Starred Review It's 2072 and the end of the world is coming. Everyone on Earth knows, and they've been bracing for the volcanic eruption that will trigger a runaway greenhouse effect, rendering the planet uninhabitable. A plan is in motion to save a fraction of the world's population, and though it's led to escalating global tensions, a slim chance of survival is better than nothing. But that's before the end comes early and the only people who make it off the planet are the 53 children of the world's diplomats, who were touring the Lazarus, a prototype spaceship, at the time of the eruption. Among them is Leigh Chen, First Daughter of the U.S., who quickly assumes a leadership role among the group of shell-shocked teens. As the Lazarus charts its tentative d potentially doomed urse into deep space with limited resources and without the rest of its fleet, the survivors cope with their grief, their fear, and their distrust of each other and weigh the depths of resilience they'll need to reach for to survive as individuals and as a species. In a tense, understated narrative, Redgate (Final Draft, 2018) explores the mundanity of fear and the limits of humanity. Urgently driven by its desperate characters and flecked with hope despite its bleakness, this is a study of extremes that will linger with its readers.

It's 2072, and a group of teens has one chance at surviving the end of the world: a prototype spaceship.Eighteen-year-old Leigh Chen, daughter of the president of the United States, knows a volcano will soon erupt, leading to the destruction of Earth's atmosphere. She also knows the Global Fleet Planning Commission has a plan: to rebuild on a new planet, 5.4 light-years away. While Leigh and other children of GFPC members are touring a launch site in California, the eruption unexpectedly begins. Approximately 50 teenagers from around the world find themselves on a journey that will last many lifetimes, relying on an unfinished ship and a minimal supply of food. On their side is Eli, White American daughter of the spaceship's intended pilot. Eli forms a small leadership council to run the ship that includes Chinese American Leigh along with members from Kenya, Russia, Bolivia, and Egypt. As fault lines in the group quickly become apparent, Leigh busies herself with smoothing over conflicts among the survivors. But as they begin to repeat the mistakes of their parents, she must confront a question from her almost-friend, Anis Ibrahim: What does she really stand for? Part survival story and part exploration of the tenuous ties of cooperation, this memorable page-turner is a successful foray into science fiction for Redgate.A gripping post-apocalyptic survival story featuring a multinational cast and just the right amount of introspection. (Science fiction. 14-18)

In the near future, scientists predict a volcanic eruption that will render Earth unlivable. The global plan to launch generation ships is fraught with political and technical failure; fifty-three teenagers alone leave Earth on the one viable ship, and grief, along with food and personnel shortages, soon take their toll. Leigh Chen, first daughter of the U.S., struggles to balance her habitual evasive diplomacy against the urgent need for action, as the crew slides into panicked violence. With a firm handle on her characters' personalities and evolving fears, Redgate steers the reader through a space thriller that is chilling without being nihilistic. The ship technology and its grim shortcomings are well-considered and generally fresh. Light romance and a pull-no-punches ending round out this emotionally adroit, nerve-wracking novel. Alex Schaffner

It's 2072, and a group of teens has one chance at surviving the end of the world: a prototype spaceship.Eighteen-year-old Leigh Chen, daughter of the president of the United States, knows a volcano will soon erupt, leading to the destruction of Earth's atmosphere. She also knows the Global Fleet Planning Commission has a plan: to rebuild on a new planet, 5.4 light-years away. While Leigh and other children of GFPC members are touring a launch site in California, the eruption unexpectedly begins. Approximately 50 teenagers from around the world find themselves on a journey that will last many lifetimes, relying on an unfinished ship and a minimal supply of food. On their side is Eli, White American daughter of the spaceship's intended pilot. Eli forms a small leadership council to run the ship that includes Chinese American Leigh along with members from Kenya, Russia, Bolivia, and Egypt. As fault lines in the group quickly become apparent, Leigh busies herself with smoothing over conflicts among the survivors. But as they begin to repeat the mistakes of their parents, she must confront a question from her almost-friend, Anis Ibrahim: What does she really stand for? Part survival story and part exploration of the tenuous ties of cooperation, this memorable page-turner is a successful foray into science fiction for Redgate.A gripping post-apocalyptic survival story featuring a multinational cast and just the right amount of introspection. (Science fiction. 14-18)