Project Emergence

"Project Emergence" by Jamie Zakian has promise. It's easy to read story with potential for the Young Adult market. It has some plot twists but over all the story is a little clunky and really could do with a good edit. The ending was a little disappointing. It's okay.

I have tried to read this, over and over - I just can't. The base concept (Mars colonization because Earth is dying) might be neat, but it's pretty old; the dialog, description, and writing in general would be quite good...for a high school student. It's not ready for publication. And the reason for the sudden pressure is...just stupid. If it's that important, why pull in someone who's basically shown she's a good fighter (but not good at following orders, taking orders, or leading) to manage? It's great for the plot, not so good in terms of suspension of disbelief. I never got to the takeoff, so I have no idea what happens on the trip. I read the very end, which is...also highly unlikely. Either there's been some magic on Mars or they show more end up going someplace very different...and I'm not willing to subject myself to the writing to find out. Yuck. show less

The idea beneath this book is interesting, and I think that if a good editor will work on it there could come a great result. But the present plot is too weak. Keep in mind that even there is a science fiction background, the book should be classified as "young adults", which is fine. But there are glaring holes in the plot. [SPOILERS] Why all the piloting crew follow the Earthisum credo? Why Sally, who started as a strong character, somehow got lost in the plot? How come there are no communication at all with the Earth in general or U.N.E. in particular, except at the very end when Rai hacks it?
I was also annoyed by Zakian's writing style. Having a paragraph which runs for four lines was a miracle; the text was most dialogues, without show more actual descriptions. Last, the end of the book was really lame. I can stand an open ending which hints at a sequel, but in this case it seems that even some major subplot was lost somewhere between Earth and Mars. show less

A group of twins who were born during a solar flare and exposed to excessive radiation are sent to help colonize another planet. Earth's destruction is imminent and these teens must leave their lives and families behind to help save the future of humanity. Little do they know, all the ships that went before them have been destroyed by terrorists against leaving Earth. They have no one to welcome their arrival, they must do it all with no help/experience/training. Such begins the unlikely events of Project Emergence.

Project Emergence is a good book but it wasn't for me. I don't typically read YA and I was reminded of all the reason why I don't in it. The characters are pretty one dimensional, they blend together for me. The challenges show more faced are not very believable and everything is overly dramatic. show less

I have read or seen more than one "Earth is being destroyed by solar flares" type books or movies. I thought the storyline for Project Emergence was a great idea. It was an enjoyable story with a plot twist that I was not expecting. There were some unrealistic aspects to the story and some holes that need to be filled in. The ending was anticlimactic and left you with lots of unanswered questions.

"Project Emergence" is a decent read for the young adult market. There are various character types that many young adult readers could relate to. There is an equal balance of male and female heroism which makes the book attractive to both boys and girls. The plot, although futuristic, is reasonable with enough fantasy to keep it interesting. The plot is simple and exciting enough to keep readers engaged. It's not the most in depth story I've ever read, but it would be great for reading on a beach or for fun. There is quite a lot of flirtatiousness and sexual undertones between characters. As an adult I could do without, however younger readers may enjoy this.

A pleasant, easy read. I found the writing clunky at times, and the characters were inconsistent. There were also too many romantic liaisons, often unrealistic. The ending was a let down, a bit anticlimactic. Needs better editing and further narrative development to make the story more consistent (and the characters).