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| Razorbill |
by Beth Revis
5 Scribbles
Despite following every series in the Star Trek franchise, I
have always been reluctant to read science fiction set in space. I suppose I feel that odd-looking aliens and artificial
gravity translate better to the big screen than to paper. Thus, I was a bit
reluctant to embark on the inter-galactic journey depicted in this novel. But,
oh, am I glad I did!
The first page immediately sucks the reader in as Amy
watches her parents be cryogenically frozen in preparation for a journey
through space that will last 300 years. 300 years! No one really knows what being frozen is like.
Does one sleep? Does one dream? Amy’s dad leaves her with a choice shortly
before he is frozen, Amy can stay with her friends and her beloved aunt and
uncle or be frozen with her parents and wake up in a new world on a new planet
after 300 years have passed and everyone on Earth has long since died. The
choice seems like a simple one, but it is really? What would you choose if you were
in Amy’s shoes?
Fast forward 250 years and the reader meets the second main
character, Elder, who was born on the ship that houses the “Frozens” and will one
day be its leader. It’s amazing how the culture on the ship has developed since
Amy’s freezing, how the residents have become mono-ethnic, non-religious, and uneducated
about their planet of origin—Earth. What’s
really amazing is that despite thousands of residents, everyone obeys Eldest,
the leader, without question, there are no police or prisons, and peace reigns.Residents don't even mate unless a particular "season" is declared so that incest doesn't become an issue. How has Elder’s teacher, Eldest, made this happen? The descriptions of the
ship, its life-sustaining biosphere, and its people are meticulously drawn in
an artist’s detail on the page. While reading I imagined myself walking in the small
green fields amongst genetically modified plants and animals, imagined myself
visiting the colorful gardens and the pristine learning center, and imagined
what the 250-year-old recycled air must taste like. The ship runs beautifully,
or does it? It doesn’t take long for secrets to start being exposed, for
murders to happen, and for Elder to discover that life aboard this ship is not
the utopia he thought it was. What’s really pleasing about the novel is that no
one is exactly who or what they appear to be—twists and treachery reside on
every corner—and that adds mystery and suspense to the story. The first murder Elder discovers isn’t the
only murder that’s taken place on this ship—but how can this be? And when the
final secret is revealed the reader will shiver with delight.
Lastly, good news! You don’t have to wait for the next
installment. A Million Suns, book two
in the trilogy is already at your local library!
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