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Galahad #1
The Comet's Curse
Deadly particles in a comet's tail have altered the Earth's atmosphere. The only hope for saving mankind is to select the brightest young people from around the world and launch them towards a new home, light-years away. But trouble has also boarded Galahad, and it could spell disaster. The ship's Council, with help from the most incredible computer ever created, must battle fear, jealousy, and time...before it's too late. Original.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 2004
22 people are currently reading
1058 people want to read
About the author
Dom Testa
34 books92 followersI write fiction and nonfiction, and I publish under a variety of pen names.
My latest is "Let It Be Good: Simple Insights for a Satisfied Life."
Also:
The Eric Swan series of spy thrillers
The Galahad series of young adult sf, published under the name Tyber North
Middle-grade fiction under the pen name Buster Blank
Trivia/fun fact books under the name Billy B. Good
See almost all of it at DomTestaBooks.com.
My latest is "Let It Be Good: Simple Insights for a Satisfied Life."
Also:
The Eric Swan series of spy thrillers
The Galahad series of young adult sf, published under the name Tyber North
Middle-grade fiction under the pen name Buster Blank
Trivia/fun fact books under the name Billy B. Good
See almost all of it at DomTestaBooks.com.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
June 8, 2011
I can pinpoint the start of my obsession with space stories to a date: January 17-24, 1988. I was not even 5 yet but I remember watching Earth Star Voyager, a miniseries presented by The Wonderfuld World of Disney. We taped it and watched it over and over until the VHS started to get all crappy--well, crappier quality than VHS tapes already were. No worries, though, because mon frère got all of his sisters DVD copies off of ebay a few years back so I can watch it over and over as an adult. Anyway, I love space. And YA. I will watch any show that features teenagers in space and I’ll read any book of the same variety.
Earlier this year, I started reading Across the Universe. I thought it rather interesting to start out but I got bored and passed it to a friend (are you reading this? Read it and give it back, jerk). After reading this book, I feel like AtU wasn’t as original as I had initially thought. I’m happy that more YA authors seem to be hopping on the space wagon, (visual image: space wagon) especially because the genre is not yet saturated. Oldie but goodies Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Connie Willis have added quite a bit to the collection but newer stuff? There isn’t a ton. (I know there’s some) Most recently, I’ve read Academy 7 and continued with OSC’s Enderverse books—but I like my space to be minus religion, heavy political strategy discussions, and with strong female characters who don’t go baby-crazy and turn whackadoo. (I’m talking to you, Petra Arkanian)
So, the other day I had a few Goodreaders over to my house. I took them to a local bookstore and went downstairs to peruse a small branch of my library. (Two things: (1) Crazy that the library is downstairs from a bookstore, right?; and (2) Way to go me for trying not to spend money!) I looked at the YA shelves and saw a book that said, “251 TEENS ARE SENT INTO SPACE TO SAVE MANKIND. WILL THEY SUCCEED?” Okay, I’m frakking sold. Then I found out it was number 4 in a series and they didn’t have #1. Screw you, library! But they had it at the bookstore upstairs. (and I put the rest of them on hold and picked them up the next day. I was just kidding about being angry at the library. King County Library System is the shit.)
Fun, fun, fun. This book is set in a future wherein a comet flew extremely close to Earth’s atmosphere and yadda, yadda, yadda, the comet’s particles create a deadly disease that is slowly killing most of the population. (Plausible? I didn’t really care.) A few scientists pitch the idea of building a spaceship and sending 15/16 year olds off to colonize somewhere new in the galaxy. (adults are more susceptible to the disease and no one under 18 has developed it but they make the cutoff lower to be sure) The spaceship design is strikingly similar to that in Across the Universe or really, the opposite is true. The narrative style was interesting, as it shifted from first person (the hilariously snarky ship computer that retains the personality of its creator) to third person, covering several of the primary council members. We learn the backstories of the characters as well as the history of how the project was developed and implemented. Oh, happy day! Nearly every time I had a question, Dom Testa answered it. Spoiler Gripes:
The first installment of the series follows the crew as they head out and encounter a saboteur in their midst during the first week. The way each of them dealt with the situation and how they interacted with each other made me really excited to continue with the series. This book was exactly what I wanted to read at that moment and I hope the following installments will entertain me as much. I don’t know if this will be as much of a homerun for regular YA readers, but for those who, like me, enjoy both traditional sci-fi and YA (there is some romance going on), this series is for us. NERDS UNITE!
3.5-4 stars.
Earlier this year, I started reading Across the Universe. I thought it rather interesting to start out but I got bored and passed it to a friend (are you reading this? Read it and give it back, jerk). After reading this book, I feel like AtU wasn’t as original as I had initially thought. I’m happy that more YA authors seem to be hopping on the space wagon, (visual image: space wagon) especially because the genre is not yet saturated. Oldie but goodies Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Connie Willis have added quite a bit to the collection but newer stuff? There isn’t a ton. (I know there’s some) Most recently, I’ve read Academy 7 and continued with OSC’s Enderverse books—but I like my space to be minus religion, heavy political strategy discussions, and with strong female characters who don’t go baby-crazy and turn whackadoo. (I’m talking to you, Petra Arkanian)
So, the other day I had a few Goodreaders over to my house. I took them to a local bookstore and went downstairs to peruse a small branch of my library. (Two things: (1) Crazy that the library is downstairs from a bookstore, right?; and (2) Way to go me for trying not to spend money!) I looked at the YA shelves and saw a book that said, “251 TEENS ARE SENT INTO SPACE TO SAVE MANKIND. WILL THEY SUCCEED?” Okay, I’m frakking sold. Then I found out it was number 4 in a series and they didn’t have #1. Screw you, library! But they had it at the bookstore upstairs. (and I put the rest of them on hold and picked them up the next day. I was just kidding about being angry at the library. King County Library System is the shit.)
Fun, fun, fun. This book is set in a future wherein a comet flew extremely close to Earth’s atmosphere and yadda, yadda, yadda, the comet’s particles create a deadly disease that is slowly killing most of the population. (Plausible? I didn’t really care.) A few scientists pitch the idea of building a spaceship and sending 15/16 year olds off to colonize somewhere new in the galaxy. (adults are more susceptible to the disease and no one under 18 has developed it but they make the cutoff lower to be sure) The spaceship design is strikingly similar to that in Across the Universe or really, the opposite is true. The narrative style was interesting, as it shifted from first person (the hilariously snarky ship computer that retains the personality of its creator) to third person, covering several of the primary council members. We learn the backstories of the characters as well as the history of how the project was developed and implemented. Oh, happy day! Nearly every time I had a question, Dom Testa answered it. Spoiler Gripes:
The first installment of the series follows the crew as they head out and encounter a saboteur in their midst during the first week. The way each of them dealt with the situation and how they interacted with each other made me really excited to continue with the series. This book was exactly what I wanted to read at that moment and I hope the following installments will entertain me as much. I don’t know if this will be as much of a homerun for regular YA readers, but for those who, like me, enjoy both traditional sci-fi and YA (there is some romance going on), this series is for us. NERDS UNITE!
3.5-4 stars.
June 8, 2013
This book reeks of 'first novel' like a 12 year-old boy who just discovered cologne reeks of Axe.
Like most such works, the author's intent is visible beneath the slipshod execution. Dom Testa has an interesting idea here, with the concept of a spaceship full of teenagers being sent away from Earth as a last resort in response to a disaster. He's given the situation some thought - though not nearly enough, and logic often buckles in the face of plot necessity here. With a few more rounds of heavy edits, this would probably be a very good book!
But that is, sadly, not the case.
Let's start with something that's becoming a running pet peeve for me in YA science fiction: a lack of solid science. Here, the most clear manifestation is in the Bhaktul Disease which infects the adult population of the planet - but which, apparently, waits patiently for young people to have their eighteenth birthdays before attacking them. I've ranted about this extensively in my review of Lauren DeStefanon's Wither, so I'm not going to go into it here but: that's really not how it works. (it's worth noting that Testa could salvage this in later books by, say, having one of the 16 year-olds onboard the Galahad develop the disease, and thereby making the age cutoff softer than it is described here, but I won't be reading further to find out if he does and, frankly, I don't think it's very likely.) I'm willing to handwave a lot of things in sci-fi - sentient AI, aliens, hyperspace travel, whatever - but this isn't one of them. The end results - that all of the main characters are under 17 - don't help, as they make Bhaktul's characteristics seem even more contrived.
Much bigger than the scientific failures, however, are the logical failures. 251 people is far too small a population from which to rebuild a species - there's not nearly enough genetic diversity. Also, some of them are bound to start on that species-rebuilding thing before they get there. You really can't put 251 teenagers in an enclosed space for five years and not expect some of them to have sex. Since space seems to be at a premium in the ship (enough that most of the kids have roommates) that could pose a problem. The ship has no internal surveillance, which I find really weird - they're bound to have conflicts and problems, but will have no record if, say, someone gets into a fight in a corridor somewhere. The AI that controls the ship (and which presumably is the basis of all computing function onboard) doesn't know the content of emails until they're sent directly to it, which makes no sense, especially as it's the nearest the Galahad has to an adult presence. For that matter, there are numerous mentions of a space station from which Galahad was constructed - as it seems to have existed before the ship did, there should have been adults living aboard it at the time Comet Bhaktul passed through Earth's atmosphere who could have been sent on the mission along with the teenagers. Galahad is apparently supposed to educate its passengers so well that they could have earned four college degrees - but there's no mention of any sort of onboard laboratory for learning practical, necessary skills in biology, chemistry, and physics. None of them seem to have had any combat training - Roc, the AI, comments "Ninjas, you're not" at one point - despite the fact that they're very likely to face hostile natural predators when they reach their destination, and a working knowledge of weaponry and martial arts would be useful.They supposedly won't be exposed to any germs of any kind while onboard, which makes me concerned for their immune systems when they reach Eos. The ship has onboard farms, but there's no mention of a source of protein whatsoever - are they gonna be eating reprocessed jerky for five years?
I just don't see this mission succeeding, given what the narrative shows of it. It tells a completely different story, of course, but that's no help. You can tell me the sky is green all you want, but if I look up and see blue I'm going to ignore you. I feel much the same about Testa's depiction of the Galahad - I'm being told it's well-designed, well-prepared, that everything has been considered - but that doesn't match what I'm being shown at all.
Actually, telling instead of showing is a chronic problem throughout this book. The biggest problem is that of the ship, of course, but it crops up repeatedly around the romantic subplots as well. At two major points, we are informed point-blank that characters have feelings for each other. There's no development, no demonstration of why - the second such instance even more so than the first - and no nuance. It's not at all believable, and it damages the characterization of everyone involved, making them seem more like cardboard cutouts and less like people.
And speaking of cardboard cutouts... the antagonists of this book are, frankly, an utter disaster. One of them is Tyler Scofield, a scientist who objects stridently to the Galahad project, for reasons which are completely illogical. It's stated in text once that he objected to kids being taken away from their families in a time of need - regardless of the fact that those families and those kids chose their situation. He also says once that he was "trying to save" the teenagers - but if they'd stayed on Earth they would have had to watch their loved ones die horribly before succumbing to the disease themselves, in a world which by that time would have already fallen apart.
The problem here is partly that there are legitimate objections to a project like this. Scofield would be perfectly justified in focusing his resistance around the resources being diverted to Galahad, which could be used in searching for a cure or even in trying to establish habitations on the moon (a possibility established when Testa mentioned another character having worked on designing such buildings). He could have argued that they should try to save more than 251 kids. He could have objected to the consequences of the selection process: weeding out certain genetic traits by rejecting applicants to the program bears no small similarity to eugenics. (Testa brings this up briefly and handwaves it away, which was very unsatisfactory to me.) Moreover, all of the kids who show up in the book speak perfect English, and it's doubtful they could have picked that up in two years of preparation - was there, then, selection for language skills at an early stage of the process? Because that seems like something Scofield's opposition could have built a real campaign out of.
The second antagonist is even more frustrating than Scofield in his illogical behavior. In context it's excused by the effects of Bhaktul disease, but from a writing standpoint that's no excuse. The 'inexplicably crazy and irrational' villain is a cheap trick at best, a lazy fallback at worst, and here it feels like the second. He argues that the kids on the Galahad deserve to die because they're selfish for taking a chance to escape Earth that required the contribution of thousands of people who didn't get the same opportunity, but he's perfectly willing to make all of that work and the billions of dollars involved completely meaningless. His motivations don't even rise to the level of 'murky'; they're flat-out not there. He's irrational - not as a person, but as a character - and because he falls so flat, the final confrontation has no tension to it whatsoever.
Perhaps the most annoying of Testa's writing choices (and that's saying a lot, because this book was really annoying) is the AI that runs the ship, Roc. He acts as a sort of narrator for the story, breaking the fourth wall on a regular basis to address the reader, and while the idea is a clever one, it doesn't work out. Roc frequently withholds information from the reader, or just plain doesn't know, and it doesn't come off as clever or witty. Despite the fact that the prologue establishes all of his narration as happening after the fact of the story, we still get sentences like "You and I have the same information, so we'll both have to puzzle it out". The structure of the books and his narration tells us that this is completely false. It's only there so Testa can have his cake and eat it too - have both the wisecracking, omniscent narrator and the narrative tension of the unknown. (This seems to be the reason the ship has no cameras or security systems, as well.) It's a cheap trick. Even cheaper is the last chapter, where the character of Roc lists out the ongoing conflicts that the Galahad crew will have to face and, after each, says "you'll have to read on". It ends with "And neither you nor I will know until The Web of Titan" which, of course, is the title of the next book.
Look.
There's legitimate reasons for a writer to break the fourth wall. It can be a really clever narrative trick and completely change the shape of the book. But this? This is worse than cheap. The only word that comes to mind is 'money-grubbing'. Now, everyone's got to eat and I don't begrudge Testa wanting to sell his books, but having one of his characters namedrop the title of the sequel is incredibly tacky and tasteless.
Needless to say, I am more than done with this series, and my copy of the first book is going into the 'sell' box.
(p.s. dear TOR Teen, please stop putting reader's guides in the back of your YA publications. It's pretty goddamn patronizing. Save them for middle grade books, if then.)
Like most such works, the author's intent is visible beneath the slipshod execution. Dom Testa has an interesting idea here, with the concept of a spaceship full of teenagers being sent away from Earth as a last resort in response to a disaster. He's given the situation some thought - though not nearly enough, and logic often buckles in the face of plot necessity here. With a few more rounds of heavy edits, this would probably be a very good book!
But that is, sadly, not the case.
Let's start with something that's becoming a running pet peeve for me in YA science fiction: a lack of solid science. Here, the most clear manifestation is in the Bhaktul Disease which infects the adult population of the planet - but which, apparently, waits patiently for young people to have their eighteenth birthdays before attacking them. I've ranted about this extensively in my review of Lauren DeStefanon's Wither, so I'm not going to go into it here but: that's really not how it works. (it's worth noting that Testa could salvage this in later books by, say, having one of the 16 year-olds onboard the Galahad develop the disease, and thereby making the age cutoff softer than it is described here, but I won't be reading further to find out if he does and, frankly, I don't think it's very likely.) I'm willing to handwave a lot of things in sci-fi - sentient AI, aliens, hyperspace travel, whatever - but this isn't one of them. The end results - that all of the main characters are under 17 - don't help, as they make Bhaktul's characteristics seem even more contrived.
Much bigger than the scientific failures, however, are the logical failures. 251 people is far too small a population from which to rebuild a species - there's not nearly enough genetic diversity. Also, some of them are bound to start on that species-rebuilding thing before they get there. You really can't put 251 teenagers in an enclosed space for five years and not expect some of them to have sex. Since space seems to be at a premium in the ship (enough that most of the kids have roommates) that could pose a problem. The ship has no internal surveillance, which I find really weird - they're bound to have conflicts and problems, but will have no record if, say, someone gets into a fight in a corridor somewhere. The AI that controls the ship (and which presumably is the basis of all computing function onboard) doesn't know the content of emails until they're sent directly to it, which makes no sense, especially as it's the nearest the Galahad has to an adult presence. For that matter, there are numerous mentions of a space station from which Galahad was constructed - as it seems to have existed before the ship did, there should have been adults living aboard it at the time Comet Bhaktul passed through Earth's atmosphere who could have been sent on the mission along with the teenagers. Galahad is apparently supposed to educate its passengers so well that they could have earned four college degrees - but there's no mention of any sort of onboard laboratory for learning practical, necessary skills in biology, chemistry, and physics. None of them seem to have had any combat training - Roc, the AI, comments "Ninjas, you're not" at one point - despite the fact that they're very likely to face hostile natural predators when they reach their destination, and a working knowledge of weaponry and martial arts would be useful.They supposedly won't be exposed to any germs of any kind while onboard, which makes me concerned for their immune systems when they reach Eos. The ship has onboard farms, but there's no mention of a source of protein whatsoever - are they gonna be eating reprocessed jerky for five years?
I just don't see this mission succeeding, given what the narrative shows of it. It tells a completely different story, of course, but that's no help. You can tell me the sky is green all you want, but if I look up and see blue I'm going to ignore you. I feel much the same about Testa's depiction of the Galahad - I'm being told it's well-designed, well-prepared, that everything has been considered - but that doesn't match what I'm being shown at all.
Actually, telling instead of showing is a chronic problem throughout this book. The biggest problem is that of the ship, of course, but it crops up repeatedly around the romantic subplots as well. At two major points, we are informed point-blank that characters have feelings for each other. There's no development, no demonstration of why - the second such instance even more so than the first - and no nuance. It's not at all believable, and it damages the characterization of everyone involved, making them seem more like cardboard cutouts and less like people.
And speaking of cardboard cutouts... the antagonists of this book are, frankly, an utter disaster. One of them is Tyler Scofield, a scientist who objects stridently to the Galahad project, for reasons which are completely illogical. It's stated in text once that he objected to kids being taken away from their families in a time of need - regardless of the fact that those families and those kids chose their situation. He also says once that he was "trying to save" the teenagers - but if they'd stayed on Earth they would have had to watch their loved ones die horribly before succumbing to the disease themselves, in a world which by that time would have already fallen apart.
The problem here is partly that there are legitimate objections to a project like this. Scofield would be perfectly justified in focusing his resistance around the resources being diverted to Galahad, which could be used in searching for a cure or even in trying to establish habitations on the moon (a possibility established when Testa mentioned another character having worked on designing such buildings). He could have argued that they should try to save more than 251 kids. He could have objected to the consequences of the selection process: weeding out certain genetic traits by rejecting applicants to the program bears no small similarity to eugenics. (Testa brings this up briefly and handwaves it away, which was very unsatisfactory to me.) Moreover, all of the kids who show up in the book speak perfect English, and it's doubtful they could have picked that up in two years of preparation - was there, then, selection for language skills at an early stage of the process? Because that seems like something Scofield's opposition could have built a real campaign out of.
The second antagonist is even more frustrating than Scofield in his illogical behavior. In context it's excused by the effects of Bhaktul disease, but from a writing standpoint that's no excuse. The 'inexplicably crazy and irrational' villain is a cheap trick at best, a lazy fallback at worst, and here it feels like the second. He argues that the kids on the Galahad deserve to die because they're selfish for taking a chance to escape Earth that required the contribution of thousands of people who didn't get the same opportunity, but he's perfectly willing to make all of that work and the billions of dollars involved completely meaningless. His motivations don't even rise to the level of 'murky'; they're flat-out not there. He's irrational - not as a person, but as a character - and because he falls so flat, the final confrontation has no tension to it whatsoever.
Perhaps the most annoying of Testa's writing choices (and that's saying a lot, because this book was really annoying) is the AI that runs the ship, Roc. He acts as a sort of narrator for the story, breaking the fourth wall on a regular basis to address the reader, and while the idea is a clever one, it doesn't work out. Roc frequently withholds information from the reader, or just plain doesn't know, and it doesn't come off as clever or witty. Despite the fact that the prologue establishes all of his narration as happening after the fact of the story, we still get sentences like "You and I have the same information, so we'll both have to puzzle it out". The structure of the books and his narration tells us that this is completely false. It's only there so Testa can have his cake and eat it too - have both the wisecracking, omniscent narrator and the narrative tension of the unknown. (This seems to be the reason the ship has no cameras or security systems, as well.) It's a cheap trick. Even cheaper is the last chapter, where the character of Roc lists out the ongoing conflicts that the Galahad crew will have to face and, after each, says "you'll have to read on". It ends with "And neither you nor I will know until The Web of Titan" which, of course, is the title of the next book.
Look.
There's legitimate reasons for a writer to break the fourth wall. It can be a really clever narrative trick and completely change the shape of the book. But this? This is worse than cheap. The only word that comes to mind is 'money-grubbing'. Now, everyone's got to eat and I don't begrudge Testa wanting to sell his books, but having one of his characters namedrop the title of the sequel is incredibly tacky and tasteless.
Needless to say, I am more than done with this series, and my copy of the first book is going into the 'sell' box.
(p.s. dear TOR Teen, please stop putting reader's guides in the back of your YA publications. It's pretty goddamn patronizing. Save them for middle grade books, if then.)
July 6, 2009
"The Comet's Curse: A Galahad Book" is about what happens when the particles of a comet causes all of the people on earth to start experiencing sickening symptoms... and eventually wither away and die. It affects people that are over the age of eighteen. So, after two years of extensive training, 251 teenagers are chosen to go aboard Galahad, a space ship that will be launched to re-locate the human race at a different planet. Among the main characters are Triana, the confident leader, Gap, the quirky asian boy, Channy, the bubbly excersise-fanatic, and Bon, the quiet Swedish boy.
I have a ton of mixed feelings for this book. At the climax of the novel I was prepared to give it four stars. However, later on, *spoilers*, I don't know how Bon and Triana just hit it off like that. The author really didn't explain that well. Also, sometimes I wondered why we were given certian viewpoints and not others. It would've been nice to go inside Channy or Bon's thoughts, instead of just Triana and Gaps, escpecially because in the end Triana gets romantically involved with Bon and not Gap. I have no idea how that happened though. My only other complaint is that sometimes the dialogue felt snappy and rushed, but other than that this was a solid SciFi novel and I will read the following books in the series when they are released to my public library.
I have a ton of mixed feelings for this book. At the climax of the novel I was prepared to give it four stars. However, later on, *spoilers*, I don't know how Bon and Triana just hit it off like that. The author really didn't explain that well. Also, sometimes I wondered why we were given certian viewpoints and not others. It would've been nice to go inside Channy or Bon's thoughts, instead of just Triana and Gaps, escpecially because in the end Triana gets romantically involved with Bon and not Gap. I have no idea how that happened though. My only other complaint is that sometimes the dialogue felt snappy and rushed, but other than that this was a solid SciFi novel and I will read the following books in the series when they are released to my public library.
April 4, 2012
Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2012/03/b...
Review Note: This review is for both THE COMET'S CURSE and THE WEB OF TITAN (spoiler-free).
In the not-too-distant future, a rogue comet is spotted by a group of amateur stargazers, one that would pass and just miss the Earth’s orbit by a few hundred thousand kilometers. The world watched in marvel as the tail of comet Bhaktul lit up the sky as it burned through the Earth’s atmosphere, causing a global light show of unparalleled beauty. Soon after the comet’s passage, however, people all over the planet start to exhibit flu-like symptoms, followed by respiratory distress and ultimately death. After months of the strange global pandemic, researchers discover that it was particles from the tail of Bhaktul that are responsible for the mounting deaths.
This earth-shattering discovery is followed by even grimmer news – there is no cure for Bhaktul’s wake, and there is no escape. The particles from the comet’s tail have permeated the global atmosphere, and it is only a matter of time – scant years – before everyone dies. The only exception to the illness? An inexplicable immunity in children under the age of 18. In a last ditch effort to save the human race, mankind unites in a project of incredible scope and daring vision – the creation of a space ship, called the Galahad, to shuttle 251 teens to a new home around a distant star. The best and the brightest from around the globe are selected for the mission, each groomed with specialties in different areas, from agriculture to fitness and nutrition, and after three years of preparation, the Galahad makes its historic launch and leaves Earth behind forever.
In The Comet’s Curse follows the launch of these 251 teens as they embark for the stars. Completely on their own for a mission of five years is no easy feat, but with a leader like Triana and a team of razor-sharp witted council members like Lita, Gap, and Bon, as well as with the help of a superintelligent navigational computer named Roc (with a wicked sense of humor), the journey is in good hands. That is…until shortly after launch, and one startled teen says he saw a man on the ship. And then the messages start – ominous notes left for the teens, acts of vandalism that threaten the safety and integrity of the ship. Someone has stowed away on The Galahad, and it’s up to the intrepid crew of teens to figure out who and stop him before it’s too late.
In Book 2, The Web of Titan, the crew of the Galahad has survived their stowaway encounter and have moved along their trip to the ringed gas giant Saturn, four months into their journey. Slingshotting around the planet, the crew also picks up a payload that has been left behind by a human research outpost studying moon Titan. The teens know nothing about Titan and the researchers there, just that the crew mysteriously lost contact with the Earth before the launch of the Galahad. Hannah, one of the science and math minded of the Galahad crew, notices an anomaly in the data emitting from Titan that must have something to do with the payload – a strange, but undeniable beam of energy that has been focused on the Galahad. When the crew intercept the pod left behind by Sat33, though, things aboard the ship are in danger once again. Some of the crew start to report migranes, followed by a period of coma and then awaken with bizarrely glowing eyes. The ship’s systems begin to malfunction, threatening the life support systems on the ship and the 251 souls aboard it. With time running out, it is up to the intrepid crew to discover the truth of the Sat33 team, and how the Galahad can avoid its fate.
Well folks, color me happy. I truly, honestly loved the first two books in this series and think I have a new obsession to burn through (hence this double review, since I couldn’t stop myself from reaching for The Web of Titan once I had finished The Comet’s Curse).
As far as apocalyptic scenarios go, astronomical disasters are my favorite flavor of the end of the world. I loved that Bhaktul’s particular brand of apocalypse means the end of the world, not through a dramatic impact of the planet, but through a slow killing disease from which there is no escape or cure, except off the Earth itself. The twin themes of these books are those of hope, and that is so damn cool in a post-apocalyptic novel. Essentially, the Galahad books are post-apocalyptic and incredibly sad – the Earth and all those souls on her surface have been obliterated. All vestiges of human civilization and its vast history and cultures will be lost forever as no one is safe from Bhaktul’s reach. But the efforts of humanity to preserve some memory of itself and to give children a chance at a future? That is awesome and shamelessly optimistic, and I’m not ashamed to say it warmed my jaded, science fiction loving heart. In The Comet’s Curse we flash back and forth between realtime on the Galahad as the teens leave earth behind and the past, as human adults squabble with politics and the reality of selecting a crew and preparing them for their journey. The time and perspective jumping technique is wonderfully effective, building tension and providing insight to the selection process and rationale behind the Galahad mission. In The Web of Titan, the narrative is linear and regularly structured, but every bit as engaging as the first novel as the stakes are upped and real danger faces our crew of heroes and heroines. Common to both books is the interspliced narration of Roc, the artificial intelligence that pilots and regulates the ship; a supercomputer with a lighthearted, wisecracking personality. To steal from a review of the series from Booklist on the jacket copy, Roc’s narration essentially is our Greek Chorus, adding narrative and thematic insight to the story (in an undeniably fun and slightly zany way).
Beyond the plotting, the actual science behind the story is engaging though on the lighter side, as actual technical aspects of space travel and technology are not fully explained. We know that this version of humanity can build a super spaceship capable of making it to the distant stars without too much trouble, and in just five years these teens will arrive at a distant solar system using a combination of ion engines and solar sails to get there, slingshotting around the large planets in the solar system to aid the speed at which the Galahad travels through space. There are talking supercomputers, artificial gravity devices, and so on, and the myriad problems of space travel (the slow reality of travel via propulsion engines, the atrophy effects of living in low gravity, the effects of prolonged exposure to radiation, the micrometeoroids that could pepper and devastate a ship) are handily ignored. That said, I actually like and appreciate the line that The Comet’s Curse and The Web of Titan straddle, not completely ignoring science, but implementing mysterious technologies that acknowledge and explain away any of those pesky issues that hamper space travel today.
And then, there are the characters. I *love* our diverse cast of crew members aboard the Galahad, both in terms of their widely different personalities, and with regard to their backgrounds and ethnicities. It makes sense that a last ditch group of humans should be from as diverse a genetic pool as possible, and the crew of the Galahad reflects that conscious choice, with characters from different parts of the world of different cultures, races, and creeds. My favorite of the crew is of course Triana (Tree), the leader of the Galahad mission, as she struggles with the burden of caring for her fellow shipmates. Of course, a ship full of teenager also means that there are romantic entanglements afoot, and I can’t help but also love Gap, the engineer Council member hopelessly in love with Tree (though he’s afraid to say anything to betray his feelings to the girl who is always in charge, cool and collected). Adding to the cast is the bubbly Channy (head of nutrition and well-being, urging everyone on the ship to stick to a strict exercise regimen), the quietly contemplative Lita (head of medical on the ship), and the surly Bon (agricultural leader with an attitude problem, and interestingly, one side of the inevitable love triangle between Triana and Gap). I love ensembles when they are done well, and the crew of the Galahad has the hallmarks of a great group cast. My only concern is that with such a large group of characters, time with each of them is brief, especially as the story expands to secondary and tertiary members. Over the six books of the series, however, I hope that we get to spend more time with each of the characters.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this series, and I cannot wait to continue with the rest of the books. Absolutely recommended – if you haven’t heard of the Galahad books (or like me were momentarily thrown by the series covers), you should check it out.
Review Note: This review is for both THE COMET'S CURSE and THE WEB OF TITAN (spoiler-free).
In the not-too-distant future, a rogue comet is spotted by a group of amateur stargazers, one that would pass and just miss the Earth’s orbit by a few hundred thousand kilometers. The world watched in marvel as the tail of comet Bhaktul lit up the sky as it burned through the Earth’s atmosphere, causing a global light show of unparalleled beauty. Soon after the comet’s passage, however, people all over the planet start to exhibit flu-like symptoms, followed by respiratory distress and ultimately death. After months of the strange global pandemic, researchers discover that it was particles from the tail of Bhaktul that are responsible for the mounting deaths.
This earth-shattering discovery is followed by even grimmer news – there is no cure for Bhaktul’s wake, and there is no escape. The particles from the comet’s tail have permeated the global atmosphere, and it is only a matter of time – scant years – before everyone dies. The only exception to the illness? An inexplicable immunity in children under the age of 18. In a last ditch effort to save the human race, mankind unites in a project of incredible scope and daring vision – the creation of a space ship, called the Galahad, to shuttle 251 teens to a new home around a distant star. The best and the brightest from around the globe are selected for the mission, each groomed with specialties in different areas, from agriculture to fitness and nutrition, and after three years of preparation, the Galahad makes its historic launch and leaves Earth behind forever.
In The Comet’s Curse follows the launch of these 251 teens as they embark for the stars. Completely on their own for a mission of five years is no easy feat, but with a leader like Triana and a team of razor-sharp witted council members like Lita, Gap, and Bon, as well as with the help of a superintelligent navigational computer named Roc (with a wicked sense of humor), the journey is in good hands. That is…until shortly after launch, and one startled teen says he saw a man on the ship. And then the messages start – ominous notes left for the teens, acts of vandalism that threaten the safety and integrity of the ship. Someone has stowed away on The Galahad, and it’s up to the intrepid crew of teens to figure out who and stop him before it’s too late.
In Book 2, The Web of Titan, the crew of the Galahad has survived their stowaway encounter and have moved along their trip to the ringed gas giant Saturn, four months into their journey. Slingshotting around the planet, the crew also picks up a payload that has been left behind by a human research outpost studying moon Titan. The teens know nothing about Titan and the researchers there, just that the crew mysteriously lost contact with the Earth before the launch of the Galahad. Hannah, one of the science and math minded of the Galahad crew, notices an anomaly in the data emitting from Titan that must have something to do with the payload – a strange, but undeniable beam of energy that has been focused on the Galahad. When the crew intercept the pod left behind by Sat33, though, things aboard the ship are in danger once again. Some of the crew start to report migranes, followed by a period of coma and then awaken with bizarrely glowing eyes. The ship’s systems begin to malfunction, threatening the life support systems on the ship and the 251 souls aboard it. With time running out, it is up to the intrepid crew to discover the truth of the Sat33 team, and how the Galahad can avoid its fate.
Well folks, color me happy. I truly, honestly loved the first two books in this series and think I have a new obsession to burn through (hence this double review, since I couldn’t stop myself from reaching for The Web of Titan once I had finished The Comet’s Curse).
As far as apocalyptic scenarios go, astronomical disasters are my favorite flavor of the end of the world. I loved that Bhaktul’s particular brand of apocalypse means the end of the world, not through a dramatic impact of the planet, but through a slow killing disease from which there is no escape or cure, except off the Earth itself. The twin themes of these books are those of hope, and that is so damn cool in a post-apocalyptic novel. Essentially, the Galahad books are post-apocalyptic and incredibly sad – the Earth and all those souls on her surface have been obliterated. All vestiges of human civilization and its vast history and cultures will be lost forever as no one is safe from Bhaktul’s reach. But the efforts of humanity to preserve some memory of itself and to give children a chance at a future? That is awesome and shamelessly optimistic, and I’m not ashamed to say it warmed my jaded, science fiction loving heart. In The Comet’s Curse we flash back and forth between realtime on the Galahad as the teens leave earth behind and the past, as human adults squabble with politics and the reality of selecting a crew and preparing them for their journey. The time and perspective jumping technique is wonderfully effective, building tension and providing insight to the selection process and rationale behind the Galahad mission. In The Web of Titan, the narrative is linear and regularly structured, but every bit as engaging as the first novel as the stakes are upped and real danger faces our crew of heroes and heroines. Common to both books is the interspliced narration of Roc, the artificial intelligence that pilots and regulates the ship; a supercomputer with a lighthearted, wisecracking personality. To steal from a review of the series from Booklist on the jacket copy, Roc’s narration essentially is our Greek Chorus, adding narrative and thematic insight to the story (in an undeniably fun and slightly zany way).
Beyond the plotting, the actual science behind the story is engaging though on the lighter side, as actual technical aspects of space travel and technology are not fully explained. We know that this version of humanity can build a super spaceship capable of making it to the distant stars without too much trouble, and in just five years these teens will arrive at a distant solar system using a combination of ion engines and solar sails to get there, slingshotting around the large planets in the solar system to aid the speed at which the Galahad travels through space. There are talking supercomputers, artificial gravity devices, and so on, and the myriad problems of space travel (the slow reality of travel via propulsion engines, the atrophy effects of living in low gravity, the effects of prolonged exposure to radiation, the micrometeoroids that could pepper and devastate a ship) are handily ignored. That said, I actually like and appreciate the line that The Comet’s Curse and The Web of Titan straddle, not completely ignoring science, but implementing mysterious technologies that acknowledge and explain away any of those pesky issues that hamper space travel today.
And then, there are the characters. I *love* our diverse cast of crew members aboard the Galahad, both in terms of their widely different personalities, and with regard to their backgrounds and ethnicities. It makes sense that a last ditch group of humans should be from as diverse a genetic pool as possible, and the crew of the Galahad reflects that conscious choice, with characters from different parts of the world of different cultures, races, and creeds. My favorite of the crew is of course Triana (Tree), the leader of the Galahad mission, as she struggles with the burden of caring for her fellow shipmates. Of course, a ship full of teenager also means that there are romantic entanglements afoot, and I can’t help but also love Gap, the engineer Council member hopelessly in love with Tree (though he’s afraid to say anything to betray his feelings to the girl who is always in charge, cool and collected). Adding to the cast is the bubbly Channy (head of nutrition and well-being, urging everyone on the ship to stick to a strict exercise regimen), the quietly contemplative Lita (head of medical on the ship), and the surly Bon (agricultural leader with an attitude problem, and interestingly, one side of the inevitable love triangle between Triana and Gap). I love ensembles when they are done well, and the crew of the Galahad has the hallmarks of a great group cast. My only concern is that with such a large group of characters, time with each of them is brief, especially as the story expands to secondary and tertiary members. Over the six books of the series, however, I hope that we get to spend more time with each of the characters.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this series, and I cannot wait to continue with the rest of the books. Absolutely recommended – if you haven’t heard of the Galahad books (or like me were momentarily thrown by the series covers), you should check it out.
May 26, 2011
On one hand, the computer is a little bit annoying. On the other, it is well explained that artificial intelligence has evolved to the point where I believe that a slightly annoying computer scientist could make a computer act like himself. Fortunately, although the book is supposedly from Roc's point-of-view, he doesn't talk nearly as much as he could (and if you skip his last little speech you might even escape not rolling your eyes out of your head). I can safely say that the stowaway was not who I wanted him to be without spoiling anything. The author could have done some cool stuff if she had used my plot twist instead of hers, but hers worked fairly well. The airboarding stuff was a bit over done, clearly the author thinks that there is much more to skate boarding than dare devilry and pot. The only reason I'll agree that a soccer field is a good idea is that the project was international and soccer is king everywhere but the U.S. Still, they better have a couple footballs, balls to play catch with and other things to use that field for since space was such a premium. There were a couple other slight inconsistencies with the science, but overall, the author made the science work for him rather than drowning the story in it. I did wonder why more teens weren't being moved to space stations and self sustaining colonies as well as being trained to research and take on the jobs adults were becoming too sick to continue doing.
There wasn't much language, maybe a couple of curses (I don't remember any at all actually). There was a little bit of violence with some sabotage, threatening to kill people and descriptions of what the Baktul virus does to people. There wasn't really any sex either although there was a little hugging and some gossiping about what teenagers would do with five years alone on a ship.
There wasn't much language, maybe a couple of curses (I don't remember any at all actually). There was a little bit of violence with some sabotage, threatening to kill people and descriptions of what the Baktul virus does to people. There wasn't really any sex either although there was a little hugging and some gossiping about what teenagers would do with five years alone on a ship.
May 20, 2016
Two hundred fifty one souls. None of whom is over sixteen years old. They are mankind’s final hope for survival.
The very existence of all mankind is at stake after the tail of the comet Bhaktul contaminates Earth’s atmosphere, infecting everyone over the age of eighteen. When he and his colleagues are unable to develop a cure, renowned scientist Dr. Zimmer proposes a radical plan: select and 251 of the world’s brightest, strongest and bravest teens and train them to undertake the dangerous mission of traveling through space to Eon, a new earth.
Although his plan is met with much resistance, Dr. Zimmer, along with his associates Dr. Bauer and Dr. Armstead, begin the creation of Galahad, a ship that will support the selected teens for during their five year journey. Everyone aboard will be led by The Council, Captain Triana Martell, and Roc, their detailed and life-like systems computer.
All appears to go according to Dr. Zimmer’s plan, when shortly after takeoff, a crew member must dragged to the Sick House, frantically screaming that he has spotted a stowaway. At first the Council assumes that Peter is space sick and simply imagining things, a sickness that is common after the initial takeoff. However, when crops are vandalized and the words, “This is a death ship” are scrawled across a wall, Triana knows that this wasn’t just a hallucination, and the entire mission may be at stake.
This was a great start to a new science fiction series, one that deals more with the human aspect of the mission rather than the futuristic details of the teen’s world. I look forward to reading more of Testa’s Galahad series.
The very existence of all mankind is at stake after the tail of the comet Bhaktul contaminates Earth’s atmosphere, infecting everyone over the age of eighteen. When he and his colleagues are unable to develop a cure, renowned scientist Dr. Zimmer proposes a radical plan: select and 251 of the world’s brightest, strongest and bravest teens and train them to undertake the dangerous mission of traveling through space to Eon, a new earth.
Although his plan is met with much resistance, Dr. Zimmer, along with his associates Dr. Bauer and Dr. Armstead, begin the creation of Galahad, a ship that will support the selected teens for during their five year journey. Everyone aboard will be led by The Council, Captain Triana Martell, and Roc, their detailed and life-like systems computer.
All appears to go according to Dr. Zimmer’s plan, when shortly after takeoff, a crew member must dragged to the Sick House, frantically screaming that he has spotted a stowaway. At first the Council assumes that Peter is space sick and simply imagining things, a sickness that is common after the initial takeoff. However, when crops are vandalized and the words, “This is a death ship” are scrawled across a wall, Triana knows that this wasn’t just a hallucination, and the entire mission may be at stake.
This was a great start to a new science fiction series, one that deals more with the human aspect of the mission rather than the futuristic details of the teen’s world. I look forward to reading more of Testa’s Galahad series.
July 18, 2011
My thoughts:
This science fiction thriller is set 200 years into the future. A comet has swept by Earth leaving deadly particles behind that are killing adults. Mankind's future lays in the hands of 251 teenagers that have agreed to man a space shuttle and travel to the great unknown. What a premise!
The Comet's Curse is the first book in a planned six part series. The story wastes no time introducing us to a cast of characters we are sure to hear more about in books to follow. The constant shifts of viewpoints from the crew as well as the scientists in charge of the project keep the story interesting and fresh.
My favorite character in this story was actually the computer on board of the Galahad named Roc. His sense of humor and opinions added some lightness to the suspense. I believe his character will continue to develop in upcoming stories and it will be interesting to see what role he plays in the lives of the 251 teenage crew members.
Would I recommend this story to a friend:
Absolutely! I think this book would be very popular to both boys and girls in a middle school library as well as older kids. A good clean read.
Where did I get this book:
I bought it used on Amazon.com I will definitly be looking for the book next in the series called The Web of Titan. I will be giving this book away along with other ARCs I've been sent. Look for that giveaway coming up.
This science fiction thriller is set 200 years into the future. A comet has swept by Earth leaving deadly particles behind that are killing adults. Mankind's future lays in the hands of 251 teenagers that have agreed to man a space shuttle and travel to the great unknown. What a premise!
The Comet's Curse is the first book in a planned six part series. The story wastes no time introducing us to a cast of characters we are sure to hear more about in books to follow. The constant shifts of viewpoints from the crew as well as the scientists in charge of the project keep the story interesting and fresh.
My favorite character in this story was actually the computer on board of the Galahad named Roc. His sense of humor and opinions added some lightness to the suspense. I believe his character will continue to develop in upcoming stories and it will be interesting to see what role he plays in the lives of the 251 teenage crew members.
Would I recommend this story to a friend:
Absolutely! I think this book would be very popular to both boys and girls in a middle school library as well as older kids. A good clean read.
Where did I get this book:
I bought it used on Amazon.com I will definitly be looking for the book next in the series called The Web of Titan. I will be giving this book away along with other ARCs I've been sent. Look for that giveaway coming up.
May 25, 2012
This has such a fun concept! Who wouldn’t be freaked out if some comet brought along some alien particles from the deepest hearts of the universe and became the destructor of the human race? Neat! Then to save us all by sending young teens to a far off planet for future survival there? Awesome-tastic.
Okay, let me be frank here. Although this is a sci-fi book is pretty light on the details, so don’t go expecting a whole lot here and come out amazed. The characters are sort of surface developed but the main ones are distinguishable from the others, which is a plus. They stick with you and you become mildly interested in their plights. The writing isn’t what I’d call the greatest either. It’s pretty rough, sparse, and a bit clunky in areas. Some of the transitions could be worked on and the plot could also not be so predictable or transparent.
But it’s enjoyable entertainment.
I think if I were in late elementary or in middle school I would love this series. There’s also an Asian male on the cover! SINCE WHEN HAS THAT HAPPENED EVER? That’s right! Plus ten thousand points for that!
All in all, I wouldn’t mind reading the next one but I’m not in a rush to get it.
Okay, let me be frank here. Although this is a sci-fi book is pretty light on the details, so don’t go expecting a whole lot here and come out amazed. The characters are sort of surface developed but the main ones are distinguishable from the others, which is a plus. They stick with you and you become mildly interested in their plights. The writing isn’t what I’d call the greatest either. It’s pretty rough, sparse, and a bit clunky in areas. Some of the transitions could be worked on and the plot could also not be so predictable or transparent.
But it’s enjoyable entertainment.
I think if I were in late elementary or in middle school I would love this series. There’s also an Asian male on the cover! SINCE WHEN HAS THAT HAPPENED EVER? That’s right! Plus ten thousand points for that!
All in all, I wouldn’t mind reading the next one but I’m not in a rush to get it.
June 6, 2012
Even though I hate this cover, this book turned out to be a gem. In my highschool, they were selling it for $3 but no one wanted to buy it. So in the end, they ended up giving it away for free. I did not want it but a friend, Rachel, bless her heart, recommended it to me and I just took one.
After reading it, it only took me a short period of time, well given the times I had time to read it. It had a great plot, awesome and relatable characters and I felt like I was in the ship with them. It was a clean and studious book that allows for one to explore the environment and the mentalities that goes along with each and every character.
I wish that in my hand, I had the next one, and even though I tend to not read sequels, this one is a must have for sure.
I for some reason ended up ruining some of the book for myself because when they first introduced the conflict that someone was aboard the ship, I just had to quickly flip to the end and see who it was. Even though this spoiled some of it, which was all my fault, it still lent some extraordinary surprises that makes one want to keep on reading.
Thank you Rachel for a splendid read and a good time.
After reading it, it only took me a short period of time, well given the times I had time to read it. It had a great plot, awesome and relatable characters and I felt like I was in the ship with them. It was a clean and studious book that allows for one to explore the environment and the mentalities that goes along with each and every character.
I wish that in my hand, I had the next one, and even though I tend to not read sequels, this one is a must have for sure.
I for some reason ended up ruining some of the book for myself because when they first introduced the conflict that someone was aboard the ship, I just had to quickly flip to the end and see who it was. Even though this spoiled some of it, which was all my fault, it still lent some extraordinary surprises that makes one want to keep on reading.
Thank you Rachel for a splendid read and a good time.
July 31, 2010
A comet passing by Earth has deposited particles in the atmosphere which cause death in adults over age 18. Scientists race against time to send 251 teens into space on the Galahad to save mankind by colonizing a habitable planet 5 years away. Shortly after the launch a saboteur is suspected and the crew lead by a 5 member council must deal with the problem. I really liked this book. The plot revealed alternately by flashbacks and real time is good but takes a while to develop laying the groundwork I'm sure for the subsequent books in the series. There are many thought provoking themes addressed by the main characters ie.leaving family, duty and responsibility, teamwork, importance of balancing fun and fitness with work. Although this is the first book in a series it is a complete work leaving the reader satisfied while opening the door to revisit the characters in another adventure. A quick read; a real page turner.
March 16, 2009
Maybe I was expecting too much but this was not very exciting.
July 1, 2010
Interesting storyline, horrifically boring dialogue and characters.
November 30, 2010
Really good! Very exciting, wonderful start to a series.
January 11, 2019
I don't feel like any editing went into this book. There are massive chunks that could be taken out and it would make no difference to the story whatsoever. It was really hard to get through for that reason.
There are places where the writing is really lovely and beautiful, but you get so bogged down by all the non-essential components to the story that you can't appreciate the beautiful language because you just want to get on with the story.
The dialogue in this is atrocious. I felt like I was reading the script to an awful 90's TV show. Like Power Rangers or Xena. It physically hurt me to read these characters interacting.
There was a twist, but it was so poorly executed to call it a twist seems in bad taste. The villain isn't who I thought it was or who you'll think it is if you read this, but the author made no indication that it could be anyone else.
There is meant to be a love triangle in this book between Gap, Bon, and Tree (yes, that's actually their names), but it doesn't pan out. There's a scene where Gap and Tree almost kiss, or rather Gap thinks about it and then calls himself an idiot for not going for it. I suppose I will have to read more in the series if I want to see it turns out between them, but I really don't want to have to do that if the other books are anything like this one.
The only redeeming quality this book had to offer was the robot Roc. It was funny. That's all I can say about it. It was funny, completely useless in their time of need and way too easy to break considering it's the sole purpose for being created, but it was funny.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a good story or an immersive experience, but if you want a lot of diversity this book has it. Except there is an Irish kid who calls football, soccer, but that's beside the point. I've come to the conclusion that research is overrated in literature these days.
There are places where the writing is really lovely and beautiful, but you get so bogged down by all the non-essential components to the story that you can't appreciate the beautiful language because you just want to get on with the story.
The dialogue in this is atrocious. I felt like I was reading the script to an awful 90's TV show. Like Power Rangers or Xena. It physically hurt me to read these characters interacting.
There was a twist, but it was so poorly executed to call it a twist seems in bad taste. The villain isn't who I thought it was or who you'll think it is if you read this, but the author made no indication that it could be anyone else.
There is meant to be a love triangle in this book between Gap, Bon, and Tree (yes, that's actually their names), but it doesn't pan out. There's a scene where Gap and Tree almost kiss, or rather Gap thinks about it and then calls himself an idiot for not going for it. I suppose I will have to read more in the series if I want to see it turns out between them, but I really don't want to have to do that if the other books are anything like this one.
The only redeeming quality this book had to offer was the robot Roc. It was funny. That's all I can say about it. It was funny, completely useless in their time of need and way too easy to break considering it's the sole purpose for being created, but it was funny.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a good story or an immersive experience, but if you want a lot of diversity this book has it. Except there is an Irish kid who calls football, soccer, but that's beside the point. I've come to the conclusion that research is overrated in literature these days.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2012
Judged By The Cover: Something I have never seen before
Many, many covers have a girl or guy with thier heads cut off, but this book actually has heads! Plus it has two people on the cover! Which is different from many covers that have that girl or guy with there heads cut off. I also like the angle of the characters on the cover, whom I assume to be the characters of Triana (Tree) and Gap. All in all, the cover has this science-fiction aura to it, but in a way that is the genre of the book. In my opinion, this cover completely works!
What's up?
So when I started to read The Comets Curse I had no hopes for it. The only reason I even picked up this book was because it was on display with other young adult science fiction at the library (thank you librarians! You do your job well!). But once I started reading it I couldnt stop. The entire idea of what the kids (and all of Earth for that matter) had to go through and the thought of how my friends and I would handle going through all of that was mind-blowing! I also found it suprising that a RADIO HOST wrote this book and the rest of the series (yes people, there are more books in the series. And they just keep getting better!). So props to you Dom Testa. The Comets Curse takes place in Earth's near future. A comet named Bhaktul comes dangerously close to Earth. This causes people to panic, but it is soon dicovered that Bhaktul will harmlessly pass by Earth. The comet passes by; causing Earth nothing but a few brighter sunsets. But months later some people get sick from some unknown disease. This disease starts to spread worldwide, and it is discovered that the comet Bhaktul poisened Earths atmosphere, which is the cause of all the sick people. More and more people have been dieing from the disease each day, yet none have been able to find a cure. Strangely, none under the age of 18 seem to be getting sick. None know why. Still, no cure has been found and it does not look like one will be; so in the desperete attempt to save the human race a team of scientists devise a plan to send teenagers into space to find another planet to continue the human race. The team chooses 251 of the worlds smartest kids to venture out on this voyage.These teens are now 15 or 16 and have been training for this mission for two years. They know that once they blast off Earth they will never see their families of old friends, never be back at thier homes, and never set foot on Earth again. They understand the danger they are facing, heading into places none have ever been or even heard of, and the aloneness they will face in space. But this is the one and only chance these teens have to escape the deadly clutches of Bhaktul. The ship has just departed from earth, and is ready to head to its destined new star called Eos. 251 teens have trained for this mission and are ready to meet thier destiny, but 252 people borded the ship before departure. And that 252nd person is dead set on keeping the ship from ever reaching its destination.
Characters:
Okay, I LOVE (and hate) a lot of the characters in this book, but Triana (Tree) is just somewhere in the middle. She has a lot of pressure being the leader of the ship and she really cares about the other 250 of them. She would probably be willing to sacrifice herself to save the other teens and their ship. Though I think her reasons to be on the ship are poor. Tree's dad was one of the first people to die from the comet's disease; leaving Tree alone with no one. She joined the crew so she could run away from her memories and aloneness on Earth. I do not think Tree would have aceppted her role in the space mission if her dad had not died. Also, I think Lita, Gap, and Channy are much stronger characters with more personalities. But should you give Tree the time of day? I would say so.
Romance
Gap Lee. Yep, I was confused about his name (and most of the other characters too!) when I started the book. But I like Gap. Before the comets disease he was a serious athlete. He is friends with the guy I dispise (Bon) and of coures is crushing on Tree. Though there is a ligitiment possibility that Tree will end up with Bon or someone else at the end of the series, I am on team Gap all the way!
Bonus Features: Impossible Technology
Of coures, a space ship that can sustain human life for years and is big enough for the teens to live comfortably does not exist yet. But the thing I was really impressed with was Roc. Roc is the huge computer that runs most of the ship. He also acts as supervisor to the teens and has his own voice and personality. He is charming, funny, and completaly full of him self (lets not forget we are talking about a computer). I think its fun to have him take on a voice of his own, even if he was created. Also, in a scense, Roc is the one telling the story of The Comets Curse, but don't let that put you off the book! Roc only innterupts infrequently with comical side comments during the read.
A What Would You Do Situation
Persnally, I love being able to imagine what I would do differently during situations in books. This entire book is a WWYD situation! Its both fun and mind blowing to think how you would handle leaving Earth, what you would bring, and what you favorite job would be on the ship. What idems would you bring with you and how would you decorate your new room? The occurance that shocked me most was when the teens went to thier homes for a week before departure; the man running the plan (named Dr. Zimmer) told the kids to do and see what they liked most. WWYD if you only had 1 week left on Earth to say goodbye to your family and friends?
Many Multi-cultural Backstories
Okay, so there is 251 kids from all around the world on this ship, so there is going to be a lot of backstories from all over the world. Sadly, the readers are only ever going to here a few, but through the series so far I have heard their stories from the U.S.A, Mexico, Sweden, and China (I think). It is interesting to see all of these extremely different characters thrown together, yet still seem to get along with each other.
Final Flavor: Uncomfortably stirred
Though I simply adore and wonder about this book, I feel the ending is very rushed. The only part of the book I did not enjoy was the climax. But all in all I think that thats okay because the rest of The Comets Curse was so good! Not to mention the rest of the series! I think the series just keeps getting better as it goes on!
Many, many covers have a girl or guy with thier heads cut off, but this book actually has heads! Plus it has two people on the cover! Which is different from many covers that have that girl or guy with there heads cut off. I also like the angle of the characters on the cover, whom I assume to be the characters of Triana (Tree) and Gap. All in all, the cover has this science-fiction aura to it, but in a way that is the genre of the book. In my opinion, this cover completely works!
What's up?
So when I started to read The Comets Curse I had no hopes for it. The only reason I even picked up this book was because it was on display with other young adult science fiction at the library (thank you librarians! You do your job well!). But once I started reading it I couldnt stop. The entire idea of what the kids (and all of Earth for that matter) had to go through and the thought of how my friends and I would handle going through all of that was mind-blowing! I also found it suprising that a RADIO HOST wrote this book and the rest of the series (yes people, there are more books in the series. And they just keep getting better!). So props to you Dom Testa. The Comets Curse takes place in Earth's near future. A comet named Bhaktul comes dangerously close to Earth. This causes people to panic, but it is soon dicovered that Bhaktul will harmlessly pass by Earth. The comet passes by; causing Earth nothing but a few brighter sunsets. But months later some people get sick from some unknown disease. This disease starts to spread worldwide, and it is discovered that the comet Bhaktul poisened Earths atmosphere, which is the cause of all the sick people. More and more people have been dieing from the disease each day, yet none have been able to find a cure. Strangely, none under the age of 18 seem to be getting sick. None know why. Still, no cure has been found and it does not look like one will be; so in the desperete attempt to save the human race a team of scientists devise a plan to send teenagers into space to find another planet to continue the human race. The team chooses 251 of the worlds smartest kids to venture out on this voyage.These teens are now 15 or 16 and have been training for this mission for two years. They know that once they blast off Earth they will never see their families of old friends, never be back at thier homes, and never set foot on Earth again. They understand the danger they are facing, heading into places none have ever been or even heard of, and the aloneness they will face in space. But this is the one and only chance these teens have to escape the deadly clutches of Bhaktul. The ship has just departed from earth, and is ready to head to its destined new star called Eos. 251 teens have trained for this mission and are ready to meet thier destiny, but 252 people borded the ship before departure. And that 252nd person is dead set on keeping the ship from ever reaching its destination.
Characters:
Okay, I LOVE (and hate) a lot of the characters in this book, but Triana (Tree) is just somewhere in the middle. She has a lot of pressure being the leader of the ship and she really cares about the other 250 of them. She would probably be willing to sacrifice herself to save the other teens and their ship. Though I think her reasons to be on the ship are poor. Tree's dad was one of the first people to die from the comet's disease; leaving Tree alone with no one. She joined the crew so she could run away from her memories and aloneness on Earth. I do not think Tree would have aceppted her role in the space mission if her dad had not died. Also, I think Lita, Gap, and Channy are much stronger characters with more personalities. But should you give Tree the time of day? I would say so.
Romance
Gap Lee. Yep, I was confused about his name (and most of the other characters too!) when I started the book. But I like Gap. Before the comets disease he was a serious athlete. He is friends with the guy I dispise (Bon) and of coures is crushing on Tree. Though there is a ligitiment possibility that Tree will end up with Bon or someone else at the end of the series, I am on team Gap all the way!
Bonus Features: Impossible Technology
Of coures, a space ship that can sustain human life for years and is big enough for the teens to live comfortably does not exist yet. But the thing I was really impressed with was Roc. Roc is the huge computer that runs most of the ship. He also acts as supervisor to the teens and has his own voice and personality. He is charming, funny, and completaly full of him self (lets not forget we are talking about a computer). I think its fun to have him take on a voice of his own, even if he was created. Also, in a scense, Roc is the one telling the story of The Comets Curse, but don't let that put you off the book! Roc only innterupts infrequently with comical side comments during the read.
A What Would You Do Situation
Persnally, I love being able to imagine what I would do differently during situations in books. This entire book is a WWYD situation! Its both fun and mind blowing to think how you would handle leaving Earth, what you would bring, and what you favorite job would be on the ship. What idems would you bring with you and how would you decorate your new room? The occurance that shocked me most was when the teens went to thier homes for a week before departure; the man running the plan (named Dr. Zimmer) told the kids to do and see what they liked most. WWYD if you only had 1 week left on Earth to say goodbye to your family and friends?
Many Multi-cultural Backstories
Okay, so there is 251 kids from all around the world on this ship, so there is going to be a lot of backstories from all over the world. Sadly, the readers are only ever going to here a few, but through the series so far I have heard their stories from the U.S.A, Mexico, Sweden, and China (I think). It is interesting to see all of these extremely different characters thrown together, yet still seem to get along with each other.
Final Flavor: Uncomfortably stirred
Though I simply adore and wonder about this book, I feel the ending is very rushed. The only part of the book I did not enjoy was the climax. But all in all I think that thats okay because the rest of The Comets Curse was so good! Not to mention the rest of the series! I think the series just keeps getting better as it goes on!
April 1, 2018
This is the first book of the Galahad series. The story had a small, predictable plot surrounded by an extensive introduction to each of the primary teenagers onboard the Galahad space ship. These teenagers are among a crew of 251 teenagers sent from a virus riddled Earth to populate a planet in a distant solar system.
I’m guessing that the author’s goal was to introduce the main characters and set the stage for the follow on books. This made the first book just a series of character sketches. Some were interesting as back story. But, nothing impressive.
The novel has plot issues such as part of the ship being off limits to even the ship’s commander Triana. Why would the commander not have total access and why didn’t the commander be even curious as to what was in these closed off sections of the spaceship?
The computer running the ship was a poor cliché of other famous computers such as HAL 9000. By this I mean, why didn’t the computer easily figure out that the difference in weight was a stow away?
I didn’t bother reading the second book. While this first book was all right, it lacked energy. I’m assuming the book was written hurriedly to get others out in the series meaning there was not a lot of effort to develop any of the characters. Just be a word factory.
I’m guessing that the author’s goal was to introduce the main characters and set the stage for the follow on books. This made the first book just a series of character sketches. Some were interesting as back story. But, nothing impressive.
The novel has plot issues such as part of the ship being off limits to even the ship’s commander Triana. Why would the commander not have total access and why didn’t the commander be even curious as to what was in these closed off sections of the spaceship?
The computer running the ship was a poor cliché of other famous computers such as HAL 9000. By this I mean, why didn’t the computer easily figure out that the difference in weight was a stow away?
I didn’t bother reading the second book. While this first book was all right, it lacked energy. I’m assuming the book was written hurriedly to get others out in the series meaning there was not a lot of effort to develop any of the characters. Just be a word factory.
January 25, 2017
In the name Comet's Curse, you're probably thinking 'how did a comet curse stuff, I don't think that is true at all.' But, there was a virus that was slowly picking off mankind 10 by 10. A comet landed on earth which spread the virus causing anyone 18 and up to die.
After a while, people came up with the idea of sending up teens, 251 to be exact, to go into space to an unknown planet that has an atmosphere like earth, same gravity, and no living things. they have taken animals with them on their amazing journey.
My favorite part of this book is when they get onto the planet studying the environment and how they're surviving. I find it interesting they find a way to farm on a planet they never knew of.
The main idea to this story is that they're trying to save mankind as we know it by seeing if they can survive this planet. I hope you read this book because it is fast and interesting. And when you finish this one you just have to read the second one, 'The Web of Titan'. I recommend you read this book. this is 10 year old Nico and I hope you enjoy!
After a while, people came up with the idea of sending up teens, 251 to be exact, to go into space to an unknown planet that has an atmosphere like earth, same gravity, and no living things. they have taken animals with them on their amazing journey.
My favorite part of this book is when they get onto the planet studying the environment and how they're surviving. I find it interesting they find a way to farm on a planet they never knew of.
The main idea to this story is that they're trying to save mankind as we know it by seeing if they can survive this planet. I hope you read this book because it is fast and interesting. And when you finish this one you just have to read the second one, 'The Web of Titan'. I recommend you read this book. this is 10 year old Nico and I hope you enjoy!
January 27, 2021
I've read this series before, but I decided to go back to it. My favorite genre is, by far, historical fiction, though it interests me that I love science fiction as well.
This book follows the journey of 251 teens on a ship headed for an earth-like planet that hopefully can sustain life. They are lead by the Council: Triana, Bon, Gap, Lita, and Channey. The points of view in this book follow Triana and Gap. Additionally, there are flashbacks as to how the journey began and developed before the launch, with the perspective of Dr. Zimmer.
I thought this book felt realistic, not too forced or fantastical. There isn't too much time for the characters to be developed, as this was the first book in the series, but there was growth in the focused characters.
This book follows the journey of 251 teens on a ship headed for an earth-like planet that hopefully can sustain life. They are lead by the Council: Triana, Bon, Gap, Lita, and Channey. The points of view in this book follow Triana and Gap. Additionally, there are flashbacks as to how the journey began and developed before the launch, with the perspective of Dr. Zimmer.
I thought this book felt realistic, not too forced or fantastical. There isn't too much time for the characters to be developed, as this was the first book in the series, but there was growth in the focused characters.
July 15, 2020
2020 Book Nerd Your Way ... Book #39.
Did not fit an available category for the EBN Challenge.
Well... just found another new series I plan to read. Take one of humankinds biggest fears, global extinction, and the throw in 'the children are our future' and then toss the kids into space and hope for the best while those left on earth die. I was worried when I first started it, but I really like the way the author worked out the characters (include the comic relief artificial crew member, ROC).
Can't wait to see where he takes it.
Did not fit an available category for the EBN Challenge.
Well... just found another new series I plan to read. Take one of humankinds biggest fears, global extinction, and the throw in 'the children are our future' and then toss the kids into space and hope for the best while those left on earth die. I was worried when I first started it, but I really like the way the author worked out the characters (include the comic relief artificial crew member, ROC).
Can't wait to see where he takes it.
June 12, 2024
I am definitely looking into searching for the rest of the series. I LOVE stories of brilliant kids/teenagers being humanity's last hope. Most of the time the abilities of youth are overlooked and it was refreshing to have a whole mission believing in their abilities. I thought this would be more like the 100 (TV series at least). And while there are similarities this is definitely more light hearted and holds more hope for humanity. I'm invested in the mission of Galahad and can't wait to see their journey unfold.
May 15, 2020
The idea of the plot was interesting. However, due to the book being so short and not fleshed out, it fell flat. Everything is all right, not great but not bad.
I also found the characters to be lacking. This book contains a diverse cast of characters who end up being in the story once or twice. Not enough to truly be set apart, except for a handful. There's just not enough substance to this story.
I also found the characters to be lacking. This book contains a diverse cast of characters who end up being in the story once or twice. Not enough to truly be set apart, except for a handful. There's just not enough substance to this story.
September 17, 2022
uh spoilers perhaps?
i gotta say, i kinda figured out who the narrator dude guy was and also figured out who was trying to get the kids killed but i mean i was still kinda shocked mostly because i wasn't expecting it to be correct and when it was correct i was like my gosh you just can't trust anyone but i was literally freaking out when I thought tree was gonna die... and also poor gap... anyways i wasn't expecting to like this but it was really good so yeah :)
i gotta say, i kinda figured out who the narrator dude guy was and also figured out who was trying to get the kids killed but i mean i was still kinda shocked mostly because i wasn't expecting it to be correct and when it was correct i was like my gosh you just can't trust anyone but i was literally freaking out when I thought tree was gonna die... and also poor gap... anyways i wasn't expecting to like this but it was really good so yeah :)
February 8, 2019
Seriously- a cliff hanger? This book captured my attention from page one, which greatly surprised and pleased me. I don't believe that I would have picked it up had it not been for EBN. Now my curiosity is piqued and I may have to finish the 6 book series. The book did get a little intense at some places but was very well written.
August 8, 2022
Another childhood favorite reread. There’ll always be a special place in my heart for the Galahad series, but I wanted to use a more critical eye reading as an adult. While the plot is creative – 251 teenagers set sail on the Galahad spaceship to escape Earth, plagued by a fatal disease that only affects adults – there are a few flaws in the writing. For me, most of them stem from the character of Roc, the ship’s computer. It seems as though Roc serves two purposes: 1) To provide comedic relief, and 2) to explain everything happening on the ship. Neither of these purposes is necessary. The humor is fairly forced, and the explaining is entirely tell vs. show. What isn’t overly explained through Roc is expressed through dialogue, another pet peeve of mine, as this is just a sly way to again tell vs. show.
I have to saw though – despite these flaws, The Comet's Curse still kept me hooked all the way through, just as it did when I read it as a young teen.
I have to saw though – despite these flaws, The Comet's Curse still kept me hooked all the way through, just as it did when I read it as a young teen.
August 17, 2021
This book reminded me a bit of the 100. I enjoyed the back and forth between the scientists and the teens in space. There is great witty dialogue. Also enjoyed the mystery of "Who is the stowaway sabotaging the ship?" It kept me guessing.
December 11, 2017
Really enjoyed the book's plot and the creativity of the author.
November 24, 2020
I wish this book had a sequel. It seems like I had developed a lot of characters and you kind of want to see where things are going to go afterwards
January 12, 2025
A very good read. I liked it
October 21, 2016
This book is a great mystery. Reading during Halloween is the best time. It is about teamwork. They work together to figure a creepy dude out. There is also romance and some comedy
July 16, 2010
I’ve been on something of a YA kick of late. Having plowed through Catching Fire and put away the penultimate volume of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on audio (The Battle of the Labyrinth) I remembered Dom Testa’s entertaining talk as part of the Science Fiction and Fantasy: Informing the Present by Imagining the Future
event hosted by Tor and LITA at ALA 2010 the swag bag for which contained the first of Testa’s Galahad books: The Comet’s Curse.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of The Comet’s Curse is the initial premise: an event of awe and wonder that is transformed into one of horror an destruction. The idea being that a comet skimming Earth’s atmosphere, a beautiful and awe-inspiring event, leaves behind mysterious and unidentified elements in the atmosphere that soon cause widespread and ultimately fatal disease amongst the adults of Earth. A testament to both the beauty and randomness of the universe that marks a neat twist to the end-of-the-world scenario.
The book chronicles the trials and tribulations of the teenaged crew of the Galahad spacecraft. Each of the brilliant teens were picked to colonize a far off world and are entrusted with the future of humanity. The chapters alternate between the current crisis aboard the Galahad spacecraft, the hunt for a mysterious and unknown saboteur, and the story behind the training and details for the Galahad mission. This structure is both a boon and detriment to the novel. While it adds depth and gravity to the proceedings it, in some cases, prevents us from getting in the heads of the people on the mission. Alternatively, through highlighting some of the history of the crew-members it helps us get to know them a bit better. Overall, I think that the structure is beneficial though I still would have liked to spend more time getting to know the saviors of humanity.
The book utilizes the computer, a self-aware AI named Roc, as sort of a Greek Chorus. A snarky, occasionally self-important Greek Chorus. For the most part this technique works giving the reader and frequently humorous bit of insight into the world and the characters and, at the novel’s conclusion, a bit of tease for what the future holds for our heroes. My favorite moment with Roc was during a game he played with council-member Hap. Roc’s chiding of his human opponent and willingness to stack the odds in its own favor gave the computer a particularly human cast that makes him feel like part of the crew rather then some cold, nigh-omniscient, watchdog.
Testa focuses his attention on the gravity of the mission and extraordinary capabilities of the crew. He does a splendid job of capturing the doubts and concerns of the council chosen to lead the mission, particularly Triana the nominal leader of the group whose leadership capabilities and decisive nature are frequently obscured by a tendency towards isolation and withdrawn emotional state due to the loss of her father. Her somewhat reserved nature is contrasted nicely by the confrontational Bon whose overt criticism and frequent provocation of Triana are less signs of distrust or dislike and seem more like a means to draw her out of her shell. Again, this is all wonderfully subtle work that never delves into the melodrama that could potentially infect any teen-based narrative.
The tension in The Comet’s Curse seems to mount with very little effort and Testa never goes overboard in depicting the emotional strain that mysterious saboteur has on the crew. The final confrontation with the villain is frightening, shocking, and a little sad. Testa utilizes the threat of violence and the inherent tension there rather than any actual physical violence, a nice change of pace after the violence in Catching Fire, but I was a bit disappointed in the sort-of Bond Villain the preceded the big climactic finale.
The Comet’s Curse is a meaty read. Fast-paced and exciting yet filled with many elements that could be used to provoke some excellent discussion which given Testa’s stance as an education advocate for middle school through high school readers is entirely appropriate. Testa even offers a wealth of educational material through his website. While the YA fantasy scene to flurishing, one might argue over-saturated, I’ve always found that the YA science fiction to be surprisingly sparse. While the adult science fiction can be weighed down by lengthy tomes that might intimidate younger readers Testa has created something that manages to capture both the excitement of that genre but also espouse the sci-fi genre’s ability to makes us think. Well worth a look by adult and teen readers. I for one look forward to seeing what the future holds for the crew of the Galahad.
event hosted by Tor and LITA at ALA 2010 the swag bag for which contained the first of Testa’s Galahad books: The Comet’s Curse.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of The Comet’s Curse is the initial premise: an event of awe and wonder that is transformed into one of horror an destruction. The idea being that a comet skimming Earth’s atmosphere, a beautiful and awe-inspiring event, leaves behind mysterious and unidentified elements in the atmosphere that soon cause widespread and ultimately fatal disease amongst the adults of Earth. A testament to both the beauty and randomness of the universe that marks a neat twist to the end-of-the-world scenario.
The book chronicles the trials and tribulations of the teenaged crew of the Galahad spacecraft. Each of the brilliant teens were picked to colonize a far off world and are entrusted with the future of humanity. The chapters alternate between the current crisis aboard the Galahad spacecraft, the hunt for a mysterious and unknown saboteur, and the story behind the training and details for the Galahad mission. This structure is both a boon and detriment to the novel. While it adds depth and gravity to the proceedings it, in some cases, prevents us from getting in the heads of the people on the mission. Alternatively, through highlighting some of the history of the crew-members it helps us get to know them a bit better. Overall, I think that the structure is beneficial though I still would have liked to spend more time getting to know the saviors of humanity.
The book utilizes the computer, a self-aware AI named Roc, as sort of a Greek Chorus. A snarky, occasionally self-important Greek Chorus. For the most part this technique works giving the reader and frequently humorous bit of insight into the world and the characters and, at the novel’s conclusion, a bit of tease for what the future holds for our heroes. My favorite moment with Roc was during a game he played with council-member Hap. Roc’s chiding of his human opponent and willingness to stack the odds in its own favor gave the computer a particularly human cast that makes him feel like part of the crew rather then some cold, nigh-omniscient, watchdog.
Testa focuses his attention on the gravity of the mission and extraordinary capabilities of the crew. He does a splendid job of capturing the doubts and concerns of the council chosen to lead the mission, particularly Triana the nominal leader of the group whose leadership capabilities and decisive nature are frequently obscured by a tendency towards isolation and withdrawn emotional state due to the loss of her father. Her somewhat reserved nature is contrasted nicely by the confrontational Bon whose overt criticism and frequent provocation of Triana are less signs of distrust or dislike and seem more like a means to draw her out of her shell. Again, this is all wonderfully subtle work that never delves into the melodrama that could potentially infect any teen-based narrative.
The tension in The Comet’s Curse seems to mount with very little effort and Testa never goes overboard in depicting the emotional strain that mysterious saboteur has on the crew. The final confrontation with the villain is frightening, shocking, and a little sad. Testa utilizes the threat of violence and the inherent tension there rather than any actual physical violence, a nice change of pace after the violence in Catching Fire, but I was a bit disappointed in the sort-of Bond Villain the preceded the big climactic finale.
The Comet’s Curse is a meaty read. Fast-paced and exciting yet filled with many elements that could be used to provoke some excellent discussion which given Testa’s stance as an education advocate for middle school through high school readers is entirely appropriate. Testa even offers a wealth of educational material through his website. While the YA fantasy scene to flurishing, one might argue over-saturated, I’ve always found that the YA science fiction to be surprisingly sparse. While the adult science fiction can be weighed down by lengthy tomes that might intimidate younger readers Testa has created something that manages to capture both the excitement of that genre but also espouse the sci-fi genre’s ability to makes us think. Well worth a look by adult and teen readers. I for one look forward to seeing what the future holds for the crew of the Galahad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews