The Pioneer

January 15, 2019
In Tyler's exciting debut, space colonists discover they're not alone after landing on a planet thought to be uninhabited.Seventeen-year-old cadet pilot Joanna Watson, along with her parents, brother, Teddy, and sister, Beth, are part of the Galactic Frontier Project, preparing to set off for the Earth-like and, most importantly, uninhabited Tau Ceti e. After Teddy is killed in an accident that leaves Jo with nanomachines powering her heart, she can no longer fly. Soon after they arrive on Tau, Joanna and her friends, including love interest Jay Lim, are attacked by plantlike creatures who are at war with a humanoid race called the Sorrow. The powers that be, including Jo's mom, were aware that Tau was inhabited, which flies in the face of everything they've been taught. Finding themselves in the middle of a brutal fight, and desperate to avoid the mistakes of the past, Jo and her friends must make hard decisions in the face of Earth's possible demise. Tyler's crowd-pleasing and lightning-paced cautionary tale beautifully captures the wonder of discovery while building plenty of suspense, and it's easy to fall for the intrepid, pragmatic Jo, who narrates. It also has plenty to say about humanity's impact on the environment without being preachy. Jo and her family are white, Jay is Korean-American, and diversity can be found throughout the supporting cast. A cliffhanger ending promises more to come.A stellar adventure. (Science fiction. 12-18)

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March 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-A top-notch space opera full of fresh world-building and nuanced depiction of the ethical pitfalls of exploration and discovery. Cadet pilot Joanna has always known that she and her family will become space pioneers. It's 2117, and Earth's ecosystem is all but destroyed, forcing humanity to scout new planets for settlement. When their ship is hit by a solar flare just before departure, Jo's brother sacrifices himself to save everyone on board. She is left with survivor's guilt and a heart condition that prevents her from piloting a ship. Jo is further shaken when they arrive on Tau-a paradise covered in dazzling mountain ranges and tufted trees-only to discover that their surveys were full of redacted information about the planet's existing inhabitants. Embroiled in a complex and deadly conflict, Jo must decide whether the future of the human race is worth compromising her moral compass and betraying the world that she dreamed of calling home. Tyler's debut is action-packed, introducing unique life forms and appealing uses of current technology (3-D printing features heavily). While some side characters aren't fully fleshed-out, Jo is a bright and critical protagonist who recognizes the many ways in which her arrival on Tau has unintentionally disrupted and disempowered its existing societies. The tightly woven plot is weakened only by an unnecessary romance and the magical healing of Jo's heart condition. VERDICT Recommended where Amie Kaufman's and Meagan Spooner's books circulate well.-Elizabeth Giles, Lubuto Library Partners, Zambia

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