These Broken Stars, by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner: The Titantic Sinks in an Outer Space Blue Lagoon!

These Broken Stars
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Hyperion: New York, 2013.
ISBN: 9781423171027

ARC provided by publisher
Book Club Recipe suggestion: These Broken Ration Bars (aka Date Bars with Almond and Coconut)

Ms. Lilac La Roux and Major Tarver Merendsen were passengers of the Icarus, the finest, newest and most technologically advanced spaceship across the many galaxies.  Tarver is a war hero, recently returned from battle and being paraded around and shown off by the military on tour.  Lilac is the only child of the richest man in the universe.  Now, though, they are the only two survivors after disaster befalls the ship.  Stranded on a strange planet, they must survive both the unknown planet, strange whispers they are hearing, and their mutual discord if they have any hopes of living long enough to repair the beacon that will signal their SOS.  But, as they grow to develop a slow-burning bond that is more than mere friendship, they begin to wonder: are they really better off being rescued?  Fast-paced, dramatic, and unexpected, this is a spectacularly fun, engrossing, and totally accessible Sci-Fi title filled with adventure, romance, and intrigue.   It is a STRONG recommendation for anyone who likes their Sci-Fi light on the Sci and heavy on snappy writing, adventure, high-stakes, and romance.  I’m looking at you, readers of this blog. 

This super title came into my orbit (see what I did there?) this summer when I was lucky enough to be working at the best bookstore in all the lands (all of them).  One of my fellow booksellers and I were chatting about what we’d been reading and she’d just finished it.  She summed it up as…Titanic in space.  And she’s TOTALLY RIGHT.  OMG you guys.  It was a tonic to my 13-year-old self, she of the three viewings of Titanic in movie theatres and listening to the CD so much it broke (that must have been awful, sorry, family).  I’m pretty sure I’d re-read this at LEAST three times in a row if I were 13.  I’d go one step further and add that it’s like Titanic in space with shades of Outlander and a healthy dash of Blue Lagoon… Which is why, readers of this blog, I suspect that the vast majority of you will more than dig this.  Even the dudes.  I’m not genderist (okay, well, ladies will probably dig it a little more).   

THIS IS WHY WE ARE BEST FRIENDS.

Now, let us take a walk with my brain through this super fun read together, in bullet form, because my brain is unable to form full paragraphs and desperate for some vacation!

Black Hole Sun, by David Macinnis Gill: Baby Browncoats?

Black Hole Sun
by David Macinnis Gill
Greenwillow Books: New York, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-167304-7
 

     In a distant future, humans are living on and occupying a Mars that is a perfect mashup of Star Wars and Firefly (with shades of and shout outs to other sci-fi that I’m sure I’m just not picking up on).  Our young hero, Durango (sidebar: how great is this name? I’m not sure if it’s better for a child or dog. OR BOTH.  Ima go George Foreman my future pets and children!), is a mercenary soldier in a world where soldiers pledge themselves for life to one individual, and where you’re ostracized if you’re a lone wolf.  Durango also has a bit of a secret; he had artificial intelligence implanted in his brain by his currently deposed and imprisoned father, the former governor of Mars.   Durango, and his second in command, Vienne, who he thinks is totally a babe btw, often work rescue missions in kidnapping cases, often hiring a band of unruly and hilarious misfits to flesh out their team.  Their latest underpaying offer is for protection services for a remote mining post, under attack by the Draeu (I have no idea how to pronounce this, and or how to access the correct letters for it, deal), who kind of like the Reapers of Firefly, eat people (thank gawd they don’t rape them to death, thanks for those nightmares Firefly writers), which is generally pretty gross in my opinion.  But I digress!  The Draeu want something aside from manflesh, and the miners are hesitant to disclose what it is.  What is it, and why is it wanted?  What will happen when a hot miner-girl develops a not-so-secret crush on Durango (hint: girl drama!)?  Will they all survive the Draeu? How cool are the soldiers uniforms (hint: pretty cool)? What makes the Draeu so greepy (gross+creepy) and hard to get rid of? Is this underpaying mission even worth it?   This action packed, sci-fi adventure is filled with explosions, humor, snarky banter, fun, and drama.  Black Hole Sun is strongly recommended for Browncoats of all ages, and other people of all ages (12 and up) who like to read fun, not-too-heady sci-fi.  Not sure if there will be a sequel, but it was fun and quick enough to read that I’d for sure pick up another!

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card: Deep Space Nine Year Old

Ender's Game. 
Orson Scott Card (2002).
NY: TOR Books. ISBN: 978-0765342294


I am not a huge fan of sci-fi (except for Battlestar Galactica, secret geek love of my heart). I picked this book up thinking to myself "Ugh, I should probably read a sci-fi book, just so I'll know more about it and be able to recommend it, and this one is as popular as a jock in high school, so why not." Imagine my surprise when I found myself TOTALLY digging Ender's Game. I think what I love about BSG is what I found myself loving about Ender's Game: the psychological drama and mind games, and a story that doesn't revel in weird, heavy science fiction fantasy things. This, along with seeing the world through Ender's too-young-to-be-this-old eyes, marveling at his preternatural military genius, and trying to figure out who is really playing whom, is what really hooked me.

Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is six years old when he is taken from his family to go into intensive military training at Battleschool, a deep space training school for future military leaders. We learn from dialogue between high ranking military officials what Ender himself will learn soon enough: that he is the only hope for survival in the war between humanity and the buggers, an alien race which is seemingly hell-bent upon destroying humanity and colonizing earth. Ender leaves behind his beloved sister Valentine, and his maniacal and vicious older brother Peter, both geniuses in their own right. Ender advances rapidly through his training, pushed on by his own desire to win and his empathy, which allows him to understand others before using this to destroy them, should they prove to be an enemy. By the time he is 9, he has advanced to become the youngest army leader in the school, and shortly thereafter is promoted to Commander school - about 6 years ahead of schedule. He has revolutionized the way simulated battle games, the pinnacle of Battleschool education, are played. The teachers are unabashedly brutal with him, constantly pushing him to almost the breaking point, all in the hopes of turning him into the heroic commander they so desperately need to win. Before long, the lines between the game and reality are blurred. The ending to this part of the story is a nice twist, and while the real ending to the story is pretty good, it feels somewhat rushed compared to the rest of the story.

Best for: Because this book is somewhat complex, psychologically and politically, I'd hold off on recommending it to anyone under 13 that I didn't know well, simply because (and this may be a generalization) I'm not sure how many younger kids would fully understand the manipulations and games throughout. That being said, I'd probably still recommend it to eager younger readers who enjoy sci-fi because it is a rare sure thing. I think this is a fantastic book, and I feel confident about YA boys digging this (gender stereotypes, damn you!), along with girls.

Book talk hook: This is a book that I'd definitely need to gauge the crowd for. For example, I could see this as a military book (more of a sell for a crowd of younger, more reluctant reader boys), a psychological thriller ala the short story the Game (an older audience, both girls and boys), or as a straight sci-fi adventure (for sci-fi fans of all ages). I'd skew my summary of the plot towards the intended audience, and maybe to some Q&A type of things ("How many of you here think you can save the world? How many of you could outsmart a grown up at six?" etc.)