On the Empyrean we find teenagers Waverly and Kiernan, our two protagonists. Waverly is the first person born on the ship, and she’s been dating Kiernan, the son of the commander, for some time. The journey is going to take awhile, so it’s necessary for the people on the ship to reproduce. This means the youth on board are encouraged to marry early and reproduce often. Waverly and Kiernan become engaged near the beginning of the book, and all seems well.
Then the Empyrean meets up with the New Horizon, with which they have not had contact for a long time. Without warning, the New Horizon attacks the Empyrean, kidnapping all of the young girls – including Waverly – and taking them to the New Horizon. The Empyrean is left decimated, intact but not really able to function. Those left on board, including Kiernan and all of the other boys and adults, are pretty much left to die.
Why would the crew of the New Horizon do this? Glow explores this question in chapters that alternate between Waverly and Kiernan’s points of view. From the beginning, it’s obvious to Waverly and the other girls that the people on the New Horizon are bad – the girls have been kidnapped, their parents are dead, their brothers probably dead too. But things on the New Horizon (and by extension the Empyrean) are not what they seem, and it’s a testament to Ryan’s skill as a writer that she makes the reader question everything multiple times right along with Waverly. (Waverly, by the way, is an awesome character who shows tremendous growth throughout the novel. She’s a thinking woman’s badass.)
Meanwhile on the Empyrean, Kiernan, as the commander’s son and natural next in line, struggles to maintain control of the ship and plan a rescue amid technical malfunctions and the threat of mutiny from the other boys.
This book definitely needs open-minded, careful readers, those who aren’t quick to feel angry over what others may see as the author’s attempt to demonize believers or non-believers (and both sides can be argued). Religion is such a touchy topic, one that forms the core of so many people’s identities, and it can be tough to handle well. Ryan has certainly succeeded with Glow. She presents an even-handed account of people on both sides of the faith coin. The believers and the non-believers are equally sinister (despite what the initial attack may convey), and it kind of blows my mind that some reviewers are so caught up in whining that their religion is being demonized that they miss the fact that the non-believers are baddies too – and not a lesser kind of bad.
Ultimately, though, Glow is not a story about God’s existence – it’s a story about how people use the belief or lack of belief in God in order to wield power. It’s about how people can seize upon an incredibly powerful idea and use it as a tool to achieve their own goals. It’s a story about manipulation and control and human nature, all tied up with a fantastic science fiction story where nothing is what it seems.
Part of what makes Glow so effective is that Ryan thwarts reader’s expectations at every turn, primarily where characters’ actions and motivations are concerned. Just when I thought I had nailed down who was good and who was bad, who was our protagonist and who our antagonist, Ryan threw me for a loop and I had to completely reassess everything. And then she did it again. I think her point is that there isn’t really a “good” or “bad” side – it’s not that easy. I love when books can flip things multiple times and make it authentic, just part of the natural growth of the characters and development of the plot.
Glow is the first in a series, but it’s so well done that I didn’t mind. There’s at least a climax and a resolution, which so many first entries lack. And Ryan writes so well that I look forward to seeing what else she does.
Excellent review. I agree with everything you said (making it of course seem even more excellent)! :–) I read this right after reading When She Woke, and saw a lot of similarities. As you point out, the author here (and in When She Woke) doesn't attack belief per se but the uses to which it is put. I think they do a good job but I will be interested to see if any readers *do* get offended.
I think what frustrated me the most was that I felt Kieran was set up from the beginning to be the one to take over, yet Seth turned into a moody emo boy and then we're supposed to feel like Kieran is bad and using his sermons for power because he never gave anyone else a chance to take over. Yet, it was known all along he was next in line so I didn't have a problem with him taking the lead. Instead I felt Seth was a jerk and I really hated him. I also understood Waverly's reluctance to listen to Kieran but I also felt she was unfair to him and didn't listen to his side of the story. I think the author was trying to show the good and bad sides of religion and instead focused a lot on the "bad side" with Waverly's storyline and I don't know that Kieran got as much in this book, which is why people are are getting so hung up on it. Hopefully she delves more into Kieran's side of the story next time around.
the power struggle between Kieran and seth irritated me too. AS CAPTAIN JONE’S APPRENTICE, IT WAS NATURAL FOR KIERAN TO TAKE THE HELM OF THE SHIP. Being the two oldest boys on the ship, Kieran and SEth should have worked together, instead Seth set out to undermine Kieran at every opportunity.
I take your point, but I also feel that what the Empyrean's leaders did (and what I got from Ryan's story is that they did in fact do these things, it's not a maybe/maybe not) is awful and on par with what the New Horizon's leaders did. And that the next book will show Waverly exploring this a lot more.
I hated Seth too, but that's one reason I liked the story so much. From Waverly's POV Seth is awesome at first…and then we see him from Kiernan's POV and think maybe Kiernan is just jealous…but then it flips again and we see he's terrible. I never knew what to think and I loved it.
I also think many people tend to be just hyper sensitive about criticism of their religion or people who practice their religion and are immediately on the defensive. I think this could have also been an effective book if only the religious people were painted as awful because it's about what people DO with religion, not religion itself. And I honestly don't think we need a balance of "oh look, religion can be good too" in all cases. It's a given and shouldn't have to be spelled out imo.
That said, I also think an effective book could be written where religious people and non-religious people are juxtaposed and only the non-religious people are painted as awful. Again, it's about people's actions. To me, in Glow's case, the actions of the main leader on the New Horizon aren't spurred by belief – they're spurred by the need for power, and she uses the religion as a tool to get it, or to excuse her behavior.
Excellent review.I liked the book very much and the way Waverly becomes gradually stronger. I can’t wait to read Spark and see how things evolve.
Great review! I love a book that has a good storyline and makes me think. There were so many twists and turns in this book that I was constantly thrown off. Exactly, YOU NAILED IT ON THE HEAD! “Ultimately, though, Glow is not a story about God’s existence – it’s a story about how people use the belief or lack of belief in God in order to wield power. It’s about how people can seize upon an incredibly powerful idea and use it as a tool to achieve their own goals. It’s a story about manipulation and control and human nature, all tied up with a fantastic science fiction story where nothing is what it seems”.