My first thought, on starting this book, was that the main character had a fantastic name: Melpomene Murray. The same naming convention as for asteroids exists for her generation. This is only the first of many differences between generations. In Mel's parents' lifetime, Earth's crumbling infrastructure finally collapsed. mutAIDS, ecological disaster, and countless wars all erupted in the same decade, killing much of Earth's population and leaving the planet almost uninhabitable. Mel's parents and a few thousand others escaped to live on a commercial space colony, The Flying Dutchman. They've raised their children to live in space, but are surprised at just how strange their children are to them.

Mel is a logical, empathic teenager, and I really liked her. When an immigrant from Earth joins her class, she tries to help him integrate. She is dumbfounded by the social changes he brings about, and hurt by her friends' new behavior. Barnes has written a book that captures the awkward stage of coming of age both for humans and new societies. It's a very interesting novel, and if it weren't for the last few chapters (which dribble on to no purpose), I would have rated this far higher. ( )

Barnes in full-out Heinlein juvenile mode -- what they call Young Adult now. Think Podkayne of Mars and Have Spacesuit, Will Travel. This may help you accept the fact that every kid in this story appears to be a genius in all the sciences (hard and soft) plus languages and perhaps the fine arts, though that seems more specific to individuals. What starts out appearing to be a "new kid comes to town and changes that old gang of mine" turns into a more SFnal study of socio-cognitive engineering. Unlike Heinlein, none of the characters, no matter how smart, turn out to know everything and be always right. On the other hand, those are my least favorite Heinlein juveniles and it remains a mystery to me why good SF writers and very smart fans still pay homage to them. ( )

More teenage space engineers! But not four-armed, sadly. ( )

A solid character focused Science Fiction novel, set near future, post apocalypse.

Narrated by Melpomene, a 13 year old girl living in an Industrial spacecraft being constructed from a hollowed out asteroid.

The Narrator is believable, and the novel explores her interactions with her peers, and the few adults aboard.

The book is pitched initially as an assignment set for Melpomene to explain to teens on earth what it's like living in the asteroid ship.

3.75 Stars. B+ A good effort ( )

I have yet to read a better book than this. Melpomene is such a strong narrator you almost believe the book was written by a teenage girl. ( )