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Castor
Sixteen-year-old James Fisher lives on the distant planet of Castor where he toils for the ruling classes as an indentured servant. He’s a “Half-Adapt”—one of thousands like him who were shipped to Castor from Earth and biologically altered so they could breathe the planet’s atmosphere unaided. As Earth fades in his memory, James resigns himself to life under Castor’s strict social hierarchy. But then he meets his master’s nephew, Vidal Centa, and their strong attraction for each other begins to transcend Castor’s rigid class stratums.
Encouraged by his friend, Femi, to join the defiant Independence Society, which seeks to overthrow Castro’s punishing oligarchy, James faces a difficult choice. As his feelings for Vidal intensify each day, he must wrestle with loving the young man who represents everything the Society hates and fighting for justice. As the civil war threatens to erupt, James fears if he continues to fight he’ll destroy his relationship with Vidal, and perhaps the entire planet.
Encouraged by his friend, Femi, to join the defiant Independence Society, which seeks to overthrow Castro’s punishing oligarchy, James faces a difficult choice. As his feelings for Vidal intensify each day, he must wrestle with loving the young man who represents everything the Society hates and fighting for justice. As the civil war threatens to erupt, James fears if he continues to fight he’ll destroy his relationship with Vidal, and perhaps the entire planet.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2016
83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 9, 2016
I’m not entirely sure what I expected when I started this book. I’m not a huge science fiction reader—if only because the science part usually goes completely over my head—but I liked the sound of this blurb and I had been lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the first chapter, so even if I didn’t know exactly what it would be, I did know I had to read the rest.
And I’m so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and found myself hooked right into it shortly after starting the book. It wasn’t long at all before I was on Castor, with James, probably because the story we read is one he has written down and he occasionally addresses his readers directly.
I liked the honesty of James. We meet a scared sixteen-year old, completely out of his depth in almost every aspect of his life, but somehow managing to not only keep it all together but also to survive. I liked that we were allowed to see his selfish thoughts as well has his generous ones. James is no super hero, he has no secret weapons or skills to help him survive the war—he’s a gardener after all. But he does have a deep rooted will to live and a heart that won’t let him deny his feelings. I guess what I’m trying to say is, James as a teenager was, for me at least, completely believable and recognisable.
Although there is a love story in Castor, I wouldn’t describe the book as a romance. While the love between James and Vidal certainly plays a part in the story, their developing relationship isn’t the focus of it; that role is reserved for the oppressive regime James and the other indentured slaves labour under and the uprising against it, not to mention James' growth as he deals with it all. And if I have a complaint, it is rooted here. I would have loved to have gotten to know Vidal better. While James was an open book to me by the time I finished Castor, Vidal remained somewhat vague, undefined almost.
There were other elements to this book I liked; a friendship lasting even when conviction and choices put two young men on opposing sides, for example. Or the fact that the back story touches very closely, although not glaringly, on an international situation we’re facing for real right now. This book made me wonder how far I would be prepared to go to save my child; a question I’m still pondering, hours later. And I do like a book that makes me think. And finally, I’m rather impressed that the author managed to show me Castor in enough detail that I could picture it, without ever overfeeding me details.
So, very long story short; I thoroughly enjoyed this very strong debut novel. I’m impressed by the confidence with which it was written, the depth of the story, and the vividness of James as a character. I’m also very curious to see what Shaun Young might bring us next.
I rated this book 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.
And I’m so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and found myself hooked right into it shortly after starting the book. It wasn’t long at all before I was on Castor, with James, probably because the story we read is one he has written down and he occasionally addresses his readers directly.
I liked the honesty of James. We meet a scared sixteen-year old, completely out of his depth in almost every aspect of his life, but somehow managing to not only keep it all together but also to survive. I liked that we were allowed to see his selfish thoughts as well has his generous ones. James is no super hero, he has no secret weapons or skills to help him survive the war—he’s a gardener after all. But he does have a deep rooted will to live and a heart that won’t let him deny his feelings. I guess what I’m trying to say is, James as a teenager was, for me at least, completely believable and recognisable.
Although there is a love story in Castor, I wouldn’t describe the book as a romance. While the love between James and Vidal certainly plays a part in the story, their developing relationship isn’t the focus of it; that role is reserved for the oppressive regime James and the other indentured slaves labour under and the uprising against it, not to mention James' growth as he deals with it all. And if I have a complaint, it is rooted here. I would have loved to have gotten to know Vidal better. While James was an open book to me by the time I finished Castor, Vidal remained somewhat vague, undefined almost.
There were other elements to this book I liked; a friendship lasting even when conviction and choices put two young men on opposing sides, for example. Or the fact that the back story touches very closely, although not glaringly, on an international situation we’re facing for real right now. This book made me wonder how far I would be prepared to go to save my child; a question I’m still pondering, hours later. And I do like a book that makes me think. And finally, I’m rather impressed that the author managed to show me Castor in enough detail that I could picture it, without ever overfeeding me details.
So, very long story short; I thoroughly enjoyed this very strong debut novel. I’m impressed by the confidence with which it was written, the depth of the story, and the vividness of James as a character. I’m also very curious to see what Shaun Young might bring us next.
I rated this book 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.
July 1, 2016
(Originally reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews with a copy provided by the publisher / author for an honest review. Rated 3.5 out of 5.0 Love Bytes)
I picked this book off the available book list because the blurb caught my attention when I read it. The idea of a sixteen year old indentured in the distant future, when wars have caused people to use any method there was available to flee the Earth intrigued me.
The story read kind of like early American history and our own indentured servants. Although in this case the main character, a boy named James, had to be altered to breathe the air on the planet he came to. I’m talking new organs type alterations, where they chopped him open and removed some pretty vital things…like his heart…to make his body be able to breath the air and make him able to live and work on the surface of a planet that has failed attempts to terraform it. James will have to work for thirty years to pay it all back with the low wages he is credited with for the work that he does. Part way through the book we learn that he left Earth when he was seven! His parents signed the family up without asking him, (well…he was seven) to escape the wars on their home planet.
James has been on the planet of Castor for nine years. He was the only family member that actually made it to the planet, so he has been on his own ever since. He is working on a plantation, which read to me as similar in ways to a plantation in the pre-Civil War south in the US. James is a gardener’s assistant, working for a gardener who is a total drunk and who beats James up regularly. But there might be more to the gardener than he knows.
Things start to change for James when his best friend, Femi, invites him to a meeting of a seditious underground rebel group interested in overthrowing the wealthy masters. At the same time, the master of the plantation where James lives gets a visit from his nephew Vidal. Vidal and James are both looking for more than friendship, but can their blooming love survive some major upheavals and tragedies, say nothing about the fact that they are from wildly different social classes?
I liked this book. It was well written, and moved along at a good pace. The characters were well enough developed, but to be honest, my only real complaint is that I would have liked a little more detail on some things. OK, on a lot of things. Character development and overall world building could have used a little beefing up, in my opinion, and would have made the story line flow a little more smoothly.
Overall, I’d say the book was somewhere between good/average and liked it/above average on our Love Bytes scale, so I’m going to round up to the higher end of that spectrum. I think this book would be a good fit for the young adult market that it is target for.
I picked this book off the available book list because the blurb caught my attention when I read it. The idea of a sixteen year old indentured in the distant future, when wars have caused people to use any method there was available to flee the Earth intrigued me.
The story read kind of like early American history and our own indentured servants. Although in this case the main character, a boy named James, had to be altered to breathe the air on the planet he came to. I’m talking new organs type alterations, where they chopped him open and removed some pretty vital things…like his heart…to make his body be able to breath the air and make him able to live and work on the surface of a planet that has failed attempts to terraform it. James will have to work for thirty years to pay it all back with the low wages he is credited with for the work that he does. Part way through the book we learn that he left Earth when he was seven! His parents signed the family up without asking him, (well…he was seven) to escape the wars on their home planet.
James has been on the planet of Castor for nine years. He was the only family member that actually made it to the planet, so he has been on his own ever since. He is working on a plantation, which read to me as similar in ways to a plantation in the pre-Civil War south in the US. James is a gardener’s assistant, working for a gardener who is a total drunk and who beats James up regularly. But there might be more to the gardener than he knows.
Things start to change for James when his best friend, Femi, invites him to a meeting of a seditious underground rebel group interested in overthrowing the wealthy masters. At the same time, the master of the plantation where James lives gets a visit from his nephew Vidal. Vidal and James are both looking for more than friendship, but can their blooming love survive some major upheavals and tragedies, say nothing about the fact that they are from wildly different social classes?
I liked this book. It was well written, and moved along at a good pace. The characters were well enough developed, but to be honest, my only real complaint is that I would have liked a little more detail on some things. OK, on a lot of things. Character development and overall world building could have used a little beefing up, in my opinion, and would have made the story line flow a little more smoothly.
Overall, I’d say the book was somewhere between good/average and liked it/above average on our Love Bytes scale, so I’m going to round up to the higher end of that spectrum. I think this book would be a good fit for the young adult market that it is target for.
June 10, 2016
I really enjoyed reading this book. It's an excellent addition to the dystopian YA category.
I thought the writing was great; the story was interesting and engaging throughout. I loved the twists and turns.
What I liked most was that the protagonist was very realistic. Too often we get gung-ho born-warriors as protagonists but James is not like that at all. He's just a guy, trying to live his life who gets swept into a war that he knows he won't benefit from. Very refreshing.
I thought the writing was great; the story was interesting and engaging throughout. I loved the twists and turns.
What I liked most was that the protagonist was very realistic. Too often we get gung-ho born-warriors as protagonists but James is not like that at all. He's just a guy, trying to live his life who gets swept into a war that he knows he won't benefit from. Very refreshing.
September 21, 2016
I loved this book. Sci-fi, YA, LGBT--it works on all levels. Thoughtful and well-written, it pulled me in and kept me on the edge of my seat.
Here's my full review at the Prism Book Alliance:http://www.prismbookalliance.com/2016...
Here's my full review at the Prism Book Alliance:http://www.prismbookalliance.com/2016...
January 15, 2018
The concept of ‘Castor’ stood out to me most of all – colonising a new planet, refugees terraforming a poisonous atmosphere; and a protagonist coming to grips with his past, a revolution, and his attraction to another man. It had all the elements to make ‘Castor’ a momentous read. But sadly it fell short of a few of these marks.
I really enjoyed the characterisation of the protagonist James, though found the backward politics of Castor to be counter-intuitive for an evolved society. But it worked in giving a population of mostly blue collar men, adapted or half adapted to the toxic atmosphere, where it was all male bravado and hard yakka. It also helped to establish a class system on the planet. So the world building was heavily supported, intricate and logical. I do think it was missing all those elements of science fiction though. Bits of technology, a more prominent role of the gene tampering that was going on, the terraform process, and colonising of the planet. It was there, but only in a small dose. This story was more focused on James and the revolution against the dominate powers in charge.
So while I applaud the structure and tone of the novel, the writing style felt a bit dry. There didn’t feel like there was enough angst between James and his love interest Vidal. There romantic interaction were few and brief on the discussion of emotion. I felt a little cheated out of the romance part of this story. Especially given the odds these two were facing – so much potential tension wasted. The writing style was all very masculine – brief, to the point, and full of action.
A lot of action. Things getting blown up, chase scenes, murders, subterfuge. The mechanics of this part of the story line were brilliant, and in my opinion, the saving grace of ‘Castor.’ The cast were believable and felt realistic. Castor is a hard place to live. I think a more emotional aspect of James’ building relationship would have balanced out all of the difficulty the pair of boys was facing.
So too with the description of the landscape – while I could imagine it fairly well, I don’t think Young spent enough time painting a picture of the environment. His writing style would be perfect of a terrestrial modern day thriller or adventure story, but in science fiction, you need to spend a bit more time world building – because everything is new and unfamiliar to the reader. Especially in an off-planet environment.
I liked James as a protagonist. He didn’t fall into the usual tropes. He was moralistic without being a rebel leader. Strong and intelligent. But there was a sense of vulnerability that held him back – let him take the knocks that were dealt out. His faults humanised him.
These traits were similar in Vidal. Though I felt he needed more personality, the two of these boys were really just trying to survive. They weren’t there for a cause. They just wanted to find a safe place to live and be together. That’s the story I wanted to resonate with a stronger note in ‘Castor.’
I have to applaud the concept of this novel. It felt unique. It wasn’t contrived or over written, and you definitely get a sense of a great future to come for this writer. ‘Castor’ is his first published novel, and I can only imagine what he can produce with more experience under his belt. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Young.
I would not recommend this for sci-fi buffs, there was an element of something missing, so too if you enjoy reading M/M romance. It has moments of both, but either not fully realised. But I do recommend this for its overall concept and execution. If you go into it realising this is a young author’s first swing at the genre, than you will be able to marvel at his strengths and forgive the weaknesses.
A shorter novel that took me a day to read with enticing cover art. The editing is on point, no grammatical or spelling errors. The font and formatting give an ease to the story. It never felt a chore to read. Harmony Ink are delivering some great products and I’m eager to see what this writer and publisher collaborate on next.
I really enjoyed the characterisation of the protagonist James, though found the backward politics of Castor to be counter-intuitive for an evolved society. But it worked in giving a population of mostly blue collar men, adapted or half adapted to the toxic atmosphere, where it was all male bravado and hard yakka. It also helped to establish a class system on the planet. So the world building was heavily supported, intricate and logical. I do think it was missing all those elements of science fiction though. Bits of technology, a more prominent role of the gene tampering that was going on, the terraform process, and colonising of the planet. It was there, but only in a small dose. This story was more focused on James and the revolution against the dominate powers in charge.
So while I applaud the structure and tone of the novel, the writing style felt a bit dry. There didn’t feel like there was enough angst between James and his love interest Vidal. There romantic interaction were few and brief on the discussion of emotion. I felt a little cheated out of the romance part of this story. Especially given the odds these two were facing – so much potential tension wasted. The writing style was all very masculine – brief, to the point, and full of action.
A lot of action. Things getting blown up, chase scenes, murders, subterfuge. The mechanics of this part of the story line were brilliant, and in my opinion, the saving grace of ‘Castor.’ The cast were believable and felt realistic. Castor is a hard place to live. I think a more emotional aspect of James’ building relationship would have balanced out all of the difficulty the pair of boys was facing.
So too with the description of the landscape – while I could imagine it fairly well, I don’t think Young spent enough time painting a picture of the environment. His writing style would be perfect of a terrestrial modern day thriller or adventure story, but in science fiction, you need to spend a bit more time world building – because everything is new and unfamiliar to the reader. Especially in an off-planet environment.
I liked James as a protagonist. He didn’t fall into the usual tropes. He was moralistic without being a rebel leader. Strong and intelligent. But there was a sense of vulnerability that held him back – let him take the knocks that were dealt out. His faults humanised him.
These traits were similar in Vidal. Though I felt he needed more personality, the two of these boys were really just trying to survive. They weren’t there for a cause. They just wanted to find a safe place to live and be together. That’s the story I wanted to resonate with a stronger note in ‘Castor.’
I have to applaud the concept of this novel. It felt unique. It wasn’t contrived or over written, and you definitely get a sense of a great future to come for this writer. ‘Castor’ is his first published novel, and I can only imagine what he can produce with more experience under his belt. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Young.
I would not recommend this for sci-fi buffs, there was an element of something missing, so too if you enjoy reading M/M romance. It has moments of both, but either not fully realised. But I do recommend this for its overall concept and execution. If you go into it realising this is a young author’s first swing at the genre, than you will be able to marvel at his strengths and forgive the weaknesses.
A shorter novel that took me a day to read with enticing cover art. The editing is on point, no grammatical or spelling errors. The font and formatting give an ease to the story. It never felt a chore to read. Harmony Ink are delivering some great products and I’m eager to see what this writer and publisher collaborate on next.
July 11, 2016
This story has a very interesting and rich (in history) concept. It took me a while to get everything and put things together, but that’s the point. The story is narrated by the lead character in first person, and while the writing style is very much like you’d encounter in a third person book, there’s still elements in the writing that make sure you don’t forget it’s James telling his story.
I’m glad to have read this story in which most characters are far from black or white. There’s so many degrees of grey areas in these characters, and our protagonist is far from a hero in the way we often see in books. He’s just a guy trying to live his life, and that combined with being in his head truly made me respect his character and his choices.
It’s a pretty dark story about how one starts a revolutionary, but told from the perspective of a character who wants nothing to do with it, who just wants to continue living his life, which is just so refreshing. You still get to see how the war affects the population, you still get to see the development of it all but from a unique point of view.
My only semi-negative point of this book, is the romance. I felt their getting together was a bit too convienant for the plotline. In my eyes it was almost like the characters just went “Well, you’re a gay male and I’m a gay male. Let’s be gay together.” … And I’m not really the biggest fan of that, they barely know each other.
FULL REVIEW: https://melgoethals.wordpress.com/201...
I’m glad to have read this story in which most characters are far from black or white. There’s so many degrees of grey areas in these characters, and our protagonist is far from a hero in the way we often see in books. He’s just a guy trying to live his life, and that combined with being in his head truly made me respect his character and his choices.
It’s a pretty dark story about how one starts a revolutionary, but told from the perspective of a character who wants nothing to do with it, who just wants to continue living his life, which is just so refreshing. You still get to see how the war affects the population, you still get to see the development of it all but from a unique point of view.
My only semi-negative point of this book, is the romance. I felt their getting together was a bit too convienant for the plotline. In my eyes it was almost like the characters just went “Well, you’re a gay male and I’m a gay male. Let’s be gay together.” … And I’m not really the biggest fan of that, they barely know each other.
FULL REVIEW: https://melgoethals.wordpress.com/201...
June 28, 2016
4.5 Stars
Castor is a gritty, intelligent, and engaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an intriguing Sci-Fi with some romance.
This is a great story. It is descriptive enough to bring the world to life without dragging down the story. The plot is thought-provoking and entertaining. I feel it shows a good grasp of human nature, and I love that it doesn’t over-simplify the kind of social struggles that James is immersed in. The scientific aspects are interesting and believable. The story flows well and the pacing is perfect.
James is a wonderful and complex character. He is real and flawed and has history and depth. The other characters seem a little flat. The story is great as is, but more character development for the supporting characters, for me, would have made it amazing.
I wouldn’t recommend this for someone who’s looking for a highly romantic or erotic book. There is romance, but it’s not the main focus of the story, and it’s not sexually explicit.
Genres: M/M Romance, Sci-Fi, Space, Young Adult, War
*I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.*
Castor is a gritty, intelligent, and engaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an intriguing Sci-Fi with some romance.
This is a great story. It is descriptive enough to bring the world to life without dragging down the story. The plot is thought-provoking and entertaining. I feel it shows a good grasp of human nature, and I love that it doesn’t over-simplify the kind of social struggles that James is immersed in. The scientific aspects are interesting and believable. The story flows well and the pacing is perfect.
James is a wonderful and complex character. He is real and flawed and has history and depth. The other characters seem a little flat. The story is great as is, but more character development for the supporting characters, for me, would have made it amazing.
I wouldn’t recommend this for someone who’s looking for a highly romantic or erotic book. There is romance, but it’s not the main focus of the story, and it’s not sexually explicit.
Genres: M/M Romance, Sci-Fi, Space, Young Adult, War
*I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.*
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October 16, 2018Sadly this was a miss for me, story wise as well as character wise. I continued reading in hopes it would get fun at some point but nada. *sigh*
Personally I just didn't like James very much. The way he thought, spoke, acted... I dunno. Just not the kind of guy I'd be able to see myself in or would love to meet and have a chat with.
The story... well, it started interesting but quickly lost it's spark for me :(
James's love interest seemed like a nice guy but we hardly get to know him, or at least it felt like they were still strangers by the end. Not much of a connection... The story also has a lot of political elements and was pretty boring. There's not much sic-fi about it, except for the setting.
The writing is decent but I found it weird that it has BE words in it (like lad and shag), but overall the grammar was AE. James also says dunno a lot, which seems more AE to me. All the while the original language on the planet wasn't even English, though James comes from London, Earth.
Felt a bit odd... Or like someone just couldn't make their mind up.
Personally I just didn't like James very much. The way he thought, spoke, acted... I dunno. Just not the kind of guy I'd be able to see myself in or would love to meet and have a chat with.
The story... well, it started interesting but quickly lost it's spark for me :(
James's love interest seemed like a nice guy but we hardly get to know him, or at least it felt like they were still strangers by the end. Not much of a connection... The story also has a lot of political elements and was pretty boring. There's not much sic-fi about it, except for the setting.
The writing is decent but I found it weird that it has BE words in it (like lad and shag), but overall the grammar was AE. James also says dunno a lot, which seems more AE to me. All the while the original language on the planet wasn't even English, though James comes from London, Earth.
Felt a bit odd... Or like someone just couldn't make their mind up.
Read
September 18, 2016I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. Gay YA sci-fi - what could go wrong with that? Some of the main storylines didn't feel well developed enough to be believable and compelling. All of the main characters kept conveniently all showing up at the same place at the same time, as if they were the only people on this large planet. A fairly apolitical teenager (the main character) seemed unduly important to a number of powerful people, for no clear reason.
I think the thing that I struggled with the most was that the message of the book seemed to be anti-revolutionary, which felt strange for a dystopian YA book. The reader is asked to believe that the main character would prefer to be a virtual slave rather than be liberated.
some parts of this book were really interesting but overall I was disappointed.
I think the thing that I struggled with the most was that the message of the book seemed to be anti-revolutionary, which felt strange for a dystopian YA book. The reader is asked to believe that the main character would prefer to be a virtual slave rather than be liberated.
some parts of this book were really interesting but overall I was disappointed.
July 11, 2016
I was looking forward to this book,however I was very disappointed.It's really not sci-fi, except that it's not on earth. There was not one likeable character in the whole book. James, the main character was a coward in every way possible,I kept waiting for him to step up but it really never happened. He and many of the other characters were one dimensional. I didn't like the story very much either.
I feel bad not giving this book a higher rating since this is the authors first book but I can't, sorry.
I feel bad not giving this book a higher rating since this is the authors first book but I can't, sorry.
October 5, 2016
Loved the concept and the characters.
July 7, 2018
What to say...what to say? This was not my usual read, that much is clear.
I'm not very well-versed in the genre of sci-fi so I don't have a lot of books to compare this one to.
I don't know why but while reading it though it reminded me a bit of "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness. Probably mostly because the POV is also a male young adult on a kind of a journey and his narrating voice.
I enjoyed reading it, got invested in the character and the storyline. I found the whole concept, the worldbuilding intriguing and I defintitely enjoyed James' "non-hero" attitude. The love story felt a bit underrepresented - not because I wanted a romance - but it is a big motivatior for James' actions and for them to be believable, we should have been more invested, too.
All in all it was refreshingly different, good to read and not even the few moments, where my inner betareader wanted to inquired a few inconsistencies, distracted me.
This is defnintely an interesting novel, if you like YA sci-fi. I'm looking forward to reading more written by Shaun Young.
I'm not very well-versed in the genre of sci-fi so I don't have a lot of books to compare this one to.
I don't know why but while reading it though it reminded me a bit of "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness. Probably mostly because the POV is also a male young adult on a kind of a journey and his narrating voice.
I enjoyed reading it, got invested in the character and the storyline. I found the whole concept, the worldbuilding intriguing and I defintitely enjoyed James' "non-hero" attitude. The love story felt a bit underrepresented - not because I wanted a romance - but it is a big motivatior for James' actions and for them to be believable, we should have been more invested, too.
All in all it was refreshingly different, good to read and not even the few moments, where my inner betareader wanted to inquired a few inconsistencies, distracted me.
This is defnintely an interesting novel, if you like YA sci-fi. I'm looking forward to reading more written by Shaun Young.
August 26, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It captivated me I wanted to know what happens next to such an extent that I was up until early morning just to finish it. Castor is not a really a romance it’s more than that. James is 16 surviving as best he can in a very oppressive regime. Vidal is from the other side, those who own indentured workers. Freedom comes at a price of family and friends for them.
April 10, 2022
DNF 50%
June 19, 2016
The political atmosphere on the planet Castor is a delicate balance. There are people who have been colonizing this planet since before the war on Earth. The problem is that this planet isn’t hospitable to humans yet.
There are the Unadapted who are the ruling class and the Half-adapts who are the servants. There are Full-adapts who have been born there that neither the Unadapted and the Half-adapts accept.
This is all seen through the eyes of James who was brought to this planet to work as an indentured servant. While in stasis on his way to the planet, he was adapted so he could survive the atmosphere without a breather. He has even more to fear than other servants because he harbors a secret. He is gay.
He gets his first chance at romance with the nephew of the plantation owner. But they can’t be seen together. Neither is accepted for who he is, nor would his class accept his choice of friend.
Will James be able to stand up for himself?
This is for YA for violence and sex.
There are the Unadapted who are the ruling class and the Half-adapts who are the servants. There are Full-adapts who have been born there that neither the Unadapted and the Half-adapts accept.
This is all seen through the eyes of James who was brought to this planet to work as an indentured servant. While in stasis on his way to the planet, he was adapted so he could survive the atmosphere without a breather. He has even more to fear than other servants because he harbors a secret. He is gay.
He gets his first chance at romance with the nephew of the plantation owner. But they can’t be seen together. Neither is accepted for who he is, nor would his class accept his choice of friend.
Will James be able to stand up for himself?
This is for YA for violence and sex.
September 4, 2016
In the distant future, humans will make it beyond the solar system, but some will wish they hadn’t. Poor 16-year-old James Fisher survived an unimaginably brutal war on earth, only to end up being shipped off in stasis to Castor, a colonized planet many light years away, and then had his organs ripped out and replaced so that he could survive on a hostile planet as a virtual slave to a plantation owner. Oh the life of a Half-Adapt war refugee. Add to the equation that James is a gay teen living in a repressive farm community on a rather regressive planet and one doesn’t exactly have a very pleasant life in store for them, especially since the term of indenture is for 30 years! What a wonderfully imaginative sci-fi novel Shaun Young has written. He sketches out a dark, dystopian future from the perspective of a hapless young adult, who barely remembers his former life on Earth.
Read full review at Queer Sci Fi
Read full review at Queer Sci Fi
October 1, 2016
Another one of those books that I think might have much stronger appeal to a younger reader. It wasn't groundbreaking or anything but it had some interesting concepts. (James being gay and his reluctant involvement in the revolution.)
The characters all felt thinly drawn and there wasn't a whole lot of development. Also, the style removed a lot of the tension. But it was decent enough and I would check out more from this author.
The characters all felt thinly drawn and there wasn't a whole lot of development. Also, the style removed a lot of the tension. But it was decent enough and I would check out more from this author.
March 29, 2017
2.5 Stars ~ Castor, by Shaun Young, follows James, who’d been transported from Earth to the planet Castor. Because the atmosphere on Castor is unsuitable for breathing for pure humans, those who are transported are adapted while in stasis on a spaceship so that their bodies can tolerate the new environment. As such, he’s considered a half-adapt and, therefore, immediately finds himself in a lower social class than humans who arrived on Castor unadapted. A renegade group of half- and full-adapts has been working for years to overthrow the caste system, and James finds himself torn between the two worlds. On the one hand, the unadapted humans destroyed his family and his life. On the other, the person he falls in love with is an unadapted human.
While the world-building was well done in this book, the story fell short for me. Written in first person present tense, we are able to see inside James’s head and know his every thought and feeling. Along the way, we watch his relationship with the various characters develop. The problem I encountered with this book is that no event or relationship was ever fully developed. Falling in love, dealing with the Independence Society, reconciling his warring feelings about his friend Femi. All of these, had they been better developed, could have packed a bigger emotional punch than I experienced. Perhaps it was that in writing the book in first person, the author gave away a bit too much of what James was thinking and feeling. Had he allowed the reader to figure out and infer a bit more, instead of telling us things, the journey may have been more powerful.
Reviewed by Taz for The Novel Approach Reviews
While the world-building was well done in this book, the story fell short for me. Written in first person present tense, we are able to see inside James’s head and know his every thought and feeling. Along the way, we watch his relationship with the various characters develop. The problem I encountered with this book is that no event or relationship was ever fully developed. Falling in love, dealing with the Independence Society, reconciling his warring feelings about his friend Femi. All of these, had they been better developed, could have packed a bigger emotional punch than I experienced. Perhaps it was that in writing the book in first person, the author gave away a bit too much of what James was thinking and feeling. Had he allowed the reader to figure out and infer a bit more, instead of telling us things, the journey may have been more powerful.
Reviewed by Taz for The Novel Approach Reviews
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