Landfall
This five book series reminded me of Ender’s Game with a touch of Star Trek. Earth is a dying planet and humanity heads into space to save the human race, harnessing an asteroid as its star ship. The teenage protagonist, Zax, is likeable, earnest and often fearless. The author, Jerry Aubin, is apparently a tech guy and it shows in his mastery of explaining new technology without letting it get in the way of a fast-paced story. This is serious sci fi with a few creatures but it’s also an engaging and compelling read with interesting characters, lots of plot twists and moral challenges. I enjoyed the entire series. Sometimes I’m not a fan of ending a book on a cliff hanger, which he does, but I was invested in the series so it really didn’t matter. In this future time, teenagers and adults actually speak in complete sentences which is unusual for a novel like this but perhaps heartening that someday people will be able to move beyond emojis and monosyllabic communication. I recommend it.