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VOYA

Amy is not being forced to undergo cryogenic freezing and join her parents’ three-hundred-year voyage to a new planet, Centauri-Earth; the thought of living on Sol-Earth without them, however, is so horrendous that she consents. When she is awakened fifty years prematurely, she is unprepared for what she encounters: a community similar to that in Lois Lowry’s The Giver (Houghton Mifflin, 1993/VOYA August 1993)—people who are mono-ethnic, robotic, unthinking. Elder, the spaceship Godspeed’s future leader when Eldest dies, is intrigued by Amy’s differences (although Eldest says the first cause of discord is differences)—her red hair, her energy, her independent thought. When three other passengers are found thawing and two of them die, the mystery begins: who is attempting to kill this cargo and why? This begins to haunt Amy and Elder. As they delve into life aboard Godspeed, they uncover more than they bargained for. Might Eldest’s iron fist be the right way to rule, or are differences and independent thought to be cherished? Revis’s debut novel is well written and suspenseful. Readers will understand Amy’s concern during the freezing process and after waking up, alone, in an alien environment. Elder, only sixteen, has not been trained to be Eldest, and as he explores Godspeed, he discovers how much is hidden from him. Eldest, as the older generation, is tyrannical, while Elder is open to change. The secondary characters add color to this fast-paced story. Across the Universe will appeal to boys and girls, science fiction fans, and anyone interested in a good story. Reviewer: Ed Goldberg