Sound (Salvage #2)

Sound by Alexandra Duncan is the sequel to her book Salvage, set in the far distant future.

Miyole has wanted to be a deep space engineer since she was quite young. Rescued from a freak storm that killed most of the people in the Gyre, Miyole moved to India and excelled at school.

Now sixteen, but with papers that say she is eighteen, Miyole is on a Deep Sound Research Institute ship headed for the farthest reaches of known space. She is a research assistant working on adapting butterflies and bees to live in terraformed atmospheres.

When the ship is approached by another, smaller ship, all aboard are asked to go to their stations. Trained as a medic, Miyole is on her way to the dock when part of a fighter breaks through the wall. The bio-mechanical substance that forms her ship begins to heal right away, but Miyole's life has been changed forever.

A family is rescued from the crash, but pirates had one of the sons. His sister, Cessia, is determined to somehow follow and save him. Miyole, instantly smitten, will agree to help Cessia steal a shuttle, retrofit it, and search for him.

Duncan has created a fascinating science fiction world - multiple worlds, really - in this series. Miyole lived on a floating island, will visit a planet where everyone lives under the sea, and space ships are grown instead of fabricated.

Duncan, Alexandra. (2015). Sound. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Salvage (Salvage #1)

Salvage by Alexandra Duncan is a science fiction book about a young woman in a male dominated society.

Ava was born on the ship Parastrata. Most people from the ship never leave the ship - unless they are a high rank or part of a boarding party - and few ever visit Earth. The Parastrata culture is one of men. The women are there to work and have babies.

Ava has always been interested in figures and how things work, but women do not work as fixies. They are not even taught to read. And as the captain's eldest daughter, she is to be married to someone from another ship.

When they travel to the Aether ship for her marriage - Ava is sure she is to be wed to Luck, a boy she met when he and his sister visited her ship years ago. But the night before the official announcement, Ava breaks a rule. A rule so rigid that she will likely be sent to the Void.

With the help of an ally, Ava escapes to Earth. She knows she has an aunt in Mumbai - but she doesn't know where that is, or even how to read. She will have many obstacles to overcome to make a life for herself planetside.

Duncan has written a book of one young woman overcoming great odds. Ava is a formidable character placed in a world that is against her in this interesting science fiction story.

Duncan, Alexandra. (2014). Salvage. New York: Greenwillow Books.