The Blue, Beautiful World

June 12, 2023
Lord returns to the galaxy-spanning sci-fi realm of The Best of All Possible Worlds and The Galaxy Game, setting this excellent outing on a near-future Earth irrevocably altered by climate change and political turmoil. Young adults from all over the world come together every year in a model global government tasked with finding solutions to real and imagined problems and taking their ideas back to their own countries. This year, the model government’s Diplomatic Group, all from formerly colonized countries, are given a hypothetical first contact scenario. Then a video message from a real alien leader is beamed planetwide—and the teens are shocked to recognize it. The beings in the footage they’ve been analyzing are not actors in costumes; Earth has already been invaded by an alien cartel looking to extract what they can from humanity—and it’s up to the young diplomatic team to negotiate with them. Fortunately, they may have a secret weapon on their side: charismatic one-named pop star Owen. Lord’s choice to focus on the voices of historically colonized peoples adds depth and compassion to the classic alien invasion trope. Though it can be read as a standalone, series readers will get the most out of this heartfelt and thoughtful, but still action-packed, romp.

July 1, 2023

The third book set in the Cygnus Beta universe offers a unique take on the first-contact novel. Instead of a giant spaceship appearing out of nowhere, readers are introduced to humanoid aliens who are building a framework of support to help Earth thrive as a member of a galactic alliance. On Earth, Owen is a mysterious and beloved pop star with an uncanny ability to bring peace and harmony to his audiences. While Owen performs around the globe, his manager Noriko and friend Peter expand his empire using VR technology much more advanced than any other available on Earth. Over a decade later, Kanoa is representing the Federated States of Polynesia to the Global Government Project, working to unite the world's nations under global law. He is assigned to the Diplomatic Group, formed to consider first-contact scenarios. His training is upended when the Galactic Council announces to Earth that many world governments have been infiltrated by rogue actors from Alpha Lyrae. VERDICT Fans of complex space operas will enjoy this immensely, but read The Best of All Possible Worlds and The Galaxy Game first to better navigate the many intricate relationships of characters and planets.--Portia Kapraun

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 21, 2023
An alien presence has infiltrated Earth, and pop sensation Owen is secretly part of a group determined to retain the Earth's autonomy in the face of growing interest from the Galactic Council. Meanwhile, the brilliant Kanoa and his fellow Global Government Project initiates are tasked with working on an imaginary scenario that is less of a simulation than it first seems. While readers of Lord's Cygnus Beta series will certainly enjoy the revelations and returning characters, readers new to the world can jump in and experience this book purely as a first-contact story, particularly if they make good use of the name glossary in the back of the book. The Blue, Beautiful World is compelling and deep with rich world building, and the characters are endearing and interesting. Because the buildup is slow, it does feel like the climax whispers instead of packing a full punch, and the ending feels rushed for our characters. Still, the book is inventive and big in a way that many science-fiction readers will find satisfying and exciting.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2023
A tale of hidden aliens and first contact on an Earth in crisis. In the near future, Owen (famous enough for one name only) is the biggest pop star in the world. Owen's overwhelming appeal is something more than just charisma, though, as it's slowly revealed that he and members of his entourage are visitors from another planet, watching as Earth struggles with climate change and population collapse. Virtual reality is everywhere, both as entertainment and as thin fabric masks people use to disguise their identities (alien and human alike). More than a decade later, Kanoa Havili is a student representing the Federated States of Polynesia in Havana at a World Council Global Government Project, akin to a Model U.N. With his fellow students from around the planet, they're given a challenge to solve--what if an extraterrestrial civilization came to Earth?--but in the midst of working this out, it's revealed that everything they've been studying is real. Now Kanoa and friends have to navigate a first-contact situation with a powerful ally on their side: Owen. Unfortunately, other than a thin character list buried at the back, readers are given no indication that this book takes place in the larger universe of Lord's Cygnus Beta series, and as a result, the book reads like overly long fan fiction of a show you've never heard of. This wouldn't be an issue if it were better written, with some deft recapping woven into the narrative, but instead, readers have to try to piece together who's an alien, who's not, and who all these other civilizations are. Meanwhile, the book is glutted with secondary characters, adding little to the story besides confusion, and offers some cringey adolescent sentences like "His look varied from the delicate, waiflike freshness of a teen idol to the grizzled, whipcord-and-washboard toughness of a decades-seasoned rock star..." or "The salt breeze in intermittent puffs like shy kisses, telling a lie of warmth that the sea would soon dispel." An intergalactic fumble.

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