Lotus and Thorn

Gr 9 Up—Leica and her sisters are Citizens of Pleiades, descendants of colonists who settled on the planet Gabriel 500 years ago. Now, in 2590, Citizens scavenge the ruins of their original colony for technology to give to the scientific-minded Curadores in exchange for supplies and God's eventual forgiveness, which they believe will allow them to return to Earth. After being exiled for nearly two years for possessing contraband technology, Leica knows the fear and privation of being alone in the desert surrounding Pleiades. She finds a shuttle in the Tierra Muerta that leads her back to her sister, Lotus, and a fledgling settlement trying to separate itself from Pleiades and the secure dome habitat of the Curadores. With the dome malfunctioning and food becoming scarce, Leica will have to uncover the long-buried secrets behind why Earth abandoned Gabriel so many years ago. This convoluted sci-fi novel is a loose retelling of the Grimm fairy tale "Fitcher's Bird," complete with a version of the story written by the author to accompany each of the novel's three parts. Elements from Korean and Mexican culture are fused into this futuristic narrative to create a diverse world, albeit one that often lacks strong internal logic. A meandering plot filled with not enough character development makes for a slow read.