Book Review: Across the Universe

By Sandy Amazeen Jan 25, 2011, 22:15 GMT

A Story of Love, Murder, and Madness Aboard an Enormous Spaceship Bound for the Future Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to wake up on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed\'s scheduled landing, Amy\'s cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed. Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed ...more

First of an inventive new young adult series, this complex sci-fi is certain to spawn a new generation of science fiction buffs. Amy decided to join her parents aboard the gargantuan spaceship Godspeed in a cryogenic state to be reawakened on a new world three centuries in the future. Nearly killed when her chamber is inexplicably unplugged, Amy finds herself plunged into the middle of an unfamiliar, restrictive society that developed during the long journey. Anyone or anything viewed by Eldest and Elder as “different” is seen as a threat to be eliminated and Amy’s looks alone are different enough to make her the focus of unwanted scrutiny. When Amy discovers someone has been purposely unplugging the cryogenic chambers thus murdering the occupants, she must convince Elder to aid her investigation before her parents become the next victims. It is a challenging task the might well prove to be her undoing.

Murder, a closed society, inbreeding and a shortage of answers regarding their destination make for a feast of plots and subplots set within the confines of a spaceship so old that Amy with her memories of a different era feels like an outcast. Strong character development and a few surprising twists keep the action moving smoothly. While this is marketed as a young adult book, it has enough depth to appeal to sci-fi and fantasy readers of all ages.