The Neptune Project, Polly Holyoke. ISBN: 9781423157564
Read August 14, 2013
YA: far-future undersea mutation utopia/dystopia
Nice debut, and a decent amount of plot despite an obvious set-up
as the lead in a series. I don't mind series titles, I just mind when
the first book is unrelentingly and irritatingly set-up for the "real
story" in later books. If I want teasers, I'll watch movie trailers,
thanks.
First off - the small niggling irritations:
Terminology: "dollarns"? "discns"?
"Birthing Days"? It's very obviously post-American, along the West
Coast. LA is still LA, and everything else is named in modern terms. I
hate being forcibly ejected from a story because someone didn't do
their linguistics and culture research and comes up with terms that just
aren't plausible.
Cliches: Then, there's the somewhat cliched "the child of the
important scientists is the one who knows the least/knows nothing"
set-up. Ok fine, use it, but if so, demonstrate WHY you're using it!
Was Nere already under suspicion so you left her out because she was a
weak link already? Does Nere tend to blab about cool things or let
important info slip in conversation without thinking? Is she a worrier
and it would make her psychologically upset to know for a long time?
Nope - just there because it was the plot idea. I HATE that.
History: Next, Nere
is the name of the main character, and her mother is a secretive
scientist studying dolphins and genetics, and the story revolves around
Nere taking care of a group of younger/more vulnerable kids in the open
ocean. When I was younger, there was a fun show coming out of Australia
called Ocean Girl, where the main character is Neri,
and the mother figure is a scientist studying oceanography, and the
storylines revolved around the kids on the habitat and their adventures
with Neri. Just thought that was a little funny - perhaps Ms Holyoke
watched the same TV shows I did.
Love Triangles: I have to say I wasn't QUITE as unhappy with the love
triangle (quadrangle?) in this one, because it was set up fairly well,
and wasn't too intrusive. I do wish it wasn't necessary, but at least
if it's going to be there, I'm happier if it is less important to
the plotline and action sequences.
Climax: A little unclear on the reasons for the climax, and that
makes it ultimately seem a bit hollow. If it were more clear-cut as to a
sacrificial action or a failed escape attempt, I'd be a lot happier.
Not that it was bad the way it was, just wasn't as powerful as I think
it could very easily have been with only minor alterations to the
immediate action sequence.
...and Reunions: In addition, it was a bit of a cop-out to
leave the whole reunion scene without any real emotional pay-off. There
should be some really complex emotions bubbling away there, and I don't
quite like that we're leaving that relationship on an uncomplicated
happy note.
Otherwise, I really liked this!
If the link above didn't provide enough of a clue, I love the ocean. I love the idea of mutations allowing humans to live or work more easily undersea, and I like the concept of undersea habitats and colonies. I have avoided all of the mermaidy books because they tend to be gushy romances, and YA romances make me want to stab my eyes out with a spork. This was a welcome action-filled addition to the undersea adventure genre, up there with Kat Falls' Dark Life and Rip Tide.
Nice opener, and I'm actually looking forward to this series continuing on.
