Title: REAP-23
Author: J.J. Perry
Publisher: Xlibris
Pages: 390
ISBN: 9781543427400
Genre: Science Fiction
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent
Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
REAP-23 is a daring and insightful sci-fi novel that will take readers to another world as author J. J. Perry has written a challenging and thought-provoking book. REAP -23 is an acronym for the REAP Program (Repopulation, Expansion, and Annexation Program). The 23rd interstellar program is meant to repopulate a distant planet after the destruction of the Earth. The spaceship is staffed with a diverse group of married travelers, from Laila, a supermodel to her husband, Chen, an engineer. The international crew is eventually torn apart by jealousy, adultery, and even death on their spaceship. Despite the tragedies that occur, the mission becomes the basis for a religion of REAPers. Thousands of years later, young graduate students and REAPers Brandt and Porliche find messages from the mission that change their lives forever.
REAP-23 has many complex characters that drive the story forward. The complicated relationships between the couples on the mission and the love affairs which result capture the perils of claustrophobic environments. The female protagonists in the novel, Laila and spaceship captain Savanna, are strong leaders and not passive secondary characters. The assertiveness of the women is a refreshing change from the subordinate position of women in most other sci-fi novels.
The other compelling characters in the novel are not even humans, but robots. The robots on the mission are an integral part of REAP-23, from the cooks and cleaning crew to doctors. Perry’s writing about the robots as a part of the crew highlights the importance of electronics and artificial intelligence in our lives in the future.
The dialogue in the novel is a mixture of playful banter between the REAPers and serious meditations of the future of humanity. The book also examines the link between faith and science with REAPers following the message of hope sent by the REAP-23 mission. Perry’s writing deftly mixes light moments and serious drama in REAP-23.
This novel is an engaging book which will be great for readers who are sci-fi fans as well as the occasional space enthusiast. Readers who loved The Martian by Andy Weir will love this novel about space travel. Fans of classic science fiction about robots and post-apocalyptic from authors like Ray Bradbury will also like this book. The book would be perfect for science-fiction book clubs or for literature courses about space. REAP-23 is an unforgettable novel sure to inspire future books about the adventures of REAPers. Readers will certainly be entertained on this intergalactic journey.
