Sovereign

by Jeff Hirsch, Jesse Einstein (Narrator)

Micah Cole has been in deep space for four years now. While his parents chase their obsession with finding intelligent life deeper and deeper into the universe, Micah can’t help but dream of the friends he’s left behind and counts the days until the family returns to Earth. When a devastating meteor shower nearly destroys the Coles’s ship, Micah is separated from his family and stranded alone on Sovereign—a vast planet of raging rivers and towering forests. If Micah ever wants to see his family or his home again, he’ll have to learn how to survive on this hostile alien world. Armed with only his wits and determination, he’ll have to battle the elements, his own deepest fears, and a strange presence that might just hold the key to his parents’ obsession—and be his ticket back home.

Genres: Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy, Middle Grade

7 pages, Audible Audio

First published January 31, 2019

About the author

Here are some things about me.

I live in an extremely Brazilian section of an extremely Greek neighborhood—Astoria, Queens, which is just to the right of Manhattan. (That's as you face Manhattan. If you were, say, lying on your back in the middle of Central Park with your head in a northerly position, we would be to your left) I live there with my wife who has a blog and our two cats who do not. One day I hope to have a very large dog that I can name Jerry Lee Lewis.

I used to write plays (I actually have an MFA in it, which is currently number 8 on US News and World Report's annual list of the top twenty most useless masters degrees) and now I write books for teens. I've written two. One was about a girl who wanted to be a rock star and could graciously be called a learning experience.

The second, is The Eleventh Plague and it comes out Sept. 1, a fact I still find pretty amazing.

Reviews

[J.L. Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeff Hirsch's Sovereign begins with a meteor storm that separates young Micah from his parents. He makes it into an escape pod that leaves him stranded on an alien world where he must learn about the strange flora and fauna in order to survive. I liked how Micah faced the challenges of this new world, but even in an alien and visually interesting landscape, his ingenuity/determination was not tested as much as I would have liked. This is especially apparent in how the story concludes. Sovereign is well written, though, and probably succeeds better with younger readers.

[Roxanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a free audible book so I felt I had nothing to lose but it wasn’t really even worth the time. Some YA books are definitely fun for adults, too, but I found this one too unbelievable for many reasons that go beyond the technology. Human beings have figured out stargates but not communication devices faster than the EM spectrum? Sorry, bud, that’s the same technology. Idk it’s like the author didn’t bother to look into contemporary science but also other sci-fi concepts. No technology to tell him what to eat? His lifeboat survives ENTERING AN ATMOSPHERE but not some rain? The ship they’re on and the lifeboat sound like they were purchased at dollar tree.

His parents knew he didn’t want to leave earth... and the dangers. They couldn’t wait a few years until he grew up to do their dumbass little mission? As an adult I find that extremely unethical parenting. Sounds like they’re from Oregon. Doubt this kid was even vaccinated.

The two stars are for the trippy psychic af alien he meets which I don’t understand super well...but I still wish this was part of another story. The idea of him building up toughness through struggles is also very well done but again would be more of value for kiddos age 10-12, not for adults as I mentioned before. I recommend it for that age but not grownups.

[Danielle Cintron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like Lighting should have won.

[Johanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got a little over halfway through this before stopping. It was a free Audible original this month, I love a good space story, and I thought it'd be fun. Of course I'm not the target market for this book, but I've read as an adult many YA and children's chapter books, and this one just isn't good. The narration is quite bad - he reads like he's trying to pass an enunciation test and it was hard to believe this was a young kid as a result. The plot was a pretty unoriginal, boring survival plot. The creatures and planets and science pieces could have been described better and with more actual science referenced. I assumed it was going to be science fiction because of the setting but it was more fantasy in that it didn't attempt to play off of any real science. The writing was subpar as well. It's written from the main character's perspective, but he often references things he would not have access to (like "I woke up a few minutes after the sun came up"). It's a picky thing, sure, but it also breaks the first person believability.

There are plenty of other sci-fi books and even tv shows that would be more worth your time.

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

I snagged this as a free Audible Original because it seemed something that my kids & I would enjoy listening to. The "Hatchet" blurb clinched it because my oldest son is a huge fan.

None of us particularly enjoyed this. The only resemblance it had to "Hatchet" was the accident and the kid having to survive on his own. And let me tell you, this kid was stupid AF as well as immature and selfish. One ridiculous idiotic decision after another that just kept making his life harder. My kids made disparaging remarks all the way through and we did discuss skipping ahead. There were contradictions galore as well as a few dangling threads. The twists at the end, although not unexpected did slightly salvage things, but not enough. This did have potential, but the narrator didn't help much either. I'm so happy this was free.

[Shainlock]

Dnf... Not rating.. It wasn't the story. The narrator didn't work for us. Probably minority in opinion, but it sounded weird. He was way over enunciating things. It didn't sound natural.

[seak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun listen with my son. We started it on our way up the mountain to go to his ski lessons (free through the school, thank you very much), but it's taken us months later to actually finish.

I had no clue he was even paying attention until we were on the way down the mountain on our second trip, so hours into the audiobook now, and he asked a question about one of the events that happened. I thought he was just sleeping, hah.

Anyway, it was a fun book and good for his age of 8 years. It's a survival book where the kid gets separated from his parents and has to survive on his own on an alien planet.

The survival aspects were good, but like most of these young-reader type books, there's definitely a healthy amount of contrivances. Also, the ending was a bit anticlimactic since the element of danger gets tossed right out the window when you find out the main alien presence has been on our boy's side the whole time

It was fun to share with my son and gave us some fun conversations. That's what I live for! Especially when the response to "How was school" or "How was your day" is usually "fine."

3 out of 5 stars (recommended)

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really slow start. It had a lot of potential but there was so much lead up and not enough pay off.

[Soo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mini-Review:

A rather meandering story that doesn't really establish a setting or plot enough to make the story interesting. It basically ends when it gets a little interesting. I wouldn't call this a YA because it comes across as middle school range.

[ShoSho · Rating 3 out of 5]

creepy but interesting!

[M.W. Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

_Sovereign_ by Jeff Hirsch receives 4 stars from me: the story is compelling, interesting, and vivid.

First, I should mention that this was an audible recording, and was read by Jesse Einstein. He voice suggest, he's a teen. The voice is a good match and his reading skills are excellent. I found his reading enjoyable.

Now, the book.

This book is for middle grade readers and it fits the target well. Hirsch creates a earth like world that is only similar. By making it similar, it limited the amount of what he had to describe. I felt this was a wise choice. Sometimes when the world is just like earth, I find it lame; other times when the world is completely different, I am overwhelmed with description. In Sovereign, Hirsch is able to be descriptive enough to create a believable different world.

Additionally, I found the themes appropriate for middle grade readers, who are about to join that very different and challenge word of high school. Self reliance, understanding the past, and looking toward the future are all very well done in this book.

What impressed me the most, I think, is how well the main character survives the ordeal of being alone on the planet. I read an article years ago where survivors were interviewed on what they did to survive. The skills they used to survive are found in this book, like Goal setting, finding something to do, etc. I thought it added a lot to the story.

Recommended? Yes, I think so. It is definitely a good read for the target, and one that parents wouldn't have to read, but could ask questions about and still talk with their child.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an alright little story for what it's worth

I'm not sure what the lesson is here. There's no place like home? Home is where the heart is? Get out and explore? Anyway, a kid has adventures while marooned on an alien planet and discovers he's not alone. His parents must've really cheaped out on the safety equipment for their little expedition. I sure wouldn't travel out across the galaxy with such a rickety ship. Also, I find it interesting that in a future world where they have interstellar travel, life back on earth doesn't seem to have advanced even a little bit from where it is today. I assume the idea here is to allow the reader to identify with the happy life our castaway is yearning to return to. The flashback parts were less nostalgic than they were boring. Truth be told, a lot of the story was kind of boring. By the time it really started getting interesting, it was pretty much over.

There's not much new here, but I suppose if you're part of the intended audience for this story it might be new to you. There's definitely some stuff to work with here, but I guess I'm just a bit disappointed that the author didn't do more with it.

Oh well, it was free so why should I complain.

[Dawn F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh. This story, once it got going, works on more than one level. I’m convinced there’s a much sadder story in there than the surface one. If that’s true, it makes it a much better one.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ chapter 10, 2h 40 mins in.

I tried. I swear I tried. But the book kept going on and on and nothing of interest happened. The main character just kept having flashbacks to his life before going into space with his parents and I mean, sure, we get to learn about him more, but when he returns to the present, nothing happens. This was so boring! I mean, yea it was free on audible, but I was at least expecting it to be somehow entertaining.

[James Tomasino · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. It was really weak.

[Jim Lay · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining middle grade story and worth a listen.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is far from my normal fair, but it was free from Audible. So I had nothing to loose. Let’s get one thing straight right up front. I HATE space operas. I mean like grow the book at the wall and it;’s a digital book hate. This book starts out feeling like it might be a space opera, but then it quickly changes into a story of survival. It;s an adventure story of sole survival. Enjoyable adventure with a great character. But...

It ends so abruptly and could have been so much more. I felt like half the story was missing or cut off. Entertaining, and a great START to a story, but really? Where’s the rest? Yes I got the whole unabridged novel. It just feels cut short.

[Gwendalyn Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar to the survival feel of first book of The Hunger Games

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teenager goes caveman in outer space.

Micah Cole is traveling the universe with his explorer parents. They get hit by a meteor shower and Micah is sent in a life pod to the neareast planet, which is suitable to human life. During his exile he meets death several times (but escapes, obviously), thinks back on his life on Earth with his friends and his time on board the space ship with his parents.

My low rating of this book, is because I'm dissatisfied with the way the author builds up the tension and the twist of the plot. I had to force myself to keep listening to the story (ok, so I was on the train and if I'd stop listening to this I would have had to chose something else, which would have been a nuisance to do, but still). I also dislike the deus ex machina-thing, completely. Even after the thing is explained.

The narration is fine.

Please, we need better teenage/YA fiction than this. /grumpy grown-up

[Amanda Hyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

The character has a very whiney quality. Most of the book is him complaining about his parents, while struggling to reach a homing beacon to call for help. It's never really fully explained why Micah was ejected alone and thus, found himself stranded on a seemingly desert planet. I think, most frustrating of all though, is that just as the story was getting exciting, and it seemed as though something was going to happen, it just ended. If there is a second book, then it is quite the cliff hanger, but if that is just where it ends, it's a bit of a disappointing end to a story that had a lot of potential.
There was limited character development, and it was difficult to follow as it jumped around between reality, memories, and hallucinations. The alien creature whom you meet at the end of the book, and learn has been protecting Micah, is poorly developed. Allusions to a fractured relationship with Micah's parents are made, but again, there was very little development. It just felt like there was quite a bit lacking, and instead of a deep, contemplative, teenager struggling with immense changes in his life the last few years, we are left with a whiney brat who just complains about wanting to go home. Character development and world building would have altered this from a mediocre weekend read to a thrilling adventure of survival, suspense, and eventual redemption. There was so much potential, but it just left much to be desired.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a neat and original space adventure! Clean and family friendly, but some very intense, even scary, moments on a strange planet with strange creatures. Kind of felt like a bit of Ender's Game mixed with The Hatchet. A lost boy surviving alone on a strange planet and making discoveries about his surroundings and himself. The narrator was great too, very crisp words and slight variations for each character.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about the adventure of a middle grade boy on an unexplored planet. Interesting, but the book takes a turn that confuses the reader about 2/3 of the way through. The ending is satisfying, however.

[C.L. Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Audible Original was just okay. The narration was well-done, but the story wasn't compelling enough to keep me entertained, and I found myself checking to see how much time was left before the end.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was free on audible. It was a predictable and cliche story but not bad. I wish there had been more time spent on the exploration story than on the flashbacks to earth. It was a good distraction during spring cleaning.

[Adam King · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some random audiobook that Audible gave me for free. So glaringly meh. The most played out “new world” storyline with a whiney main character who spends his whole time dreaming back to his super white and privileged childhood summers with annoying friends.

[Katie K · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 61%~

Just wasn't feeling this one...didn't even like the main character. So I'm skipping to another book~

[Randy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really, I was severely disappointed by this book. Not going to lie, I could only get 1/3 of the way through before I had to put it away, never to return. The protagonist was a middle school child who was not in the least bit likable; a selfish brat put in bad circumstances and who showed no real talent for survival much less empathy or forethought. Unfortunately the book was written as if it was an eighth grade student writing it with vague and bland descriptions that didn't build a visual representation of the environment or convey well the situation the protagonist found themselves in.

[Idamus · Rating 1 out of 5]

YA is not really my thing, but it was an Audible freebie, so I tried since I love sci-fi. It’s boring.

[TrixieB · Rating 2 out of 5]

How many books do we need about poor angry boys who are so angry yet so sad about the all the things?? I get you're trying to add emotional depth here, but really the kid is a selfish whiny jerk. There's no suspense to what he experiences on the planet. He's just in his feels about everything and ... it doesn't matter. Blech.

Merged review:

Blech.

Angry boy goes into space. Because PARENTS, amiright? Selfish MOM who just has to try to do science instead of centring her existence on the vagaries of her angry child. HOW DARE SHE.

Everyone is a jerk. Stuff happens. Other stuff happens. No one cares.

The narrator was good. The book was torture. But at least it's free so I didn't pay for this experience. Except in the scars that may never fade. Just don't.

[Lucia Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

When they say young adult, they really mean it.

The story and characters aren't bad. I am not going to complain about realism, or the situations as this book in the end wasn't written for me. In fact I think I would have given it a lot higher score even though I didn't like it except for one thing.

I felt that the main character was written with too young and sheltered of a viewpoint. Kids at that age are quite capable of making necessary decisions if they have been trained like he was. I felt like many stories though, the social/mental age of the character didn't quite match the physical age.

Like I said though, the book wasn't written for me and I realize that, so even with the mental age flaw I will mark it as a 3. Your kid might really like it.