Bookworm Speaks! - The Jupiter Pirates: The Rise of Earth

Bookworm Speaks!

The Jupiter Pirates: The Rise of Earth

by Jason Fry

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Acquired: Amazon.com

Series: Jupiter Pirates (Book 3)

Hardcover: 448 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins (June 14, 2016)

Language: English

Subject: Science Fiction

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The Story: For Tycho Hashoone and his family, space privateering is more than a business—it’s a way of life. Now that the Jovian Union needs their help more than ever, their way of life is about to get a lot more complicated.

Earth is preparing to mount an arms race, and it seems they’ve started recruiting privateers of their own. Meanwhile, the Ice Wolves of Saturn are still on the offensive, and their ruthless tactics make them look like the pirates of old. Trapped between two formidable foes, the Jovian Union has asked for all hands on deck—and that includes the Hashoones and their ship, the Shadow Comet. The stage has been set for a showdown on the Cybele asteroids, a place where neutrality is for sale and friends always go to the highest bidder.

With so many players vying for power, Tycho will have to decide once and for all where his allegiances lie. Because the day when his mother will step down as ship captain is approaching fast—and the fate of much more than the Shadow Comet hangs in the balance.

The Review: The Jupiter Pirates has always been a book about family. The crew of the Shadow Comet is family. The trials and tribulations that can come from it. Family really took center stage in this story and it ran with it, showcasing both the incredible resilience of familial as well as how much strain they can take before breaking. 

The most notable factor in this volume is that this is where the series really grew its beard. The other two volumes really felt like merely a prologue and now the story can really get moving. Everything up until now has lead up to this. Bookworm has a feeling that there will be little kid stuff to be had in the next volume. 

Bookworm doesn’t dare spoil the ending, where said beard-growing comes to a head, but suffice it to say, it is a gut punch. Growing up is never easy and Tycho and Yana grow up in what is perhaps the most painful way possible. It hits the reader really hard as well and they find themselves cursing the ending. We want more, darn it, more! The next (hopefully not final) book will be something to remember. A lot is up in the air right now. 

The ending may be the most memorable section of the text but it is by no means the only part. One of the things that Bookworm has enjoyed about this series, is that it avoided the ham-fisted romances that tended to be forced into novels of the Young Adult variety. This may have something to do with the fact that book is primarily aimed toward grade-school children but it could fall under said category. One could make the argument that Tycho and Yana are no longer children and becoming teenagers themselves so it fits. This book was where the readers are treated to to the first shades of romance in regards to Tycho and a little bit of Yana as well. Tycho falls in with a young lady he meets at a receptions. Without giving too much away, she appears to be way out his league, but they quickly develop a very sweet chemistry. They both bond over the fact that as much as they want to be together, but they are continuously pulled away by the responsibility the owe to their familial responsibilities. 

The most common criticism of romance in young adult fictions is that the romances tend to feel shoehorned into the story. While Bookworm admits that it does seem to come out of nowhere, it never feels shoehorned. It is a very age-appropriate romance that is actually quite pleasing in its tenderness. Another item for the Book Four wishlist: Tycho’s lady friend makes a return performance. 

Yana, Tycho’s sister, gets a little taste of the romantic as well but sadly it is pushed to the side in favor of Tycho. It would have been nice to explore that facet of the story in a bit more detail but this book series is ultimately the one about Tycho Hashoone. 

The most impressive testament to the quality of this text is how it narrowly avoids a phenomenon known as “Sequel Syndrome” also known as “Second-Volume Syndrome.” Sequel syndrome is where a sequel in a creative medium does not do much to advance the plot, rather it serves as a vehicle to introduce new elements that will come into play in later volumes. Such instances are usually considered the weakest in a series. This book, however is not the weakest in the series by far. A lot of new elements have been introduced here but the way they have been conveyed in manner that feels quite organic and natural. The characters live in a fast-paced world and it makes sense that their lives would move quickly as well. Pirate’s had to learn quickly if they were going to survive. 

Final Verdict: Bookworm came to a conclusion upon finishing this book: Woe too all who stand in the way of Tycho Hashoone…You are no longer dealing with a mere privateer, you’re dealing with a pirate!

Rating: Five Icons of Saturn out of Five

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