January 30, 2017
Australian author Sparks’s debut novel, set in a strange postapocalyptic world, is all middle with no beginning or end. Star is a child of the Sand Road who dreams of wealth and adventure in the port town of Fallow Heel. Quarrel is an ancient warrior who knows his current mission will be his last. Both are forced onto the Black Sea, not to seek their fortunes but to continue a war that most of the world thinks is over. Sparks demonstrates technical skill with prose, but the start of the book is a confusing jumble, fragmented by the introduction of several characters’ points of view scattered over a variety of settings. The mood is relentlessly bleak. The protagonists lack agency, which leads to a feeling of prologue rather than resolution. A satisfying conclusion is impossible; the book ends with the feeling that a stage has been set, but the story is yet to come. That promise is the only hope Sparks offers in this relentlessly grim narrative. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary.
February 1, 2017
A post-apocalyptic vision from Australia.Seventeen-year-old dreadlocked Star and her older sister, Nene, a medic and the closest thing she's got to a parent, are part of a nomadic group of travelers and traders enduring hard lives and journeys across the Sand Road, traversing a desert overrun with vestiges of rogue semi-sentient machinery and other monsters from a time and war long past. When their 13-wagon caravan witnesses a relic Angel satellite crash to Earth, a chain of events is set into motion that launches Star on a voyage far away from the familiar life she yearns to leave--but close to discovering a secret her sister has desperately tried to protect her from. As all of this takes place, an old and powerful entity has awoken in the desert: a Lotus Blue, the deadliest of all war machines of the past and a soldier with its own agenda. Star's journey crosses paths with various soldiers and survivors in this complex tale, and knowing whom to trust, including herself, may be the key to her survival. Sparks' debut is ambitious and, at times, convoluted. The worldbuilding is so detailed that language borders on repetitive and tedious, and the narrative sets up a daunting array of characters, but patient readers will find it ultimately rewarding. The epitome of a slow burn, with a drawn-out plot and leisurely pace, this jigsaw puzzle requires full attention to piece together. (Science fiction. 14 & up)
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March 15, 2017
On an Earth that has been ravaged by war and technology, traders travel by caravan across the Sand Road. Partially sentient machines and other monsters live in the desert, and humans struggle to survive. One particular caravan carries two orphaned sisters, Star and Nene. Nene has always tried to protect her younger sibling, and of course, 17-year-old Star loves and hates her for it. But Nene's protectiveness involves secrets that Star will soon discover, when a satellite crashes to Earth, separating her from Nene and forcing her on an unexpected journey that will bring her face to face with Lotus Blue. This ancient war machine is powerful, deadly, and now awake, ready to destroy the rest of humanity. VERDICT In the spirit of the Mad Max films, Australian author Spark's debut takes reader on a journey of the intersection of human and machine. Strong characters and a vivid desert landscape bring this postapocalyptic story to life.--KC
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