The Neptune Project, Polly Holyoke

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.