Across the Universe

“Power isn’t control at all — power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn’t someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own.”

3 STARS

Hmm. I'm conflicted about this book. There are things I loved, and things I hated, and some thingsI'm not really sure about, though I think the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. This book takes place in the distant future with a group of humans setting out on a journey that will define man and history itself: to find a new Earth, lightyears away, that will never be seen by the humans that are alive at the time, but will be seen by a distant line of descendants. Amy travels on this ship, one of the few people cryogenically frozen to be reawakened upon arrival to Centauri-Earth, until one day her tube is unplugged and she almost drowns. Elder is next in line to assume leadership of Godspeed, but things are not as they seem with him, his mentor, and the ship itself. The two come together and solve the mystery of the cryogenic murders, though not without some rough patches along the way. The first thing that threw me about this book is the writing. I'm not saying it's bad, but it is told in dual first perspective, something that is always extremely hard for me to dive into because I often become confused about who is narrating even when it is said at the chapter heading. Besides this, the writing was average, nothing elevated, but nothing juvenile. I wish there was some more descriptive items to help me truly pictureGodspeed but often in YA novels it's more about the action than taking the time to paint the full picture. The characters are what really bothered me about this book. I just...didn't feel any attachment to them, besides Amy, and even then, the connection was relatively superficial. Elder aggravated me in his naivety and his blind faith at one moment and his fierce opposition the next. This dichotomy of self had me spinning to see who Elder really was, and even at the end of the book I was still left confused by him. The secondary characters were still left relatively underdeveloped, besides Harley, who captured my heart and my tears with his koi paintings and actions. I really wish that we saw more about the inner mentalities of Eldest and Doc, because their essential brainwashing would have been extremely interesting to see from their perspective. However, for all the flaws I found in the characters, this was made up for in the plot. The scenario is fascinating, especially once the plot twist is explained, and I found myself trying to put myself in their position and squirming at the possibilities. The motif of stars was a nice touch, and I found that those luminaries seemed to be a good grounding, even though they have nothing to stand upon, for the book. Amy's situation and Eldest's morals and guidelines for his utopia were highly interesting, especially the distortion of history and the isolation of knowledge depending on the particular echelon one is found in. I wish we could see more about Elder's past and the line of leadership that we later learn is far more connected than previously thought. Overall this was an average novel, with an interesting plot, but too many flaws too disregard completely. Hopefully the next installment improves. Share your thoughts!