Review of 'Bright Blue Planet' by Kim Catanzarite
So happy to be back in the Jovian universe!
Kim Catanzarite is back with the third novel in this series. 'Bright Blue Planet' picks up several years in the future - Evander is now a grown man, with his own family. Having finished serving his three terms as US President, we see him floundering as he now has to find a new daily purpose. Added to this are the stress and worries of his family at home and some weird happenings with the Jovian oneness, and Evander feels at a total loss.
On the other end, we have Fran, who surprisingly has now been integrated into the Jovian world, and is now working for them. His son Max is all grown up, but seems to be lacking direction; so Fran hires him hoping it will spark something for him.
Our two narrators aren't the only ones dealing with issues - the world, now fully aware of the existence of clones and hybrids, is on the brink of turmoil. Clones want more freedom of choice but humans are giving major pushback. It all comes to a head one day, with Evander and Fran both having to make difficult decisions to ensure the safety of their families.
I love the world-building of the Jovian universe; the author's ability to make it feel real even though you know it's not is unparalleled. Some fantasy novelists make the error of glossing over the world in an effort to add action, but this book juggles the best of both worlds by focusing more on world-building at first, then hitting readers with the action after! The overall pacing of the plotline also worked well, as the story flowed and I never felt lost while reading.
I also really liked seeing the evolution of the characters we were introduced to in the first two novels, especially Evander. I could not wait to read his story, though I will admit I missed Svetlana very much.
That cliffhanger at the end! I excitedly await the next book in this great series and plan to stalk Kim until it comes out.
