Ashfall Legacy

June 14, 2021
This near-future sci-fi adventure from the pseudonymous Lore (the Lorien Legacies) follows half-alien Sydney Chambers, 16, whose mother, Beth, is a presumed-white human, and whose father, Marcius, is a gray-skinned extraterrestrial from Denza, whose race has a covert presence on Earth. Decades ago, the Denzans recruited humankind—the universe’s most violent species—to help save their own planet from invasion. Though humans become preternaturally strong and practically invincible when they leave Earth, related DNA alterations mean that their cells degrade upon return. Beth and Marcius both believe that “evolved” humans could help restore order on an increasingly chaotic Earth, so Marcius is scouring the cosmos for the condition’s cure when his ship vanishes. Subsequently, an alien mercenary attacks Beth and Syd’s home in the Australian outback, prompting them to flee. Years later, a Denzan vessel finds the pair in rural Washington, and its pilot claims that Marcius is still alive, and only Syd can find him. Though the book’s mythology is half-baked and some of the plotting feels well-trod, Lore reels in readers with imaginatively conceived characters and a snarky, relatable first-person narrative. An action-packed conclusion cracks the door for a sequel. Ages 13–17. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME.

June 15, 2021
A half alien teenager sets out for the stars in search of his missing dad. In what rapidly devolves into a jumble of well-worn science-fiction tropes and typecast settings glued together by adolescent behavior and muddy thinking, the story follows 16-year-old Sydney, who has been on the lam with his gun-toting default-White human mom for 10 years. Syd meets and agrees to join his alien uncle on a training voyage to planet Denza, where he can take classes at the local star fleet academy and find his father, who vanished on an exploratory voyage years before. Syd discovers that all humans become super strong and super tough when they leave Earth--but die when they return. Might his father have come upon a cure hidden among the relics of a...wait for it...mysterious race of vanished galactic overlords? In his typically unsubtle way, the pseudonymous Lore chucks discrimination into the mix too--being a "mutt," as one hostile shipmate put it, Syd gets a decidedly mixed reception from the specist Denzans, and a fellow hybrid angrily informs him that she identifies as human. Before arbitrarily cutting off midway through, the climax collapses into a glutinous mass of revelations including the fate of Syd's father and the nature of the aforementioned overlords. Oh, and there are space monsters and a magic ring. A derivative mess. (Science fiction. 14-17)

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August 1, 2021

Gr 7-10-Sydney Chambers has been known by many names: Aaron Abrams, Darren Drake, and currently, Wyatt Williams. That's because, as long as he can remember, he and his mother have been on the run from a secret government agency hell-bent on finding him. Sydney is half Denzan, the product of an intergalactic (mostly undercover) alliance between Earth and the planet Denza. The nonviolent civilization has been surreptitiously recruiting humans to help protect them from the Etherazi, their mortal enemies, and Sydney represents a serious threat to this mission being unveiled. Also, Sydney's dad has been missing for more than a decade, lost while on a secret expedition, so when Syd and his mom are finally caught by Syd's uncle, the teen leaves Earth to enroll in the Serpo Institute on Denza. Sydney swiftly becomes swept up in an intergalactic conflict while trying to find his dad, not realizing his precarious place in the universe-for good or ill. The "Lorien Legacies" author returns with an action-packed new series opener. Sydney and his cohort of space cadets are all well fleshed-out. The role humanity plays in this intergalactic space war will draw in fans of the superhero genre. Equal parts humorous and thrilling, Sydney's adventures through the universe will keep fans of Lore's previous series satisfied. VERDICT A solid addition to any library's sci-fi shelf. Recommended.-Tyler Hixson, Brooklyn P.L.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 Half-human, half-alien teenager Syd Chambers has been on the run with his mother for years, constantly moving towns and changing names. When his uncle finally tracks him down, Syd is given the chance to find out what really happened to his long-presumed-dead father. When Syd begins training at a special academy in space, he realizes he has a lot more to learn--about himself, his father, and the great big universe--than he thought. Not all is what it seems, and the revelation of a deadly secret could spell all-out intergalactic war. With an ending that demands a sequel and a world with room for plenty more adventures, this marks Lore's first departure from the Lorien Legacies series and its spin-offs. The I Am Number Four (2011) author's legions of existing fans will be pleased to find the same explosive twists and witty humor that marked his other books, and readers unfamiliar with Lore who love epic, sprawling worlds and fast-paced storytelling should also be directed to this action-packed sf adventure.

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