Avalon

by Mindee Arnett

Overview

For fans of Josh Whedon's cult classic television show Firefly comes a fascinating and fast-paced sci-fi thriller from author Mindee Arnett, which New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White calls "a heart-pounding, tense joyride of a novel."

Jeth Seagrave and his crew have made their name stealing metatech: the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light. In a world where the agencies that patrol the outer edges of space are as corrupt as the crime bosses who control them, it's as much of a living as anyone can ask for. For years Jeth's managed to fly under the radar of the government that executed his parents for treason—but when he finds himself in possession of information that both the government and the crime bosses are willing to kill for, he's going to find there's no escaping his past anymore.

With pulse-pounding action, a captivating mystery, and even a bit of romance, Avalon is the perfect read for hard-core sci-fi fans and non-sci-fi fans alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062235596
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/21/2014
Series:	Avalon , #1
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.70(d)
Lexile:	HL730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Mindee Arnett is the acclaimed author of Onyx & Ivory and its sequel, Shadow & Flame, as well as Avalon and its sequel, Polaris. She lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. You can find her online at www.mindeearnett.com.

Editorial Reviews

Avalon will pull you into the darkest reaches of space-and you’ll be glad to be there. A heart-pounding, tense joyride of a novel.” — Kiersten White, author of the New York Times-bestselling Paranormalcy series

“This is an exciting piece of science fiction that keeps up its energy from beginning to end … it is sure to be one of the most popular releases in the genre this year.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Arnett’s fast-paced space western combines S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders (1967) with television’s Firefly in what appears to be the beginning of a promising series. Sci-fi fans will gulp it down in one sitting and ask for more.” — ALA Booklist

“Secrets, betrayal, family, team work, and love are all at the heart of Arnett’s book. It is a plot-filled story with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing about what will come next.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

From the Publisher

Avalon will pull you into the darkest reaches of space-and you’ll be glad to be there. A heart-pounding, tense joyride of a novel.

Kiersten White

Arnett’s fast-paced space western combines S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders (1967) with television’s Firefly in what appears to be the beginning of a promising series. Sci-fi fans will gulp it down in one sitting and ask for more.

ALA Booklist

★ 02/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—Jeth's parents were the preeminent scientists of the Confederation until their final mission ended in tragedy and they were suddenly charged with treason and executed. Since then, Jeth has been in the forced employ of an interstellar crime lord, aboard the Avalon. It is a ship specially designed by Jeth's parents to navigate and explore the Belgrave, a sector of space that gives off inexplicable power fluctuations; many consider it haunted. Jeth is finally given the opportunity to captain the Avalon when the crew are sent into the Belgrave to salvage a stranded Confederation ship said to hold a dangerous weapon. Little does he know that this mission will set off a chain of events that could have far-reaching consequences and fundamentally challenge his understanding of his own family's history. This is an exciting piece of science fiction that keeps up its energy from beginning to end. Fans of the short-lived but beloved Joss Whedon television show Firefly will find this book especially enjoyable, and it is sure to be one of the most popular releases in the genre this year.—Ryan F. Paulsen, New Rochelle High School, NY

School Library Journal

2013-10-09
Action-packed space opera tells the laws of physics to sit down and shut up, to no particular detriment. Seventeen-year-old Jeth and his band of thieves operate under the iron thumb of interstellar crime lord Hammer, who treats traitors and resisters to brutal beatings and mind-erasing brain implants. Pulling jobs for Hammer is Jeth's only way to buy back his late parents' spaceship and keep his 13-year-old sister out of prostitution. The current assignment requires retrieving a missing spaceship from a Bermuda Triangle–ish area of space where ships malfunction and disappear. Jeth's crew travels there via "metaspace," but this is no hard science fiction: "Metatech" and "metadrives" receive an eventual explanation that's mostly hand-waving, while things that should be difficult (rerouting power from one ship to another) or dangerous (a character moves through open space by pushing off a spaceship "as if he were diving") are easy-peasy. Arnett's fast-paced plot spotlights gun battles, twists and memorably grotesque damage to spaceships and bodies. As Jeth makes unsavory deals and repeatedly finds himself betrayed, a threat to billions of lives connects with his personal mission. Thoughtful readers (or anyone who's seen Star Trek) will wonder whether the implied sequel will address a core moral atrocity at the root of metatech that this volume ignores. There's no subtlety and barely any science in this science fiction, but there is lots of action. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

Secrets, betrayal, family, team work, and love are all at the heart of Arnett’s book. It is a plot-filled story with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing about what will come next.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)