"Other Systems" Elizabeth Guizzetti

My Rating: 4 Stars 

Synopsis:

Ten large ships race toward Earth, broadcasting in every language: "Brothers and sisters, we come in peace and in need. We have found our way home." The fear of a coming invasion begins the worldwide riots of 3062.

Yet, not all Earthlings fear attack. The newcomers, long lost descendants of Earth, speak of a paradise ninety-four light years away. Kipos is a land of plenty where there has never been hunger, murder, or war. However, they need more healthy young immigrants for the colony to thrive.

Many accept their offer to be tested. After assessment, Abby Boyd Lei is among the chosen. She leaves the protection of her family with dreams of higher education, a good job, and a kind-hearted spouse.

Will Kipos be everything she imagined? Abby is about to discover the cost of utopia

My Thoughts:

I am in no way qualified to write about sci-fi. I have never read a sci-fi novel, I have never watched star trek or anything like that, and I find them to be boring. With that said, Guizzetti asked me to read her novel. So I decided to give it a shot cause she made it sound so promising.

I had a hard time with this novel I’m not going to lie. I was a science nerd and I know about all the planets and the physics of everything. I still had a hard time, I found the language in the beginning to be a little more complicated then I’m used to.

I couldn’t help but get immersed in Abby’s story. She was an earthling in the year 3062, she was a librarian and the only thing she worried about was finding a husband. She lived in a cramped apartment building with four other siblings, and then they were informed that there was a ship landing from another planet. When the other people arrived they promised the earthlings a better life on their planet Kipos. Abby was excited she could go and maybe go back to school. They got all the necessary testing and then they were off, Her and her two siblings went to the new planet. There were the things the people didn’t tell the earthlings, and when Abby gets to Kipos she finds herself in a difficult situation.

Guizzetti, talks about major things such as suicide and rape, but she portrays it so beautifully, that I didn’t find myself offended by the situation. She shows you that no matter where you go there are people that won’t always be nice.

Abby finds herself running, to find a new way of life on this planet. She finds someone who is willing to help her and Abby gets the life she always dreamed of.

Guizzetti describes the environments of different planets beautifully and I had no trouble imagining what they would look like.

Abby is strong and independent. Even though she lost everything by traveling to Kipos, she still manages to pull through and overcome the things that have been done to her. She does what’s right for her, even though she was dealt a really bad hand; she manages to find everything she ever wanted. She is also timid, emotional, and that’s what makes her story so easy to fall in love with.

I have to say that, if I liked it then you probably will too even if you have never read a sci-fi novel before. When I went into this book, I was expecting something lite and fluffy, it was the farthest thing from my expectation, it was intense, and it was hard to put down. Most of all it was believable I found myself, thinking maybe one day this might actually happen, or that maybe there are other planets out there that could be discovered.

Overall I found I really loved this book, I don’t recommend it for younger readers, but if Guizzetti can make a believer out of me. I’m sure she can make you a believer too.  

You can buy this at Amazon