Shades of Earth Book Review

 Author: Beth Revis. Release date: 2012. Publisher: Razorbill. ISBN: 9781595143990.

Annotation: Amy and Elder land on Centauri Earth, along with the members of the Godspeed who chose to abandon their ship and start a new life. After thawing the frozen leadership of the original Godspeed mission, including Amy’s parents, Amy, Elder and the rest of the colonists realize that Centauri Earth is far more dangerous than they ever anticipated.

Personal thoughts: Wow, this is one of the best series I have ever read. I loved the first novel, enjoyed the sequel even more, but can safely say that the third book was the best…not many trilogies can accomplish that! From start to finish, this is an amazing book and I was completely satisfied with the ending. I am only sad that the series is over, but I am really looking forward to reading what Beth Revis comes up with next. This trilogy is a must-read for anyone who simply likes a well-written, exciting and entertaining story. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

Plot summary: Amy, Elder and the inhabitants of the Godspeed who chose to start a new life on the planet have landed on Centauri Earth. The frozen members of the original Godspeed mission, including Amy’s parents, have been released from their icy chambers and work must now begin to colonize their new home. But everything is not going as smoothly as Amy and Elder had hoped. The shipborn colonists do not trust their new military leaders, and the Earth natives, including Amy’s father who is now the leader of the mission, are even more wary of Elder and his people. More troubling, however, is the planet which they must now call home. Inhabited by fierce dinosaur-like creatures, deadly vegetation and unpredictable weather, Amy and Elder aren’t sure if Centauri Earth is as habitable as they were lead to believe. The colonists also begin to discover ruins: proof that someone has been to the planet before but seems to be gone without a trace. Will Amy, Elder and the rest of the members of the Godspeed mission be able to survive long enough to learn the truth about Centauri Earth?  

Review: This third and final installment in Beth Revis’ best-selling Across the Universe trilogy provides the series with an incredibly exciting and satisfying end. Revis is a master at creating twists and turns that are difficult to anticipate, and the reader will find themselves along for a very bumpy ride as Amy and Elder learn the truth about the mission that has brought them to their new home. Free from the confines of the Godspeed, the author creates an entire world for her characters to navigate, providing opportunities to develop Amy and Elder even further as they learn more about themselves and each other. The novel is action-packed and paced perfectly as well, building suspense throughout the plot that comes to an exciting climax. In her Across the Universe trilogy, Beth Revis has created a story and set of characters that is certain to stand the test of time as one of the best science-fiction series ever written for the young adult audience.  

Genre:  Science-Fiction

Reading level: Grade 8+

Similar titles: Across the Universe and A Million Suns by Beth Revis, Glow and Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan, A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan.   

Themes:  Space travel, spaceships, dystopian future, control, mystery, conflict, rebellion. 

Awards/Reviews:  Positive reviews from Booklist, Horn Book and Kirkus.

Series Information: Final installment in Across the Universe trilogy. First installment, Across the Universe, published in 2011. Second installment, A Million Suns, published in 2012.  

Discussion questions:

-         Why do you think Amy was in such a hurry to unfreeze her parents and the rest of the frozens? Do you think it was a good idea?

-         Why do you think the frozens were so distrustful of the shipborns and vice versa? Do you think Elder made the situation better or worse? How?

-         What role does Phydus play in the series?

-         Do you think Colonel Martin was like Eldest and Orion? Why or why not?

-          What do you think the future holds for Amy and Elder after the events of this final installment? If you were to write a continuation story for the trilogy, what would you include?

-        Which novel in the Across the Universe trilogy is your favorite? Why?

A Million Suns Book Review

 Author: Beth Revis. Release date: 2012. Publisher:  Razorbill. ISBN: 9781595143983.

Annotation: Elder is now first-in-command on the Godspeed, and is intent upon giving the people more autonomy while attempting to discover a way to increase the speed of the ship’s engines. Amy is struggling more than ever to survive amongst the ship’s population who grow increasingly more suspicious of her and her relationship with their leader.    

Personal thoughts: I considered myself a fan of Across the Universe but, after reading A Million Suns in a matter of hours, now find that I’ve morphed into an uber-fan. I am so impressed with Beth Revis and what she has created with this series! Across the Universe was a very entertaining and satisfying novel, but, for me, A Million Suns took the trilogy to a whole other level. I absolutely did not anticipate all of the twists and turns in the story, and found my mind completely blown several times as I devoured this book. The most disappointing thing about this novel was the page at the very end that showed that the third book will not be released for an entire year. I will personally be chomping at the bit until January 2013 when I can find out what happens. If you haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy this stellar series yet, I suggest you start ASAP!

Plot summary: Following Eldest’s death and Orion’s capture in Across the Universe, Elder and Amy are now left with a ship full of people no longer under the sedating influence of Phydus. Although Elder has enlisted the help of the Godspeed’s population in solving the problem of the perpetually slowing engines, the people who before were content with working all day to sustain life onboard are now becoming more and more suspicious of the Eldest system, and Elder himself. Central to the problems Elder faces is Amy. Almost everyone on the Godspeed is convinced that she is to blame for the way things have begun to fall into disarray, leaving Amy unsure of who to trust and increasingly longing for the comfort of her still-frozen parents. Everything changes, however, when Amy begins to receive mysterious messages from Orion urging her to learn the truth about the ship. What is the secret that has been so carefully guarded for generations and how will the people of the Godspeed survive one it is revealed?   

Review:  This much-anticipated sequel to Beth Revis’ best-selling Across the Universe, accomplishes the rare task of surpassing its predecessor in almost every way possible. From character development to plot twists to suspense, A Million Suns is everything fans of the first novel were hoping for and so much more. It is difficult to describe exactly how the book manages to be so thoroughly entertaining without revealing too much of the story. What can be said is that there are many unexpected turn of events in the novel, events that test the characters in ways they weren’t in Across the Universe. Some characters that were only minor figures in the first novel take far greater roles in this story, making for many interesting opportunities to learn even more about the Godspeed. As central to A Million Suns as it was to Across the Universe is the ship itself.  Much more is revealed about the Godspeed, leaving the reader to wonder exactly where the author plans to take the story in the third novel, Shades of Earth, set to be released in January 2013. Overall, an excellent book in an excellent series that science-fiction fans young and old can easily enjoy.

Genre: Science-Fiction

Reading level: Grade 8+

Similar titles: Across the Universe by Beth Revis, Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan, A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan.   

Themes:  Space travel, spaceships, dystopian future, control, rebellion, revolution.

Awards/Reviews:  Sequel to best-selling novel.

Series Information: Second installment in Across the Universe trilogy. First novel, Across the Universe, published in 2011. Third novel, Shades of Earth, set to be released in January 2013.

Discussion questions: 

-  Do you think Elder did the right thing in taking the ship’s people off Phydus? Why or why not?

-   Why do you think the population of the Godspeed was so distrustful of Amy? 

-    What, in your opinion, was the biggest surprise in A Million Suns? Why?

-   What would you like to see happen in the third novel?

Across the Universe Book Review

Author: Beth Revis. Release date: 2011. Publisher:  Razorbill. ISBN: 9781595143976.

Annotation:  Amy and her parents volunteer to be cryogenically frozen for centuries in order to become the first settlers on a new planet: Centauri-Earth. But when Amy is awoken 50 years too soon, she discovers that the everything on the ship that is supposed to be carrying them to their new home is not what it seems.    

Personal thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book from start to finish! It's a story that you know is going to good from the first chapter. Maybe it's because I am a sci-fi fan and also a fan of dystopian novels. Maybe it's because it's simply an excellentally written story. Either way, I am very excited for this new trilogy!

Plot summary: Sixteen-year-old Amy and her parents, a genetic specialist and a military tactician, volunteer to be cryogenically frozen for three hundred years and shot into space towards a new planet, Centauri-Earth, upon which they will start a new society. After being frozen, Amy’s body is encased in a coffin of ice, but her mind continues to work, locking her in a terrible nightmare for centuries. Unsure of how much time has passed, Amy suddenly begins to feel warmth and realizes that her glass coffin is melting. When she wakes up, she meets sixteen-year-old Elder, the future leader of the ship, and learns, to her horror, that she has been unfrozen fifty years before the ship lands. Amy is crushed that she cannot see her parents, but begins to explore the Godspeed, the ship on which she has been travelling for the past two hundred and fifty years. The inhabitants of the ship are as strange to Amy as she is to them: the Godspeed’s residents, including Elder, are all monoethnic, and Amy’s red hair and pale, freckled skin give her a freakish appearance. To make matters worse, most of the people on the ship appear to be in some sort of stupor: blindly following everything the current leader, Eldest, tells them. But as Amy and Elder get to know each other and Amy learns more about the Godspeed, she begins to wonder if the ship is as peaceful and harmonious as Eldest claims.



Blueprint of the Godspeed



Review:  This sometimes creepy but thrilling story combines science fiction, mystery and romance in an utterly original novel that will appeal as much to adult readers as teens. One of the strongest elements of the story showing Revis’ literary prowess is her ability to develop multi-layered characters that the reader cares about almost immediately. The story is told by both Amy and Elder in alternating chapters, giving each of them a distinct voice and equal presence in the story. The supporting characters of Eldest, Harley, Orion and the ship’s Doctor are equally as interesting as the protagonists, as are the descriptions of the Godspeed which, in many ways, is another character in the novel. Revis does an excellent job of combining the dystopian elements of H.G. Wells’ Time Machine, the sci-fi elements of TV’s Battlestar Galactica and modern debates about genetic engineering and manipulation. The resulting story is sophisticated, intriguing and makes for a wonderful page-turner that keeps the reader guessing until the final moments. Revis has announced that Across the Universe is the first installment in a trilogy, and the fact that it is her debut novel makes her literary accomplishment all the more impressive. Overall, and outstanding novel equally enjoyable for adults and teens

Genre: Science-fiction/Mystery

Reading level: Grade 8+

Similar titles: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan is VERY similar. Other dystopian future novels such as Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Divergent by Veronica Roth, etc.

Themes:  Space travel, dystopian future, control/oppression, mystery.   

Awards/Reviews:  On Amazon Best Books of the Month list for January 2011, positive reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist, New York Times bestseller.

Series Information: First novel in Across the Universe trilogy. Visit website for more info:  http://acrosstheuniversebook.com/

Discussion Questions:

- Would you be willing to do what Amy did to stay with her parents?

- What are your impressions of life on the Godspeed? Would you want to live on the ship?

- Do you think Eldest is a good leader? Why or why not?

- How would you describe the inhabitants of the Godspeed?  Docile? Complacent? Oppressed? Happy?