trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...
of
young adult
In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
romance novel
A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed ...
s written by American author
Beth Revis
Beth Revis is an American author of fantasy and science fiction, mainly for the young adult audience. She is best known for the ''Across the Universe'' trilogy, which consists of the novels ''Across the Universe'', ''A Million Suns'' and ''Shades ...
. Chronicling the life of Amy Martin aboard a
generation ship
A generation ship, generation starship or world ship, is a hypothetical type of interstellar ark starship that travels at sub- light speed. Since such a ship might require hundreds to thousands of years to reach nearby stars, the original occup ...
hundreds of years in the future, ''Across the Universe'', the first novel published in 2011 by
Razorbill
The razorbill (''Alca torda'') is a North Atlantic colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus ''Alca (bird), Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinus impennis' ...
, received a starred Kirkus review and made the New York Bestseller List for Children's Chapter Books.
Plot summary
Hundreds of years in the future, the spaceship Godspeed travels toward a distant, earth-like planet with 100 cryogenically frozen settlers on board. Seventeen year old Amy, frozen along with her parents, wakes early and only to find herself in the middle of a strange, regimented society made up of those born on the ship over generations. With the help of Elder, the ship's only teenager and future leader, she must solve a murder mystery, and save the ship. They must hurry before the murderer kills any more people, and before time runs out of life.
Books in this universe
* ''Across the Universe'' (2011)
* ''A Million Suns'' (2012)
* ''Shades of Earth'' (2013)
* ''The Body Electric'' (2014)
The first three books in the series make up the original trilogy, published by
Penguin Books
Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...
. The fourth book is a standalone novel set in the same universe, and was self-published by Revis.
Short Fiction in this universe
* ''The Other Elder''
* ''Love is a Choice''
* ''Night Swimming''
* ''As They Slip Away''
Revis has also written short fiction that takes place in the universe of her trilogy, including ''As They Slip Away'', a novella available as a free download from Penguin Teen, as well as short stories in the anthologies ''After'' (edited by
Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow (born December 31, 1949) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award ( Horror Writers Association).
Career
Datlow began her car ...
and
Terri Windling
Terri Windling (born December 3, 1958, in Fort Dix, New Jersey) is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Bram St ...
), which includes ''The other Elder''; ''Shards and Ashes'' (edited by
Melissa Marr
Melissa Marr (born July 25, 1972) is an American author of young adult fiction, young adult/urban fantasy novels.
Biography
Marr, a former university English teacher, currently resides in Arizona. Her first novel was published in 2007, the New ...
YALSA
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...
Teens Top Ten book for 2012.
The sequel, ''A Million Suns'', debuted on the bestseller list at #10. It was named a Best Teen Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews.
When the final book in the series, ''Shades of Earth'', received more pre-orders than the previous two books combined, Revis' publisher launched a copy of ''Across the Universe'' into space.