The Exo Project

February 6, 2017
In DeYoung’s debut novel, climate change is ravaging Earth, and the Exo Project is sending crews on one-way voyages to find planets that might sustain life. Having volunteered for the project, 17-year-old Matthew Tilson and his shipmates on the Corvus awaken in orbit around an Earthlike planet and proceed to explore its surface. They’re the canaries in the coal mine: if they don’t die, they’ll contact Earth and colonists will be sent. The planet is radioactive, but, oddly, this doesn’t affect them. It’s also inhabited by a matriarchal society of telepathic aliens who are human in everything but color, causing immediate problems with Matthew’s xenophobic crewmember, Sam. Shifting attention among multiple characters, the third-person narrative concentrates on the growing love between Matthew and the native ruler, Kiva, and on the mystery of the aliens’ still-active Ancestors. Some odd plot maneuvers (including how easily the Corvus is retrofitted for a needed return trip) can feel like a letdown—this is perhaps a better pick for readers looking for extraterrestrial romance than for diehard SF fans. Ages 12–up. Agent: John Rudolph, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

February 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-Heat and radiation have risen to severe levels on ecologically bankrupt Earth. The global government, OmniCore, has developed a plan, the Exo Project, to find a new, habitable planet. Desperate for money, 17-year-old Matthew enters a lottery and winds up being cryogenically frozen so that he can join a three-person crew who are sent to Planet H-240, 100 light years away. The story is told primarily from two viewpoints: those of Matthew and Kiva, one of the Vagri natives on planet H-240 (known locally as Gle'ah). Matthew and Kiva have some depth as characters, but most of the supporting cast members are thinly drawn. The novel also lacks creative world-building: Gle'ah seems very similar to Earth, with breathable air, grassy prairies, and comfortable temperatures. The Vagri are so similar to humans in temperament and physical construction that mating is possible. There are points of tension: Will Matthew alert OmniCore that Planet H-240 will support human life? Will the Vagri outcasts kill the Strangers?

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2017
Can humans settle another planet before it's too late?Earth is slowly dying. To fund cancer treatment for his mother, currently in cryogenic stasis, 17-year-old Matthew volunteers to be cryogenically frozen and sent 100 light-years away to one of thousands of potentially habitable planets. There's no return--he'll message Earth the results, and if the planet's unviable, he'll take a suicide pill. On Gle'ah, Matthew's destination planet, 17-year-old Kiva leads a pre-industrial, matriarchal society. Debut novelist DeYoung crams in multitudes of plot points--cross-universe, destined romance, politics and violence on Gle'ah, weapons of mass destruction, telepathy, magical healing, drugs, and a mass shooting. A multiperspective narrative approach gives readers broad information but contains only mild characterization; main characters, especially Matthew, read like place holders. Dunne, a middle-aged black woman on Matthew's team, specializes in particle physics and medicine but goes largely unconsulted regarding the plot's pivotal decision; instead, white teen Matthew makes the core decision alone. Kiva's people are "exactly like humans in every way" except for their gray skin, resulting in a culture of not-quite-white people without characters of color. The scientific/religious explanations for phenomena on Gle'ah will remind readers of Star Wars' midi-chlorians--and not in a good way. See Beth Revis' Across the Universe (2011) for cryogenics and Phoebe North's Starglass (2013) for romance destined across the stars. It's fine in pace and flow but disintegrates under scrutiny. (Science fiction. 13-16)

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March 15, 2017
Grades 7-10 On a future Earth that is rapidly dying, OmniCore has introduced the Exo Project to launch volunteers into space to find the next home for humans. Seventeen-year-old Matthew volunteers, not for the glory but for the huge fee that will help his younger sister save their very sick mother. He and two coworkers land on distant Gle'ah, only to find others there before thema rather primitive matriarchal society run by a 17-year-old girl named Kiva, who has seen Matthew in her visions. As the two grow closer, Matthew must decide if bringing humans to this new home saves them or sacrifices the native Vagri. First-time author DeYoung offers straightforward yet effective storytelling, which makes for a refreshing change from science fiction with convoluted and multilevel plots. The third-person omniscient narration shifts mostly between the two main characters, Matthew and Kiva; however, this perspective diminishes some of the emotional intensity of the tale. Overall, though, this is an enjoyable read with abundant STEM connections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
Needing money for his sick mother's care, seventeen-year-old Matthew volunteers for the Exo Project, a suicide mission to find a replacement for a "dying" Earth. On Gle'ah, Matthew develops a romantic connection with Kiva, soon-to-be leader of the planet's matriarchal humanlike species--who'll lose their way of life if Matthew tells humans about Gle'ah. Thin characterization further detracts from derivative (though well-paced) storytelling.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)