I received an advance copy of
this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was attracted to this book
because of its cover design and the title. I was expecting a post-apocalyptic
kind of story where the Earth is destroyed and some very rich man building a
spaceship to carry an elite crew off the planet to save humanity. When I read
the book, I found it was much more than what I expected.
This is a story full of
humanistic ideas and interactions between two timelines. There are many twists
and turns making the story compelling. The plot is driven by well-developed
characters that a reader can truly care about and relate to. It is a tale of
people forming relationships depending on cooperation for survival. It suggests
just what humanity can do if people work together.
A reader will find this book
hard to set aside once it is opened.
The Earth has somehow been
destroyed and Constance Roy, an environmental scientist along with forty-eight
others, are taken aboard the Orb, a huge space vessel that is in orbit around
the planet Jupiter. Constance and the rest of the humans are watched over by an
automaton race of beings calling themselves Curators. Everything on board Orb
is provided except for the solution to the problem of where to go before the
ship's orbit decays and is crushed in the Jovian planet's atmosphere.
In another timeline on modern
day Earth, Constance goes about her life as a single mom raising a son who
appears to be someone very special. The youngster, Nicolas, appears to have a
special gift of being able to understand things far beyond his age.
Onboard the Orb, the Curators
have given up on any possibility that the humans will save themselves. Their
bickering and single-mindedness seem to get in the way.
Just when all seems lost, the
timelines collide. Nicolas's mother Constance makes a sacrifice, and the boy
helps Constance in the Orb timeline to solve the problems. Convinced there is
no hope for the future of humanity, the Curators seek to kill Nicolas, but
Constance fights to make sure the boy can give hope to what is left of Earth's
population to start over on a new world.
When Earth Shall Be No More is
told from Constance Roy's point of view in both timelines.
Constance on the Orb and on
Earth both have the same personalities. They think, talk, and act alike. Both
are analytical and are good problem solvers. The difference between the two is
their focus on the problems they face. Orb Constance is trying to find the
target planet to settle on by following a string of cryptic clues left behind
by a friend while the Earth version is concerned mostly with her son and his
wellbeing. Earth Constance does not know what is happening when a mysterious
stranger arrives on the scene and tries to kidnap Nicolas.
My favorite point of plot in
this tale is how Nicolas has been nurtured to appreciate science and what it
can offer to solve problems. She encourages Nicolas to read books and learn all
he can about the things he is interested in. This alone makes the child a force
in the future survival of humanity.
My takeaway from this story is
how one should never underestimate the powers of a young person who is full of
wonder and curiosity. One such individual can be both an inspiration and can
present a unique point of view to the solution of a problem.
This book is an easy-to-read
story that flows along at a good pace and will hold a reader's attention. It is
an uncommon science fiction thriller that runs the entire spectrum of emotional
content and is well worth the time as the opening to a series.
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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