Title: Planetfall
Author: Emma Newman
Publisher/Year:  Penguin Groou 11/3/15
Length:   268 Pages
Series:  Planetfall #1

Overview

Renata Ghali believed in Lee Suh-Mi’s vision of a world far beyond Earth, calling to humanity. A planet promising to reveal the truth about our place in the cosmos, untainted by overpopulation, pollution, and war. Ren believed in that vision enough to give up everything to follow Suh-Mi into the unknown.

More than twenty-two years have passed since Ren and the rest of the faithful braved the starry abyss and established a colony at the base of an enigmatic alien structure where Suh-Mi has since resided, alone. All that time, Ren has worked hard as the colony’s 3-D printer engineer, creating the tools necessary for human survival in an alien environment, and harboring a devastating secret.

Ren continues to perpetuate the lie forming the foundation of the colony for the good of her fellow colonists, despite the personal cost. Then a stranger appears, far too young to have been part of the first planetfall, a man who bears a remarkable resemblance to Suh-Mi.

The truth Ren has concealed since planetfall can no longer be hidden. And its revelation might tear the colony apart…

My Thoughts

I’m still not sure what to make of this story – but it’s interesting to say the least.  it takes the technology that we’re developing now, and overlays an interesting story on spirituality and trust.

True to what the summary says, we meet Ren who’s out lead.  she’s a gifted engineer in present day, and quite intelligent and gifted in the past.  Her path crosses Suh’s when they are in university and are looking at the same apartment.  From what i’ve gathered from the hints that we’ve been given, there was definitely an element of romance here with them  – and that’s what probably led Ren to blindly trust in what Suh told her.  Aside from the fact that Suh was able to convince everyone that she has seen god’s city as a result of a coma that she was in after eating a plan seed.

So the journey that we go on in this story is in the future – where they have colonized this planet that Suh had led them to, as a result of eating this seed, and how their lives are forever changed.  There were strict rules and regulations put into place because there was a lie or lies being perpetuated – and we get to see what those were over time.  There were teasers of murders, or killing of folks from the first planetfall, there’s the question of where Suh truly is, and who is really right in all this.

When Sung-Soo shows up – the grandson of Suh, we get to really see that things aren’t what they seem.  He tells us who he is and that he’s the last survivor – as his settlement all was killed in a flood.  Mind you the fact that he’s around is a question mark as there was an assumption that the 2 missing pods were dead.

Sung pushes Ren far outside of her comfort zone, and what we see is that all hell will break loose because of it.  the way that this story is wrapped up (or not) is kind of what i was coming to expect.  We see there’s so much more to that planet and it’s inhabitants than anyone knows – and i wonder what will come of it.

Not my usual form of dystopia – but not at all bad.  have a great day all!