12/12/2022
A teen from 1996 New Zealand abruptly awakens in 2122 as the result of a megacorporation’s time-travel technology in Furedi’s suspenseful speculative graphic novel debut. Reserved Ren, who’s Indian-cued, and Phoebe, a platinum blond teen with cheerleader-like exuberance, are part of corporate conglomerate Chronotech’s Time Travel Exchange Program. The program purportedly transports teens from the past into the 22nd century, pairing them with a local high school student for five months as part of a firsthand history exchange. Ren is partnered with Mars, an energetic Chronotech devotee with blue-streaked orange hair, while Phoebe eschews her assigned student to flirt with Mars’s prickly friend Jia, who is nonbinary and East Asian–cued. But after Chronotech covered up the mysterious death of Jia’s previous time-travel partner, they’ve been skeptical of the program’s true purpose; together with Ren, Mars, and Phoebe, Jia endeavors to uncover the entity’s secrets. Even as tense, ongoing conflict unfolds, the teens’ developing romantic entanglements—paired with blocky, full-color art populated by distinct character models and innovative technologies—provide a joyful counterpoint. A solidly queer addition to the sci-fi canon that interrogates how the pursuit of science can sometimes overshadow a commitment to ethics. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jess Mileo, InkWell Management. (Feb.)
★ "An exemplary teen graphic novel that will cross interests of sci-fi, queer romance, adventure, and anti–big tech readers, gorgeously accessible." — School Library Journal (starred review)
“A joy ride that will take readers from crying to gripping their seats and back again.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A solidly queer addition to the sci-fi canon that interrogates how the pursuit of science can sometimes overshadow a commitment to ethics.” — Publishers Weekly
"[A] fast-paced, suspenseful plot; some cliff-hangers and a surprise ending will win over most fans of the genre. Moments of light comedy, romantic subplots, and a twisty search for the truth, mixed with the cartoonish, anime-inspired drawing style makes this an easy sell to teens. Furedi does a wonderful job with LGBTQIA+ representation throughout the piece, which plays well into the plot, as Ren must not only contemplate his existence in this strange time but his own sexual orientation. A compelling and thought-provoking sci-fi adventure grounded in relatable characters.” — Booklist Online
"Exaggerated expressions, shocks of vivid color, and creative use of panel size all work to reinforce significant moments in the text. Most effective with the visual format is the use of space, particularly around Ren, as the reader can see his emotional walls slowly coming down well before he admits it to himself. The sci-fi details and a significant plot twist provide plenty of intrigue, but Ren’s self-discovery is the heart of this stand-alone graphic novel." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
★ 02/17/2023
Gr 7 Up—A satisfying blend of sweet LGBTQIA+ romance meets science fiction, conveyed in beautiful visual storytelling by New Zealand-based cartoonist Furedi. Featuring a racially diverse cast of teen characters who represent a variety of gender identities and sexualities, and a compelling time travel plot with a big tech corporation villain, this work has something for everyone without feeling overstuffed. Back in the 1990s, Ren ran away from home to meet an online friend. However, Chronotech kidnapped him en route, landing him in the 22nd century as an instructional tool for their students. Dramas befall Ren and his new bestie, pastel-coiffed Mars, as they and their friends work to mitigate Chronotech's unethical results. Characters are fully realized in dialogue as well as visuals, and nothing appears in text that repeats what readers see unfold in the images or vice versa. VERDICT An exemplary teen graphic novel that will cross interests of sci-fi, queer romance, adventure, and anti—big tech readers, gorgeously accessible.—Francisca Goldsmith
2022-11-16
A New Zealand teen is dragged from 1996 into the future by a shady company in this work that expands on a popular webcomic.
When Kieren Mittal, who is cued as being of Asian Indian descent, learns that his mother plans to send him to stay with his aunt for the summer so he can work and not just sit around playing video games, he impulsively decides to go visit his pen pal. After tripping and hitting his head on the bus, however, he wakes up in the year 2122. Ren discovers that he’s among 50 subjects transported through time by Chronotech to assist University of Time Expansion students with their history projects. After five months, the subjects’ memories will be wiped, and they will be returned to the moments from which they were taken. Knowing he won’t remember their time together, Ren struggles with growing closer to Mars, the White boy who will be studying him. Meanwhile, fellow subject Phoebe, Ren’s roommate, receives dire warnings from former student Jia about the experiment’s risks and Chronotech’s cover-up of a death. Ren and Phoebe must investigate to find the truth. Ren and Mars’ developing relationship is both adorable and full of angst, while rising tension mounts into a stunning twist ending. The attractive artwork is reminiscent of classic comics and features interestingly varied panels and a charmingly expressive, queer, and racially diverse cast.
A joy ride that will take readers from crying to gripping their seats and back again. (Graphic science fiction. 13-18)
