Beth Revis – A Million Suns

60. A Million Suns by Beth Revis (2012)
Across the Universe, Book 2

Read my review of book:
1. Across the Universe

Length: 390 pages
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Started: 27 May 2012
Finished: 30 May 2012

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? I devoured Across the Universe, and I was definitely interested in the sequel.

Stuck on a ship? Bad.
Stuck on a ship that’s full of
angry people? Worse.

Summary: Now that Eldest is dead, and the sixteen-year-old Elder has assumed the responsibility for everyone aboard the ship Godspeed, things are going to change. No more drugs keeping the ship’s population mindless and easy to control, no more restricted information, and no more lies. But even though Elder’s been training for leadership his entire life, he finds out that a ship full of people who can think for themselves are not always easy to lead… and a growing fraction of them are starting to foment rebellion. Meanwhile, Amy – who has only slowly started to adjust to life aboard Godspeed after being wakened from cryosleep – starts uncovering clues: clues that only she can decode, clues left for her by someone she’s not sure she can trust, clues that will reveal the mysteries surrounding Godspeed… and clues that will eventually force Amy to determine the fate of the entire ship.

Review: Holy cow, Beth Revis can pace a book like nobody’s business. “Compulsively readable” doesn’t even cover the half of it; this book was about as unputdownable as if it had been covered in superglue. Like Across the Universe, short chapters that alternate between Amy’s and Elder’s points of view kept things moving, and the action is practically non-stop. Even though I figured out a lot of the mysteries (who was leaving the clues, who was behind the sabotage, what’s going on with the ship, etc.) long before the characters did, I could not. Stop. Reading. It’s not the kind of fast reading that comes with action/thriller novels, either – there’s plenty of action, for sure, but there’s also a fair bit of reflection, and murky moral waters, etc., yet somehow they don’t slow the pace of the book down at all.

So, yeah, I enjoyed the heck out of this book, even though thinking about it critically, it’s certainly got its flaws. As I mentioned, Revis is not particularly subtle when it comes to dropping hints in the book, and there are a few plot holes or inconsistencies or things that weren’t explained very well. The world inside the Godspeed is cool, and well-built, but while I like Elder and Amy just fine, I don’t love them they way I do protagonists in some other novels. But in the final analysis, none of that mattered at all; I was too busy devouring this book (and dying for the next one to come out) to mind. Whatever Revis’s secret formula for readability is, it’s pretty darn potent. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: A Million Suns does not spent much time recapping the events of Across the Universe, so they really need to be read in order. But they’re both hugely enjoyable, especially if fast-paced, dystopian-esque YA sci-fi is your thing.

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First Line: “This isn’t going to be easy,” I mutter, staring at the solid metal door that leads to the Engine Room on the Shipper Level of Godspeed.

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