Quantum Mechanics
Jeff Weigel
Lion Forge
Fiction, CH? Graphic Novel/Sci-Fi
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Rox has lived her whole life at her father's spaceship repair yard, working on junkers with her orphan best friend Zam. They dream of building a racer from spare parts, maybe seeing the galaxy, but nowhere seems further from anywhere than their out-of-the-way asteroid home. Then the Quasar Torrent touches down... and Rox and Zam end up on the adventure of their lives, when the Torrent turns out to be a pirate ship and the gifted girl mechanics are "borrowed" by the crew in their quest of vengeance against the all-powerful Quarkcorp. Mysterious saboteurs, a mistrustful captain, and the ruthless Quarkcorp ship Neutron Storm make this a trip the girls will never forget - if they survive.
REVIEW: This is a lighthearted, imaginative space adventure for the younger sci-fi fan that doesn't sacrifice all of the grease under the fingernails. Rox and Zam are both talented but untested in the wider world (or galaxy, rather), and find their excitement at working on a real spaceship and earning respect from (most of) the crew at odds with their desire to return home... a conflict that becomes more personal for Zam as she discovers the cause of the multiple shipboard malfunctions. With the exception of the captain Red Myk, none of the pirates are particularly mean or scary; they're all people who have been hurt by Quarkcorp's stranglehold on galactic travel. Yes, character motivations can be a bit shallow and the adults tend to get outsmarted by the kids, but this is targeted at kids, and even when they're being outsmarted none of the grown-ups come across as complete idiots; they just weren't raised in an interstellar junkyard, and don't think like the girls do. (And, seriously, what kid reader doesn't dream of showing up the grown-ups in their lives and proving themselves like Rox and Zam?) An afterword at the end briefly describes the author/artist's creative process. Quantum Mechanics blends girl power and technobabble with a certain sense of wonder to create a story that may have blunted teeth but possesses a good heart.
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