Be My Enemy: Everness, Book 2
By Betsy Bozdech,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Sci-fi sequel offers intense adventure, frequent peril.
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What's the Story?
BE MY ENEMY picks up right where Planesrunner -- the first book in Ian McDonald's Everness series -- left off. After using the powerful jumpgun to escape their enemies, Everett Singh and his crew/foster family on the airship Everness have randomly leapt to a universe in which Earth is a frigid, forbidding place. As Everett races to figure out how to use the jumpgun and the Infundibulum (the map of the entire multiverse that his enemies are desperate to possess) to trace his missing father and help his friends find a safer haven, new threats force the allies to relocate to Earth 1 -- the mysterious, long-quarantined universe that offers both answers and deadly peril. Meanwhile, Everett's enemies are developing a powerful new weapon in their quest to capture him and the Infundibulum ... a weapon that looks very familiar.
Is It Any Good?
Offering a mix of fast-paced, engrossing action and thought-provoking sci-fi, Be My Enemy is a worthy follow-up to its predecessor, Planesrunner. Everett remains a sympathetic character whose motivations are always well intentioned. And his relationships with the Everness crew -- particularly spunky Sen and dashing Captain Anastasia Sixsmyth -- continue to deepen in this installment, driving the stakes even higher.
Things get pretty intense when the action shifts to Earth 1 -- the destructive Nahn are creepy and unnerving; as an extreme example of the dangers of technology "innovation" left unchecked, they're a very effective cautionary tale. As the second book in a planned trilogy, Be My Enemy suffers a little bit from middle-book-itis -- nothing is really wrapped up, and readers will be left champing at the bit to find out what happens next -- but it's a thoroughly entertaining adventure that will have a strong appeal for readers interested in real/hard science, as well as those who just like a good yarn.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea that there's an infinite number of parallel universes. Does the notion that there might be multiple copies/versions of you and your family spread across the cosmos intrigue or unnerve you?
How is Everett changing over the course of the series? What are his challenges teaching him? How do his relationships with the other characters shift? Do you consider him a role model?
The Everness series includes a fair bit of science background/information. Does that make it more or less interesting? How could you find out more about the theories that it explores?
Book Details
- Author: Ian McDonald
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Adventures
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Pyr
- Publication date: September 4, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
- Number of pages: 280
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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