Starglass

Starred review from May 13, 2013
In this gripping dystopian/generation-ship hybrid, the Asherah, centuries into its journey with less than a thousand souls on board, is mere months from making landfall. Its destination is the planet Zehava, where the largely Jewish crew hopes to survive long after the Earth was destroyed by an asteroid strike (one of the starship’s express goals is “the survival of Jewish traditions and culture even in the diaspora of space”). Life aboard is difficult, strictly regulated by the ruling Council and the necessities of scarcity. Fifteen-year-old Terra Fineberg is deeply bitter about her limited choices, both in terms of her profession, which will be chosen for her, and her potential suitors. Then she witnesses a murder and discovers a slogan carved into a tree, “Liberty on Earth. Liberty on Zehava,” and becomes enmeshed in a dangerous conspiracy to overthrow the Council. North eloquently depicts a culture trapped in a cycle of ritual and duty; the colonists’ efforts to preserve their heritage unfold in fascinating, sometimes disturbing ways. This richly textured first novel deserves to be widely read. Ages 12–up. Agent: Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary.

May 15, 2013
On a generation ship that left Earth 500 years ago, a teenager grapples with disillusionment and emotional isolation as her society nears the planet it intends to land on. Terra lives with her harsh, alcoholic father and awaits her adult job assignment (think The Giver) from the strict ruling Council. As Terra trains in botany and discovers a secret rebellion aboard the Asherah, some of North's worldbuilding and storytelling aspects succeed more than others. This society's Judaism--cultural/linguistic, not religious--is rare for science fiction, and readers can see how Jewishness has evolved over time. The rebels want "liberty," which isn't explicitly defined but includes the dismantling of compulsory heterosexuality. Sidestepping a genre cliche, North makes it clear that Terra's bashert (soul mate) won't be either of the boys she dates on board. Unfortunately, she telegraphs revelations very early, minimizing their impact. Description of the Asherah's design is frustratingly vague, making it hard to picture the ship's decks, which hold full forests, pastures and buildings. Some technicalities distract: How could a 500-year-old spaceship have enough supplies to use paper for appointment reminder cards and gift-wrapping? For nail-biting suspense aboard a generation ship, see Beth Revis' Across the Universe (2011); but for Jewishness and gay characters in space, a poignantly lovely frame story about leaving Earth and a lonely kid seeking something to invest in, this is it. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 10 Up-Humanity was given five years to prepare when they learned that an asteroid would destroy Earth. The healthiest were sent away in every direction in the hopes that the human race could survive and find a new home, while the rest were left to wait. Nearly 500 years have passed since the asteroid arrived, and the only home that Terra has ever known is on the Asherah, a massive spaceship ferrying roughly 1000 Jewish settlers to their new planet. Nearing her 16th birthday and the end of her journey, Terra is pulled into an underground resistance movement when she witnesses the brutal murder of a passenger at the hands of the captain's guard. She learns that her life has been a facade of false choice and classism, and that her mother's death may not have been natural. On the ship there are strict requirements about marriage, to the extent that all boys are sterilized at puberty and all new children grown in labs. When Terra is introduced to the resistance through the boy whom she has agreed to marry, she learns that he is involved with another male member of the resistance. Through diary entries, readers learn that the resistance started with Terra's great-grandmother over her dissatisfaction with being contractually obligated to marry a man on the ship. The intrigue builds as it becomes clear that Terra's ancestors may have been the first to rebel. While there are certainly strong science-fiction overtones and dystopian influences, the claustrophobic nature of the ship grounds the characterization. This book offers an excellent resource to support diversity as marriage equality and LGBT issues are a dominant factor in the narrative, making it more interesting than many similar titles.-Ryan F. Paulsen, New Rochelle High School, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2013
Grades 7-12 In North's dystopian debut, space-traveling ship Asherah is the only home 15-year-old Terra Fineberg has ever known. Five hundred years ago, the ship left behind an Earth destroyed by an asteroid strike. Now a tightly regulated place run by a traditionalist council, Asherah carries fewer than 1,000 people as it heads for the planet Zehava, which the council aims to settle while they carry on centuries of earthly Jewish traditions. Each citizen has a life map: they're shunted into the talent they display when they come of age, matched with a genetically ideal partner, and required to raise two children born outside the womb in a sort of hatchery. Burdened with a distant father, a dead mother, and a preordained future, Terra is angrily resigned to a life she doesn't want. Then she witnesses a murder and discovers a rebellion, and her perspective abruptly shifts direction. With its onion-skin layers of plots and subterfuge around issues of trust and loyaltynot to mention a very strong writing stylethis stellar debut should have strong interest from dystopian fans. Hand to fans of Maria V. Snyder or Beth Revis.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)