Review: Blue Thunder Across the Shattered Stars by Gregg R. Overman

An interplanetary drama that sets the fate of two planets in the hands of one fractured family, Blue Thunder Across the Shattered Stars by Gregg R. Overman is a stellar slice of sci-fi adventure.

Following the traumatic loss of their father on Phagea, young Jered and Gracely are separated for years, but their sibling bond is never broken. Gracely has a wild and rebellious streak that gets her in plenty of trouble on Phagea, and even more once she’s piloting a ship, while Jered lives under the strict control of a god-fearing household on Earth, where he is indoctrinated to fear “demonic” non-Earthlings and study hard to follow in his father’s footsteps. Jered also lives in fear of revealing his Martian origins, but hiding his hyper-charged abilities isn’t always easy, and there is little tolerance on Earth for aliens in disguise.

As they enter adulthood, the trajectories of their lives are nudged by unseen and sinister forces, pushing them into the center of an intergalactic crisis. Reunited after a lifetime of programmed distrust, these long-lost siblings must defuse a war that would spell destruction for the denizens of Mars, and eviscerate whatever sense of humanity remained on Earth.

Given humanity’s perennial trend of finding and fearing an “other,” the contentious relationship between Earthlings and Martians in this novel is strikingly familiar, but Overman weaves his views on propaganda-fueled conflict smoothly, rather than being too heavy-handed with an allegory. The relationship between Cora, John, and Jered is made even more interesting by the religious element of their unorthodox adoption – their belief that they could “cleanse” or “purify” the Martian orphan. The theocratic dystopia of this future Earth is yet another shiver-inducing prophecy that feels pointedly directed at contemporary readers. The integration of a fervent belief in a divine Savior with the seemingly miraculous science of interstellar space travel takes an odd bit of mental gymnastics, but it is also made surprisingly plausible, interjecting yet another layered observation about contemporary life that makes this narrative so engaging.

There are many varieties of Martians and other alien species in the sci-fi canon, but this book’s nuanced detail of Martian biology and physiology is fascinating, particularly their conscious control of their autonomic nervous system. This is in addition to the rich contextual development of Mars, the flora/fauna of Phagea, the entangled history of various alien races, the mysterious Sakshi, and the fatally flawed behavior of Earthlings, all of which demonstrate the author’s refreshing lack of anthropocentrism in his storytelling.

The creativity of the prose is also relentless, with talking trees as teachers, a huge range of clever technological adaptations, and theoretical aspects of warfare and space travel that are beyond original. The story’s frequent dives into astrophysics and the workings of matter and energy are a mind-bending treat for readers who enjoy some hard science in their sci-fi, and these passages arise organically throughout the novel, rather than being forced into place through exposition.

There are few technical critiques to speak of, as the writing is neatly edited and the dialogue is tight, without unnecessary scenes or filler. At times, the action sequences can be difficult to track or visualize, but the overwhelming energy is also visceral and immersive. Bold in its predictions for humanity and impressive in its diverse world-building, this is sci-fi at its best, expanding the potential of scientific exploration, as well as our understanding of the present day.