LIFE ON MARS IS PRETTY GOOD–EXCEPT FOR THE NO PETS POLICY
Like most Martians in the year 2184, Miley McMeteor has a way around the system. She keeps her dog Disco hidden. But when she loses him on spring break, she learns her pet is only the beginning of the secrets on her home planet.
Pursuing her furry friend across a terraformed landscape, Miley faces the usual obstacles of a twelve year old on Mars: snooping neighbors, a deadly atmosphere, and a society based on corporations owning absolutely everything—even her.
Her journal, Miley McMeteor and the Lost Dog On Mars, is young adult science fiction for interplanetary dreamers of all ages.
Title: Miley McMeteor and the Lost Dog On Mars | Author: Blake Wiers | Publisher: Self published | Pub. Date: 26th October 2018 | Pages: 235 | ISBN: 9781729269299| Genre: Children’s Science Fiction | Language: English | Triggers: None | Rating: 4 out of 5 | Source: Provided by the author for review consideration
The Passengers Review
I almost didn’t read ‘Miley McMeteor’. The Kindle copy I was sent had some formatting issues that made it hard to read (carriage returns after each sentence, that kind of thing) and when I first opened it and saw the problems I closed it straight away and decided it was too much effort.
But something about the premise kept pulling me back. It’s a book for kids, and sometimes immersing yourself in a world full of childish wonder at everything has a massive appeal. I also liked the idea that it was almost literally shaggy dog story. The story is simple and a bit rambling but there is immense charm in both the narrative and the central character, twelve year old Miley.
Miley lives on Mars and in the story she finds a dog and then loses it. She spends the rest of the book travelling around the red planet trying to find it again. As she roams she comes to better understand the social and political makeup of the works she lives in and learns that adults don’t always act rationally or tell the truth.
What makes this all work so well is that author Blake Wiers does two things brilliantly:
He creates a future society that is similar enough to our own to be comfortable and familiar, but different enough to be interesting. Critically, the differences all make sense. They feel like natural evolutions of things we know. Perhaps my favourite example of this was a scene where Miley uses the virtual assistant on her phone to have a conversation with her mother’s virtual assistant which is checking up on her. This kind of playful, imaginative commentary on technology is common in the book and really adds to its humour and charm.
He doesn’t patronise his audience for even a moment. Instead he gives them a protagonist who sees the world through the same eyes that they do, it’s just a different world.
A while ago I read ‘The Alchemist’ by Paolo Coelho, a book that lots of people rave about. Like ‘Miley McMeteor’ it’s the tale of a child on a quest who meets a range of characters and learns about life along the way. Forgive me, gentle reader, especially if you are a fan of said book, but I thought it was shit. Pretentious twaddle that tried so hard to be deep and meaningful that I it was painful to read.
‘Miley McMeteor’ is much better. It’s a delightful story of a child coming to terms with the world and it’s also good science fiction. Buy it for your kids and read it yourself when they’re done with it.
You can find this book at many retailers via clicking on the appropriate link on Goodreads (Buying direct from retailers is a good way to support indie authors); however, in the spirit of supporting literacy programs, we would like to point out that you may be able to purchase this book through BetterWorldBooks.
Olly joined the team in August 2018. He is our first non-American team member, and lives in the UK. He is the head of our UK team. Olly reviews both science fiction and horror books and movies for the site. He also enjoys writing articles when time allows.
