Genesis Earth [Versión Kindle]

I really lucked out. I got this novel when I was really starving for a good SF...and man, I devoured it in a day. Well, technically a day and a half but only because I had to get up early the next day and needed to go to bed. It's been a while since I've found a SF novel that was such a page-turner!

Vasicek is great at suspense and keeping his SF elements realistic. I really felt like I was there. The characters are believably flawed--can't have every YA be a super genius at everything, hehe--and the story itself was quite original and satisfying. An enjoyable read! Well worth the chance on a new author. I don't give 5 stars lightly.

The first thing I'd like to point out is I'm not an avid reader of the sci-fi genre. I love the genre in different forms of media, specifically movies and video games, but when it comes to READING sci-fi it usually isn't my first choice. So when I gave Genesis Earth a go I was pleasantly surprised by how engrossing and interesting it was, even from the first page. Vasicek has created a world that readers will find both technologically sound and incredibly interesting.

The second point is how extremely well edited the novel is in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and general layout. Having read a handful of indie published Kindle books, a rather unfortunate stigma of the market is that most books have frequent grammar, spelling, and formatting issue. It is clear Vasicek spent a good deal of time perfecting this novel before putting it out on Kindle, which is a boon in and of itself.

The basic concept of the book is that our main hero Michael has lived his whole life in a space station, in the shadow of his super-scientist father. When mankind opens an artificial wormhole and finds what appears to be an inhabitable planet on the other side, Michael accepts the task of going through with the only other crewmember, Terra, to discover the planet and basically see what's up.

The initial chemistry (or lack thereof; they bicker frequently) between Michael and Terra is extremely amusing, especially with Michael basically looking for symptoms of mental illness in the girl. That was probably the funnest part of the book, watching Michael and Terra play off each other as their completely different personalities clashed frequently.

Once they arrive on the other side of the wormhole, things go from "interesting" to "weird" to "wait what?" There are several rather startling reveals throughout the book that kept me reading just to see what Vasicek would throw at me next.

I only have two complaints with Genesis Earth. First, the eventual chemistry (read: romance) between Terra and Michael seems phoned in. While I can understand they are the only two people alone on this starship and there was pretty much no way at all the book would NOT hook them up, the situations that lead to their eventual romantic interest don't seem to merit the sudden rush of fondness they feel for each other.

My second complaint was that the viewpoint character, while extremely technologically competent (which I am thankful for; I know nothing about sci-fi) came off as dry in several parts. I can understand it being his personality, but frankly his dead-panning of certain climactic scenes sort of took the wind out of the book's sails. I think it would be AWESOME to read this book from Terra's viewpoint, as she is both unstable and incredibly interesting.

Overall, if you are an avid indie reader, you really should pick this book up. It's a rather bright beacon of quality amongst a dark expanse of mediocrity. Even if you don't like sci-fi it should certainly be worth investigating, as the story is riveting and characters captivating.

Also, I kept humming "The Final Countdown" by Europe every time their spaceships were flying around. Is that weird? Whatever.

(Cross-posted from the Frida Fantastic book blog)

Genesis Earth is a space opera coming of age story. Michael and Terra are two young adults raised on Heinlein space station, and they're charged with an important mission that could usher in a new era of space exploration. While they face the unknown, an innocent romance blooms between the two.

This book has a wonderful start. The conflict and paranoia between the two characters while they're isolated in space is brilliantly done. I liked how they aren't hyper-competent protagonists, but very flawed young people who happen to be on the most important mission for mankind. They take different approaches towards their obligations to the mission: while Terra considers herself free from expectations, Michael nearly collapses from the weight of his responsibilities. Their characterization and interactions are a strength of this book.

Vasicek's prose and exposition are excellent. The pacing is slow, but it works in the story's favour because it sets the mood and it makes the build-up fairly intense. The scene where the protagonists thaw from cryogenic sleep is particularly memorable. It's heart-pounding and it really shows how fragile humans are out in the cold void of space.

While the first half is great, the book changes focus to something I couldn't care much about. The big questions developed early on were meaty stuff: where should humanity go and what is the future of mankind? But instead of fully exploring those questions, the protagonist decides to shelve them and focus on carving out a life for himself.

The personal conflict of Michael deciding between what's best for the mission and for his own life is actually good, and it's not a conflict I often see in sci-fi. The problem is that Michael himself is uninteresting compared to the big questions that the story decides to ignore. I was willing to put up with Michael to see what he'd discover, but when he decides to focus on himself and his budding relationship with Terra, it's hard to stifle the yawns. They're the space equivalents of two young adults that have never left their small town: they're boring. Do I care if they'd settle down and find a happily ever after? Not really. And it's hard to take their romance seriously when there's half a dozen unused Chekov's guns littering the landscape.

I was also incredulous at Michael's priorities. He finds a terrifying answer to the "future of mankind" question, and instead of pursuing it and possibly changing humanity's fate, he decides to stick to the mission. I understand that he's a strict-rule-abiding kind of guy, but I'm sure the folks back on Heinlein station would rather have him investigate that lead. I was surprised that Terra didn't consider that a priority either. To be blunt, I thought that their subsequent accomplishments amounted to rearranging the furniture while the house burned down. There's nothing wrong with that, but it bothered me that they didn't recognize the weight of their decision.

Genesis Earth explores big sci-fi questions, but they eventually fade into the background as the puppy love between the two protagonists takes centre stage. Vasicek is a competent prose writer, he establishes the space setting really well, and he has good ideas. I'd like to see him tackle a concept-driven science fiction story. If you're looking for a sci-fi adventure or one that thoroughly explores big questions, this isn't it. But if you just want a coming of age story with a bit of romance set in space, this might be up your alley.

Note: A free review copy was provided by the author.