SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read Across the Universe, Stop! I don't want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.
"It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed."
Eldest is dead and now Elder is in charge of the Godspeed. The 2,298 residents of the spaceship are no longer under the influence of Phydus and for Elder, the time for lies is over. When he goes to the Shipper level to discuss with the First Shipper Marae a possible solution to the decreasing speed of the spaceship, he finds out that the lies run deeper than he ever imagined. The Godspeed is an old ship whose systems are failing. Since the Plague and the Shippers development, the priority is improving life aboard the ship over fixing the engine problems. In fact, even Eldest didn’t know that the Godspeed isn’t moving at all.
For Amy, the walls are literally closing in. Missing her old life on Sol-Earth, she is having problems recalling memories of her friends and parents. When Doc comes to see Amy at her room in the hospital, he has a gift for her. Orion kept his wi-com and made it into a bracelet. For her safety, Doc thinks she should wear it. In fact, Orion left a note that he made it specifically for Amy. She is repulsed but knows she would be connected to Elder, especially since she has seen very little of him lately. Upon closer inspection, she notices a phrase written on one of the wi-com’s wires. “’Abandon all hope’ is the phrase written above the gates of hell in Dante’s Inferno.” Amy goes to the Recorder Hall figuring that Orion has left her a message. While there, someone has hacked into the floppies to display the message Lead Yourself. Amy realizes that Elder is going to have to prepare for the eventual rebellion that is brewing on the ship. When she pulls Inferno off of the shelf; a thin rectangular black sheet of plastic falls out. Before she can leave, Victria; a friend of Elder’s, rushes in. Behind her is Luthe, the man who tried to rape Amy. Amy escapes into a crowded area. Luthe tells her that Elder cannot stop him and shouts, “we can do anything we want.”
Amy finds Elder in Eldest’s room. She is able to enter because of Orion’s wi-com. Each can tell the other is keeping secrets and Elder finally spills about the Godspeed. Amy wants to wake up her parents and some of the others but Elder is determined that his people can fix the ship’s engines. During their argument, Elder says some mean things and calls Amy a freak. He tries to apologize but realizes something has frightened her. She refuses to tell him about Luthe. Elder asks Amy to come live with him but she refuses because she wants to choose who she loves not because they are the only two teenagers on the ship. Amy leaves and Elder is crushed.
Alone, Amy finally watches the video that Orion left for her. He basically tells her that being from Sol-Earth, she is the only one who can make the choice. The Godspeed is dying and without the Phydus, Elder will have a rebellion on his hands. He will not tell her the choice; she must find all the clues to the puzzle he left behind for her. Orion hopes that she will make the right choice as time is running out.
Why has the Godspeed stopped moving? What happened during the Plague? Can Amy figure out the truth about what is going on in time to save the Godspeed? Is Elder a strong enough leader to maintain order? Can Elder and Amy have a relationship? And will Amy be strong enough to make the decision that Orion knows must be made?
Elder and Amy's story will be concluded with Shades of Earth in 2013.
Visit Beth Revis' website.
No comments:
Post a Comment