After Atlas

Starred review from October 24, 2016
In this richly written companion novel to Planetfall, Newman returns to the Earth that the interstellar explorers in the first book left behind. Carlos Moreno’s mother was selected to leave Earth on the legendary star cruiser Atlas. Carlos was not only abandoned by her but neglected by his father and betrayed by an idealistic cult leader. After being captured by the corporate government and sold under a contract that amounts to slavery, he works as an investigator and eventually is forced to solve the murder of the man he holds responsible for his plight. Despite his grief and anger, Moreno’s training compels him to leave no stone unturned, even when he reveals secrets that might destroy any chance he has of ever being free again. Newman again portrays a world of luxury bought with pain and suffering, built on lies and sustained by powerful individuals who exploit the ignorance of the masses. Both new and returning readers will be drawn into this tale of those who suffered the loss of loved ones who put the Atlas mission ahead of their own families, never to be heard from again. With details like diamonds, the gumshoe adventure reveals the destruction of those left behind when Atlas left Earth seeking God. Peril and despair seep into the fabric of society until every avenue of escape leads only to a new kind of danger. Gripping and sorrowful, this imaginative story is a satisfying return to Newman’s future of greed and hope.

November 15, 2016

Carlos Moreno is considered one of the best cops in London, but he is still the property of the Ministry of Justice. After his mother left Earth with the Pathfinder on the Atlas (whose story is told in Planetfall), Carlos's father fell in with a cult of antitechnologists. Carlos, now Carl, escaped as a teen, but had to indenture himself to survive. He made the most of his situation, training as an investigator. When the leader of the cult, Alejandro Casales, is murdered, Carl is assigned to the case. VERDICT The investigatory elements of this near-future novel are strong enough to satisfy any mystery fan, with the intriguing addition of such sf elements as embedded brain chips that allow people to talk to a virtual personal assistant. While this title can be read as a stand-alone, readers would benefit from starting with the first book in the series.--MM

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2016
Set in the Planetfall universe, this is both a murder mystery and a dystopian science-fiction novel set in an all-too-realistic future. Atlas left earth 40 years ago with 1,000 passengers seeking greater pastures in space. One of them was Carlos Moreno's mother, changing his life forever at an age too young to do anything about it. Enter Alejandro Casales, leader of the Circle, a religious cult that thrives on simplicity above all else. Now, after Carlos has left the Circle in his past, he is an indentured Ministry of Justice employee, assigned to the investigation after Casales is found dead in his hotel room. There is more to Casales' murder than meets the eye, however, and the Circle is no longer the small group of Luddites it was 20 years ago. Newman combines the classic mystery-novel whodunit with a frighteningly possible reality of corporate-owned governments. The murder investigation will intrigue readers, while the overall feeling of something more sinister happening keeps the pages turning until the unexpected conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)