Red Star Rebels

Gr 8 Up–An action-packed space romance. Cleo is an interplanetary stowaway living illegally on Mars. Hunter is the estranged son of the corporation that settled Mars. When the United Nations Mars Base is evacuated, leaving them both behind, Hunter and Cleo team up to survive. They soon realize that the base is under attack by a mysterious force with connections to both of their pasts. They have eight hours before the base explodes. This is soft science fiction, extrapolating from current space technology and not addressing the hows and whys of humans living on Mars. The love story will be familiar for romance readers: two people on opposite sides of society realizing that they have love in common. It follows a theme found in other works by Kaufman: corporate greed leads to irreparable damage to society. Specific cultural markers are not mentioned, although Hunter is described as having “olive brown skin,” and Cleo has pale skin and red hair. The novel has some swearing and making out but does not contain any closed-door sexual content. This book may have crossover appeal to new adult and adult readers. Hand to fans of romance-with-a-twist rather than to classic science fiction fans.