Across the Universe (edition 2011)

im telling u elder is a perv... and i can believe Orion is the supposedly "dead" elder. i think both orion and eldest got what they deserved also i feel bad for harly or what ever his name was but i woulda done the same thing he did ( )

This was a lot better than I expected. While there was a lot of that teenage angst-y feel, the book was solid. The plot was solid. I finished the book kinda hoping there will be a follow up to Amy and Elder; but if there's not, I am happy with what I read. ( )

I was so excited when I picked up Across the Universe from the library, but then I had to set it aside for a few days before I could read it. During those days I couldn’t get the song of the same name out of my head, I quickly realized that I had “Across the Universe” on the brain.* I had to chuckle when I opened the book and saw a quote from the lyrics of the song right before the first chapter. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who made the connection between the song and the book.

Across the Universe is the story of Amy, a girl who is frozen with her parents so that they can be shipped with other scientists through space, with the intent that they would all be woken up upon arriving at the planet some 300 years later. Of course there is a hitch in the plans, and Amy is woken up many years early.

What she discovers upon waking is that the shipboard workers have developed a culture so strange that it is unrecognizable to her. The power structure is very much what you would expect to find in dystopian fiction: a controlling government leader, thought control, criticism of anything “different,” etc. Almost all of the population seems content with their living environment, but not everyone is docile – some mystery person is sabotaging the units containing the frozen scientists and researchers.

The other main character is the “Elder,” who is actually around Amy’s age, but he is being trained to be the future leader (the “Eldest”) of the ship. Seeing things from his perspective lets the reader view both sides of the shipboard society. To him life on the ship is ordered and normal, everything working as it should (at least until the saboteur starts complicating things). Amy’s new perspective acts as a catalyst to help him to start questioning the status quo.

Across the Universe has a brisk pace and should please fans of dystopian fiction and science fiction alike. Some of the mysteries were easy for me to figure out (like who was the saboteur), but there was one major element that caught me by surprise at the end, and I’m curious to see how that will play out in a sequel.

There was a little bit of romantic chemistry between Amy and the “Elder,” but I thought it was realistic in that they were more focused on the problems aboard ship than they were on building a relationship. In fact, it was refreshing that things weren’t taken too far too quickly with their developing friendship. Sometimes it feels like writers of young adult books throw in make-out/sex scenes randomly because they are expected. I don’t mind them if they make sense within the plot, but much prefer a logical progression of relationships over gratuitous sex scenes.

I loved the story, especially the aspect of the passage of time while characters are frozen. I also enjoyed the characters, and I can’t wait to see how they address the problems that are sure to arise in the next book. This is exactly the type of science fiction I like.

For those interested in the sequel, there will be two more books in the series. The title of the second book is A Million Suns. To learn more about her books and to see updates about her writing, visit Beth Revis’s website.

Those who enjoy Across the Universe will probably also like Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder and its sequel Outside In.


*Coincidentally the movie “Across the Universe” was on TV while I was typing up this review (not that I watched it). I didn’t even know there was a movie with that title. I guess it’s just like when you learn a new word and then see it everywhere. ( )

One of the more interesting books I've read of late. Very 1984, disturbing and triumphant. ( )

I was hooked from the first page of this book. Science fiction, mystery, dystopia, space travel, and just a bit of romance told by alternating narrators at a good pace - it had almost everything I could want in a book. Just add some ghostly gothic Victorian stuff and some fantasy/magic elements, and there you go.

I need to discuss with someone if the physics in this book were correct in a certain situation (I know they're incorrect in terms of simple Newtonian physics, but I'm no expert on massive spaceship navigation), but I can't say anything about it here without spoiling something. If they are incorrect, then a pretty major part of the plot just doesn't make sense. Maybe I will ask my husband without relating it to the book. He wants to read this now after I gave him a synopsis of the first 50 pages, and he just cannot take anything whatsoever spoiled for him.

The solution to the mystery wasn't bad, but I didn't love it. I was hoping for something more sinister and involved. I still had to give this book five stars just because I was so absorbed into the book the whole time. There is still a somewhat interesting unveiling at the end, but part of it was kind of obvious from early on in the book. And there are plenty of interesting details revealed throughout the book as the reader discovers the "lies that Godspeed is fueled by." :P

I'm surprised this is going to be a series. The next books should be really interesting though because they could just be about anything. Where the second book might pick up is not obvious as there is not a cliffhanger ending, just an open but resolved ending.

I am happy to add this book to my favorites shelf. I love when I find a book that I can't stop reading. That's usually a 1 in 20 (or more, even) occurrence for me. ( )