Genre: Publication Date: September 12, 2017 Pages: 384 (Hardcover) Published By: Crown Books for Young Readers Website: Scott Reintgen Nyxia on Goodreads My review copy:
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Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family.
Forever.
Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.
But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.
(Goodreads)Forever.
Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.
But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.
You can’t expect to always feel like yourself. Just don’t lose who you are. Are you a bad person? Of course not. Does that mean you’ll always do the right thing? Of course not. No one’s perfect.
I don’t have to be perfect. I just have to be better than the other guy.
To be perfectly frank, I did not immediately fall in love with Nyxia. It wasn’t “love at first page”, not even close to it. In fact, I started off rather skeptical and fully expecting to end up disappointed in this book, and that’s probably because I’m big on Sci Fi - and space travel / exploration of new worlds type of Sci Fi in particular - and over the years I’ve grown quite critical of the books I’ve been picking up.
That being said, I am so very glad I picked this one up (many months ago, though I’m only writing this review on here now), because I enjoyed it immensely. Next to Space Odyssey, Chaos Walking Trilogy and Across the Universe, it’s my favorite Science Fiction set in space.
The story is remarkably unique, complex, multi-layered, full of breathtaking action and unexpected plot twists (don’t even get me started on that ending!) and I finished the book with the feeling of amazement and satisfaction. Nyxia is deftly plotted and filled with characters that feel real. Characters you get attached to and end up caring deeply about. And it doesn’t help that some of them have secrets, some of them die, some of them never really show their true faces and in the end, you’re left with a whole bunch of questions, slightly dazed and confused, and yet still wanting to know more about all of the contestants, still worrying about them and cheering them on.
The cast of characters is also diverse, which definitely makes the story that much more awesome.
I’m going to admit that, initially, I was convinced that the entire training program was one big fake. Some sort of twisted government test designed to.. what? Find the most fierce fighter and survivor for some other, unfathomable purpose.. maybe? I didn’t believe these teens were actually training to become Nyxia miners on some far-away planet. I was literally blown away by the cliffhanger ending. And I’m now dying to read the second book (Nyxia Unleashed, already on my kindle as of few days ago!).
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to all Sci Fi readers out there. It’s exciting, it’s exhilarating, it’s intense and thought-provoking. It’s also really smart and emotionally gripping, which is always a huge plus when it comes to the genre.
That being said, I am so very glad I picked this one up (many months ago, though I’m only writing this review on here now), because I enjoyed it immensely. Next to Space Odyssey, Chaos Walking Trilogy and Across the Universe, it’s my favorite Science Fiction set in space.
The story is remarkably unique, complex, multi-layered, full of breathtaking action and unexpected plot twists (don’t even get me started on that ending!) and I finished the book with the feeling of amazement and satisfaction. Nyxia is deftly plotted and filled with characters that feel real. Characters you get attached to and end up caring deeply about. And it doesn’t help that some of them have secrets, some of them die, some of them never really show their true faces and in the end, you’re left with a whole bunch of questions, slightly dazed and confused, and yet still wanting to know more about all of the contestants, still worrying about them and cheering them on.
The cast of characters is also diverse, which definitely makes the story that much more awesome.
I’m going to admit that, initially, I was convinced that the entire training program was one big fake. Some sort of twisted government test designed to.. what? Find the most fierce fighter and survivor for some other, unfathomable purpose.. maybe? I didn’t believe these teens were actually training to become Nyxia miners on some far-away planet. I was literally blown away by the cliffhanger ending. And I’m now dying to read the second book (Nyxia Unleashed, already on my kindle as of few days ago!).
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to all Sci Fi readers out there. It’s exciting, it’s exhilarating, it’s intense and thought-provoking. It’s also really smart and emotionally gripping, which is always a huge plus when it comes to the genre.
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