcat
Nightwing | Sep 24, 2022 |

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Estadístiques

Obres
18
Membres
438
Popularitat
#55,890
Valoració
3.8
Ressenyes
32
ISBN
31

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