Across the Universe (Across The Universe #1)

a review by Lindz

After reading the novel, I thought it was very interesting. The novel itself is an adventerous sci-fi plotline with a twist of romance. It also is very futurtistic, even though in the story the dont know if the world has "ended" yet. Overall, this book was a good read and i woulfd roecommend it to anyone with an interest in this genre. :)

It’s hard to say what I liked most about this book. Let me start by praising the author. Beth Revis has a beautiful writing style. It’s poetic at times without being wordy or flowery. It’s simple and dramatic. Poignant.



I also love authors that include subtle clues in their novels. Everything in this book has a purpose, even the name of the ship Godspeed. I did a little research (based on a comment from Amy, the MC in the book) about what Godspeed actually means. No surprise that it has hidden meanings. The Old English etymology of the word “speed” has nothing to do with actual velocity. Instead, it refers to prosperity and good fortune. Adding God was an acknowledgment of God’s generosity and blessing to an endeavor. Thus, speed in that sense became the acquisition of wealth and prosperity through a divine blessing. The irony of the name of the ship was not lost on me. It was interesting that she ship was named Godspeed by the original builders, but yet the current inhabitants look at religion as “fairy tales” and myths. There is no God on Godspeed. I also noted that Dante’s Inferno was referenced in the book as well when the crypto chambers were described as the final level of Hell: icy and cold. Oh, Ms. Revis you are a genius!



The plot of this book is also a tightly written piece of literary genius. There are many twists and turns and lies. Oh, so many secrets and lies. The three causes of discord were described as difference, lack of leadership, and individual thought. But really, the main cause of discord is lack of trust. Imagine living on a ship for centuries without ever knowing what was going on. History has been erased and rewritten, but no one knows the real truth because the secret has been preserved for generations. Imagine the chaos that would stem from such leadership. Or maybe there is no chaos because the people on the ship are so heavily drugged that they have no sense of reality? Only the “crazy” people can see reality for what it is. Imagine…



The characters are also perfectly written. Believable. Damaged. And some are evil beyond words. Eldest, the tyrannical leader of the ship, enjoys being compared to Hitler. He views Hitler as a leader worthy of admiration. Whoa. Then there is Luthe. To me is the worst of the characters in the book. Eldest has a reason for his crazy beliefs, and at times I could side with his rationale. But Luthe… oh gosh. When the rest of the ship is acting out its animal instincts during “the Season,” he is in perfect control. He is not influenced by hormones and drugged water. His cruel actions are 100% his own and intentional. That makes him far worse than any other antagonist in my opinion. I was a little disappointed how quickly he disappeared from the plot after his horrible act. But I don’t think that was an accident. I have a feeling Luthe will reappear in the future book in a way that can not bode well.



It is so hard to talk about this book without giving away too much. It reminded me of the C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy that I read as a teenager. (C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors that I do not compare others to often because his writing is perfection in my eyes). I enjoyed reading Across the Universe. In fact, once I made it to page 30 or so, I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up until 4 a.m. to finish reading it. So many unanswered questions leave me begging for the next book (which I hear is fabulous). If you still aren’t sold on this book, let me leave you with this: My dad (in his mid-50s) hijacked my copy of Across the Universe before I could read it. I had to endure listening to him laugh and make noises of contemplation as he read my book (another reason I finished it in one sitting). To understand the irony and importance of this situation, you have to understand my father. He is a reader. His choice reading material: military tactics, biographies, and the classics. Not YA reading material. So, for him to say, “This is a pretty good book” is HUGE. Monumental even.



This book is worth reading, even if you don’t like science fiction, you will find something to appreciate in this book.

I had some mixed feelings on this book. I'll warn, I'm a hardcore sci-fi geek. I make no apologies for that. I think I went into this with my hopes perhaps a bit too high...not only over seeing a YA sci-fi amid the sea of paranormal, but to see a sci-fi by a female author. And on the whole, for a first book it wasn't bad. I just didn't find it to be particularly enjoyable or memorable, either.

The writing was stylized, but not in a way that I minded. And I appreciated the ongoing thread of 'Alice In Wonderland' references. I also liked the underlying concept of removing human will via scientific manipulation and historical revision. It was interesting to see the idea of 'progress' painted in such an ominous and morally thought-provoking light. In that way, more than anything I found it somewhat reminiscent of 'The Giver'. On the down side, the foreshadowing was more heavy-handed than tantalizing. And while there is, fortunately, a minor twist at the end, the murderer is obvious from very early on.

Ultimately, I found that I kept reading because I wanted to know what was happening and why, not because I particularly cared about the characters.

My primary problem was the lead female character, Amy. The girl starts out as irritatingly childish; her thought process and immaturity giving me more the sense of a 13 or 14-year-old rather than a 17-year-old with well-educated and influential parents. She progresses to becoming something of a whiny Nancy Drew figure, minus a good deal of basic common sense and self-preservation. I couldn't sympathize with her. As 'Alice', she takes entirely too long to accept that she's in Wonderland, and that her new reality has very different culture and rules.

On the up side, Elder was believable as a 16-year-old boy--from any time period. And Harley was a welcome side-character who's quirkiness was expressed well while avoiding the prevalent PC stereotype. The 'villain', however, wasn't as multidimensional as I would have liked.

As many have already mentioned, the cover of this book is misleading. It is not a romance. There are few romantic elements, actually...and while there is definitely sex that is portrayed in an animalistic (although oddly tedious) orgy-like fashion (including a fairly graphic sexual assault scene that I would have liked to have been warned about), it is all bluntly sexual rather than sensual. Not exactly what I was expecting from a YA novel, and not really my taste. But that's just my opinion.

I tend to agree with those who would prefer to think of this book as more Dystopian Fantasy than Sci-fi. There were just too many logistical problems that were driving me crazy. Are kids 250 years in the future really still abusing the word 'totally' as an adjective? And after a few centuries, why would there only have been four new slang/cuss words conceived? (Chutz, Brilly, Loons, and Frax being the sum of this vocabulary. I may be picking nits here, but it just felt like too much attention was drawn to their use.) But beyond the language, which I can overlook if I try hard enough, were things that forced me to suspend disbelief.

*Despite repeated mention of incest being a ship-wide problem, the artificial 'season' for mating is wild and unregulated. Genetic issues seem to be modified or resolved by a 'goo', which comes off as more magical than scientific.

*Why jettison bodies into space when everything else on the ship is so carefully and deliberately recycled?

*The big mystery on the ship seemed to revolve around attempts to fingerprint the murderer, which highlights an apparent lack of research over the manner in which fingerprints are formed (in the biological sense). Were it not such a pivotal plot point, it wouldn't have bothered me so much. But it's harder for me to pretend that anything speculative is feasible when points based on existing and determinable science are inaccurate.

The beginning of this book was amazing – the way Beth Revis described how Amy felt while frozen was terrifying. It really made me think about what it would be like if you were in a constant dream-like state and the implications of possibly going crazy because of it.

When the focus shifted back to Elder, I was still intrigued. The ship is described beautifully down to the tiniest detail and I had no trouble imagining what it was supposed to look like as I followed Elder around. It actually reminded me of The Truman Show in that the community essentially lives in a bubble (the ship) and the main characters are in the dark but have no idea about the truths that lay beyond the surface.

In the end, I was hoping/expecting a more epic romance or a stronger connection between Amy and Elder as I thought the cover suggested. The romance seemed a little one sided, however it was nice to have both of their perspectives on the relationship even though I wasn’t completely satisfied with the resolution.

I loved the mystery that Beth created; it felt like a treasure hunt and I couldn’t wait to find out the secrets of the ship along with Elder and Amy. However, the ending felt rushed and it felt anti-climatic. I felt like the pages were dwindling as I wondered if I would be let in on biggest secret at the end. I was, though I don’t think it had as big an effect on me as it was supposed to so I was a little let down with the final twists.

Thankfully, the first three quarters of the book really made up for it and although I didn’t get everything I wanted, Across the Universe was very thought-provoking on many levels and I would suggest it to readers who are interested in a unique mystery with a little dash of science fiction.

Reader reviewed by Lia

Amy is cyrogenically frozen along with her parents on the spaceship Godspeed. She is supposed to be asleep for 300 years until they reach the new planet, where her family can set up their lives on the new planet. But when Amy is reanimated 50 years earlier, she tries to find out who tried to kill her with the help of Elder, the next leader and Harley, Elder's best friend.

This book was seriously creepy at times. Especially the part where Amy and her parents are being frozen. That process sounded very painful in all its description. And The Season was just gross. Ok other than that the plot of the book was very interesting as it had both elements of sci-fi and mystery weaved into the story. Harley was my favorite character, and his obsession with the stars was very endearing. Overall the book was good, though it did get slow at times.

I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE this stupid book! I'm sorry, but it is super creepy and I HATED IT SO MUCH. I thought it was so creepy that I actually FAINTED. I'm not lying.