I loved, loved this fast-paved and engrossing sci-fi tale which is a phenomenal surface level story but also manages to be a much deeper level story without sounding preachy or sacrificing the enjoyment of the main storyline. Oliver lives with his sister, Lulu, on New Senora, a planet that was colonized 200 years ago by Earth. They have been largely cut off from Earth. The quarantine for the planet’s inhabitants will be done in 8 years and the portal is almost complete which will allow instant travel back to Earth. Oliver, his friends, and his community are farmers who are aided in their agricultural tasks by bots/drones which have been repurposed to help them in the fields. The hive queen is Roger who helps control the other drones and is the “nanny” for Oliver and Lulu (as well as comic relief at times). Just as the inhabitants are going to experience a new wave of births, the peaceful existence of New Senora is rocked by a giant planet wide exercise called Operation Bounce House which is classified as a planet wide eviction. It is being led by Apex, a massive Earth corporation that has sold gamers the opportunity to remote control large bots in order to kill the entire population of the planet, the “subhuman terrorist” inhabitants of New Senora. Oliver and his community must decide what is important and how they are going to fight back to save themselves and their planet. This sci fi story includes what you’d expect from this genre – advanced tech, fighting, dangerous situations, evil entities, henchmen, loyal friends and family, tragic back stories, snark, plot twists, death, and laughs. There is some ethical, moral, and philosophical undercurrents which are universal as well as timely. These added to the depth of the tale. The story is definitely going to stay with me for a long time after its conclusion. Be prepared to think deep thoughts while enjoying this phenomenal story about community, the “other” and what makes us human.
Travis Baldree and Jeff Hays did a phenomenal job narrating the story and characters into life with enough change of inflection, tone and cadence to voice multiple characters quite convincingly.