The Survivor: A Pioneer Novel

By: Bridget Tyler

Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky

This sequel to The Pioneer is perfect for fans of the Illuminae Series and Skyward!

Earth is uninhabitable. Tau is our home now.

With that terrifying message, Jo and her family learned the truth: They are trapped forever on Tau Ceti e.

But the planet’s current occupants—the Sorrow—are not interested in sharing. The fragile peace Jo negotiated abruptly shatters, and soon a bloody battle is raging between the Sorrow and the Pioneers. As tensions rise, the survival of everyone Jo cares for seems less likely by the second.

When a betrayal that shocks Jo to her core threatens to wipe out both Sorrow and human life, Jo must find the strength to speak up once more—and bridge the gaps between all the warring factions—or lose forever the only home left to her.

still more moral dilemma exploration - worth it.

I picked the first book of this series on the recommendation of an on-line influencer, mother of middle school and high school aged boys. She claimed the boys could not put the book down and neither could she. I love me some JA dystopian sci fi (Hunger Games, anyone?) but this was not as awesome as many others in this genre. However, the book does not shy away from true moral conundrums, and in this sequel the female protagonist is less self-centered, irritating and unlikeable. Instead, her character matures a bit, likely largely due to the serious moral dilemma she uncovers in the first book. How she tries to navigate between two very compelling narratives which of course dictate contradictory decisions is admirable. Like the first book, the set up is contrived but the book's strength is getting the readers (junior adults - an impressionable age) to think about difficult issues surrounding colonialism, indigenous rights and impossibly irreversible situations.