Phantom Universe by Laura Kreitzer is different, richly written and thoroughly engaging. Two things stand out for me, the endearing character of Summer and how fully we experience the world from her perspective. The novel, written in the present tense, has a unique voice, a powerful sense of immediacy, and lusciously heartwarming moments in a cold world.   Kidnapped at four years old, Summer is enslaved and so abused that she doesn’t speak. Unknown to her, she is some kind of experiment gone wrong and the secret society responsible is searching for her with the intention of terminating her. When they come onto the ship on which she had spent most of her life, she manages to escape and finds herself 200 years in the future. The story from there is one of her reorientation into a world where despite hardships, friendship and love blossoms. Throughout the book we see Summer struggle with the mere idea of speaking, and her challenge in the end is whether or not she can overcome the fear … [Read more...]