While today's read doesn't shoot to the stars and beyond, it does take a high-tech, futuristic twist...and intrigue with tension? At least, that's what I'm getting from the description. This book is set in the future, and I'm looking forward to where it will head, since it doesn't seem to be a dystopian, either.
In other words, let's see what this one holds.
SKYBOY
by Adam Aresty
Morgan James
YA Science Fiction
250 pages
COMING...
MAY 6th!!!
In Skyboy, a young genius must confront his greatest weakness to survive.
Konstant is a brilliant 17-year-old immigrant whose pride and desire to rise to the top has exposed his blind spot - a failure to collaborate with others. When he wins a nationwide science fair sponsored by Metronome Logistics, the world’s most successful technology company, Konstant and five of his peers are invited to Metro-One, Metronome’s campus in New York City.
An industrial accident strands them, along with the enigmatic CEO and his daughter, in an underground manufacturing facility. Forced to work together and use their prize-winning inventions to make it out alive, Konstant's greatest fear is realized when he discovers that someone among them is responsible for the attack.
Konstant is a brilliant 17-year-old immigrant whose pride and desire to rise to the top has exposed his blind spot - a failure to collaborate with others. When he wins a nationwide science fair sponsored by Metronome Logistics, the world’s most successful technology company, Konstant and five of his peers are invited to Metro-One, Metronome’s campus in New York City.
An industrial accident strands them, along with the enigmatic CEO and his daughter, in an underground manufacturing facility. Forced to work together and use their prize-winning inventions to make it out alive, Konstant's greatest fear is realized when he discovers that someone among them is responsible for the attack.
MY TIDBITS
High-tech genius meets intrigue and a hint of high school drama as a boy is thrust into a dangerous game.
Konstant has trouble fitting in at school, not only because he's an immigrant but because he's marked as a Carrier...an individual who carries a deadly disease. Only a few years before, a fatal epidemic swept the world, taking his mother with it. While he was also infected, he never displayed symptoms but still might infect others around him...might. This leads to constant bullying and makes life rough, especially since he only wants to do his best to succeed, but no one lets him forget that he's really an outcast. He finally gets his chance to break out of the rut when a large corporation holds a contest to find five teens, whose inventions might help a planet, which is slowly falling apart. Thanks to his genius mother's notes, which she left behind, his very-talented-coding sister, and his own abilities to work with technology, he comes up with a device, which is sure to win. But life isn't that simple, and he soon finds himself in a fight to survive.
The author creates a futuristic world, which holds many familiar aspects to allow readers to easily sink into Konstant's life. It might be set in the future, but if it weren't for a few high-tech gadgets here and there, it could also be a slightly different version of today. This makes it easy to sympathize with Konstant as he tries to walk the line between defending himself against bullying, while trying to stay out of trouble. His frustration with the school is understandable as the administration seems to carry a bit of bias against him. But then, his actions and decisions tend to slide into a very grey (if not wrong) area. The support offered by his family is golden, especially his sister who always has his back. So, while he's up against a lot, he's never really alone. Also, a sense of community offers a message of hope the entire way through.
While the beginning chapters allow time for the characters, setting, and plot to unfold and gain foundation, the later chapters pick up the pace into heavy action and tension. The book builds the entire time, making it hard to put down. Not only does Konstant have to figure out how to work through the increasing danger, but the characters around him hide their own secrets...one of which should be a traitor. This adds another layer of tension to the already deadly situations, and keeps the reader guessing until the end.
To keep things even more interesting, there are invention proposals from other contestants sprinkled between the chapters. While this seems entertaining and interesting at first, it's actually laying the crumbs for the adventure later on in a clever way. The author also slips in some science goodness (just a little) with the very basic Ohm's Law and such, not much but enough to create a bridge to science fans.
The writing flows nicely, for the most part. There are flashbacks, which are well placed to move the plot along, but they meld right in with the usual text and place a small hiccup as readers have to realize when they start or finish. Much of the time, this felt like an upper middle grade read and would work well for the age group, but then, readers should be aware that Konstant vapes.
In any case, this is a fun, easy-to-read adventure with plenty of action and tension, too. Plus, the setting makes it a tale, which will delight more than just science fiction fans.
And here he is...
Adam Aresty is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist based in New York City. He wrote the screenplay for the horror/comedy Stung (world premiere: 2015 Tribeca Film Festival), and the digital series Alt (2021). He has published two novellas (Recovery (2014) and The Communication Room (2016)) and numerous short stories in both print and e-book. He wrote the multiplayer open-world fantasy game Enshrouded (2024), which has amassed over two-million users online. He teaches screenwriting at Fordham University.