A valiant story sure to brighten your day and fill your heart.
“It came down to being smart versus being bold.” For Todd, a human in a life-threatening situation, these words have never been truer. For Princess Juna, every decision in her life comes down to this. Seeking refuge on a foreign planet called Earth, Juna and her fellow Cambrians are making the best of their time in a world that is decidedly different from their own. Things on their home planet are still too dangerous and volatile to make a stand against the unjust ruling class, so these beneficent rebels spend their days training, learning the local language, and avoiding humans at all costs. That is, until Todd needs their help. Unable to look the other way at another being’s suffering, Juna and her friends grant Todd a unique glimpse at a species unknown to mankind, complete with a fleet of mechanized robots and the ability to travel to other planets via magnificent, glowing space portals. First contact goes fairly smoothly between Todd and the cautious Cambrians, but not everyone in the universe is as eager to seek peace. The injustices and battles that ravaged Cambria inevitably follow Juna and her companions to Earth and beyond, putting lives on the line all over the galaxy.
Ken Deeprose flips traditional science fiction on its head, making Earth’s humans the alien species to the charismatic Cambrians we’ve come to love in this Mech series. Worlds Away features fun alien and Mech names that tell a story of their own, loads of interplanetary action and suspense, comically awkward moments as the different species learn about each other, and noble themes about self-worth and compassion. Despite her status as daughter of a despotic ruler, Juna brightens the page with her unbridled enthusiasm and relentless determination. No dainty princesses here! Juna is strong in physicality, loyalty, conviction and duty, yet she remains eager to learn everything she can about other people, places and cultures. Besides an admirable heroine, trustworthy friendships truly form the backbone of this bright-eyed novel. The relationships Juna develops with her closest friends–hardworking Pom, tech-savvy Orin and eventually even easy-going Todd–incite readers to protect and cultivate the close friendships in our own lives. Despite the darkness of an evil ruler who makes life difficult for his subjects, this breezy novel is blissfully void of the despair and angst that might otherwise encumber the plot, making Worlds Away totally appropriate for middle-grade readers and entirely bingeable for older audiences too! Good natured with a constant sense of wonder and discovery, Mech – Worlds Away is a valiant story sure to brighten your day and fill your heart.
