In young adult science fiction (not fantasy) Victor Dixen has hit the mark with an exciting second episode of his Phobos series. The translation from French is smooth, the plot is gripping, the YA characters are gaining in dimensions. The adult characters are less faceted with one being a good rival to Cruella DeVille.
The variety of dangers and challenges for the team of reality show stars seems overwhelming but their youthful optimism and bravery wins out. We see them select their life partners and reach their new homes. We have some 'insider information' but we are still constantly surprised by the decisions they make. The story back on Earth is neatly entwined with that of the Mars settlers and the ever increasing time lapse for communications begins to seem like another character.
Just like the first episode, the story is supported by clear diagrams to get the geography and stats right. That sounds as if it would be boring but, on the contrary, they show in a moment what could take tedious paragraphs to explain.
New readers really should begin at the beginning with Ascension.
The variety of dangers and challenges for the team of reality show stars seems overwhelming but their youthful optimism and bravery wins out. We see them select their life partners and reach their new homes. We have some 'insider information' but we are still constantly surprised by the decisions they make. The story back on Earth is neatly entwined with that of the Mars settlers and the ever increasing time lapse for communications begins to seem like another character.
Just like the first episode, the story is supported by clear diagrams to get the geography and stats right. That sounds as if it would be boring but, on the contrary, they show in a moment what could take tedious paragraphs to explain.
New readers really should begin at the beginning with Ascension.