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A Crack in the Sky

by Mark Peter Hughes (Goodreads Author)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 252 ratings · 69 reviews

Thirteen-year-old Eli Papadapoulous is worried. Even though he's part of in the most powerful family in the world. Even though his grandfather founded InfiniCorp, the massive corporation that runs everything in the bustling dome-cities. Even though InfiniCorp ads and billboards are plastered everywhere, proclaiming:
DON'T WORRY! INFINICORP IS TAKING CARE OF EVERYTHING!
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Paperback, 416 pages

Published August 9th 2011 by Yearling (first published August 24th 2010)

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Sep 10, 2010 Alyson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, young-adult, dystopia

Take the fake, domed town in The Truman Show and drop it in the middle of the video game Fallout 3, add a dash of The Matrix, a smidge of Dune, the sidekick from His Dark Materials, and a touch of A Clockwork Orange, and you've got A Crack in the Sky. Not necessarily a bad thing, but there are some HEAVY influences going on here which can sometimes be distracting (and I'm sure I'm missing a ton). Characterization is pretty good, though the over-the-top, creepy bad guy is a bit wearing, and I fou...more

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Aug 26, 2010 Robert Kent rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade-ninja-reviews

Let us discuss the plot of A Crack in the Sky and see if you can’t pick up on our current political and economic model seeping into the tale of a future society that has otherwise never existed: Thirteen-year-old Eli Papadopoulos lives in a futuristic dome city. I don’t want to give everything away, but in the future the environment is so bad that humans can’t live outside, so we all gather in domes. Citizens of the domes are assured this is not a permanent situation. They are waiting for the Co...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 18, 2012 Rene Kirkpatrick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was pretty good, I loved his book Lemonade Mouth, and this was so different it kind of took me aback. It's a dystopian novel, again placed well into the future, as well as an ecological disaster novel. A lot of the same bits and pieces as a few other realistic futuristic science fiction books: global warming, melting icebergs, vast deserts and domed cities. The notes in the back are great, he did a lot of research and there's a lot of information about how this particular scenario came to b...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Don't worry! Infinicorp is taking care of everything!
Infinicorp created the dome cities that saved a lot of people from the Great Sickness and the increasing heat of the world's atmosphere. Unfortunately, some still struggle to survive Outside. These people were called Foggers by the dome residents and blamed for every little thing that goes wrong with the dome. Eli Papadopoulos is the youngest of the ruling clan behind Infinicorp. He is rather unmotivated to gain a high and important position w...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Breanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

In a future where global warming has turned Earth into a scorched wilderness, the remnants of humanity survive in dome-covered cities, waiting for the Cooldown. But thirteen-year-old Eli Papadopoulos is worried. Recently, he's noticed that there's something wrong with the artificial sky, and the city is hotter than ever. When he begins asking questions, he is contacted by operatives of a dangerous terrorist group. They claim to have the answers he is looking for, but learning the truth might cos...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Rae rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hooray-a-distopia

First off, I must comment on the absolutely gorgeous cover illustration. As an art student studying to be an illustrator someday, I do have a bit of a pet peeve over the photoshopped teen covers that are currently saturating the market (Seriously, if I see one more book that uses the red/white/black photoshop motif in its cover, I'll scream.), but A Crack in the Sky has a beautiful, painterly cover that perfectly illustrates a moment in the book and the light used is absolutely amazing. Serious...more

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Dec 01, 2010 P.M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Global warming has arrived. InfiniCorp has domed the large cities and created a mindless, controlled life for the citizens. But Eli Papadopoulos is a bit of a rebel. He begins to notice small imperfections and malfunctions in the city of New Providence. Together with his chipped mongoose Marilyn, he begins to question his existence. When he is contacted by the Friends of Gustavo about the final collapse of civilization, he becomes a danger to his cousin Spider who has all but seized control of t...more

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Nov 22, 2010 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As with his earlier books, Hughes gives readers a chance to explore Rhode Island as he chose the setting for this novel. The one thing that is different is that it is set in a Providence of the future, in which environmental catastrophes have driven the surviving humans into the remaining domed cities scattered throughout the country.

This is the world in which Eli Papdopoulos, a thirteen year old living in this dark futuristic Providence. His family is one of the most influential in the country,...more

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Nov 12, 2012 2 Laura D added it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 25, 2011 Russell Doiron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mark Peter Hughes' A Crack in the Sky, the first of a trilogy series, is set mainly in Providence, Rhode Island. This is what originally sucked me in and caused me to scour library shelves in search of this novel. The references to landmarks and inclusion of street names caused my inner Rhode Islander to jump with joy at finally being recognized (the most recognition which Rhode Island has received otherwise would be its' confusion with Long Island, New York).

The one downside to this novel is t...more

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Nov 28, 2012 Nigarsan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: december2012, science-fiction, mystery

This book "A Crack In The Sky" by Mark Peter Hughes is about a boy named "Eli" who's a grandson of the richest and the president of "Infincorp".Even though everything is going alright where they live but,he notices disasters that the president doesn't even notice and blame the "Foggers".The "Foggers" are people who live outside of the dome because in the setting,it takes place when global warming is causing the world to overheat and with disasters.With a help from "Tabitha", a fellow employer o...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Cecilia Solis-sublette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-dystopia

"Who says you can't learn anything from a work of fiction? This Young Adult novel is surprisingly fast-paced, intelligent, and poignant. Here, we meet a young man, Eli, who is one of the great members of a powerful corporate family - a family who runs...moreWho says you can't learn anything from a work of fiction? This Young Adult novel is surprisingly fast-paced, intelligent, and poignant. Here, we meet a young man, Eli, who is one of the great members of a powerful corporate family - a family...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Tammy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An "end of the world" novel based on global warming. The world has become a desert, the oceans are stinking and ruined, and people have found refuge within great domed cities...but the protection of the domes seems to be failing. Fair warning: this is the beginning of a new series (the Greenhouse Series) so don't expect the end to feel resolved (don't you ever miss the good old "stand alone" novels? I do).
Written for middle-schoolers, it was an exciting, well-written, and interesting read. Cha...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Keith Bryan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, this book was...extremely insipid. I couldn't stand about 4/5 of it due to the apocalyptic scenario of the plot. I mean, protecting the environment is one thing; writing a book that, no matter the author's fictional intentions, would freak out most younger children is fear mongering. The planet warming up is key to his story line though, and maybe I would overlook it if it weren't such a boring and crummy rip off of Lewis Carroll's wonderful characters and stories. Also, the big bad compan...more Okay, this book was...extremely insipid. I couldn't stand about 4/5 of it due to the apocalyptic scenario of the plot. I mean, protecting the environment is one thing; writing a book that, no matter the author's fictional intentions, would freak out most younger children is fear mongering. The planet warming up is key to his story line though, and maybe I would overlook it if it weren't such a boring and crummy rip off of Lewis Carroll's wonderful characters and stories. Also, the big bad company is out to get you is another of the main plots. They want to brainwash and infect you with their lies. My, my, Mr. Hughes. Come up with that one all by yourself? Some many people preach about global warming and how companies are to blame. I wonder where they build their computers, pens, televisions...where they process their paper, food, lumber...oh, wait...I guess they buy those from the same companies they hate so much. Circular reasoning at its finest.

All of that being said, I believe in being a good steward of this planet, but I refuse to make the eco-system-cause into a fear fueled propaganda machine. Getting back to the book though, the characters are flat and very, VERY stupid. The main character, Eli is perhaps the dumbest of them all. He walks into obvious traps and then suddenly he will feel way too comfortable with more of the same even when just moments before he was consumed with tormenting emotions that conflicted with world views. I think he needed the chip in his skull, not the mongoose. Speaking of which, what the heck is up with the mongoose? It's cool and lame at the same time. With all the know how the mongoose has, why have the human. Raise your hand if you think Marilyn the mongoose should have been the main character! Tabitha, Sebastian, Spider...they were all okay, but nothing to brag about. Tabitha was the only character to experience any growth really, and even she disappointed me in the long run. The end of the world set up and surroundings in this book were the only things that I will stand behind. Hughes actually managed to get that much about right.

Overall: If you're thinking of picking this book up and reading it, allow me to save you some time. Don't. Just don't do it. Go read Lewis Carroll. That is a far better investment of your time than this drivel. (less)

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Aug 23, 2011 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had some trouble with several things. The timeline doesn't make sense. I can't see the domes being built and functioning the way they do in a single generation. How could that sort of mindset be achieved in such a short time? Plus, I can't understand why the only adults in the book are his parents, one uncle and grandfather. Why is it only teens doing everything? What do all the grown ups do? The "suspense" was more annoying to me than intriguing. Lots of questions, but nothing going on for a...more

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Dec 04, 2010 Danie P. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: y-a, children-s-books

This is the first book in a series call the Greenhouse chronicles. Eli's grandfather is a hero to human kind. He built the domes that saved all his employees from the Great Plauge and keeps them safe from the rapidly deteriorating world around them. The ice caps have melted, deserts have taken over and people who were left outside the domes are not the enemy. Outsider or "Foggers" are trying to sabotage the domes any way they can...or are they? Eli finds out that there is a resistance movement t...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Stacy Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book because I had picked it up at the library hoping it would spark some intrigue in my son who is very "techie" and into science. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down and read it all in about a day and half. The author really make an important topic of today come to life in a fictional (and yet completely tangible) story 100 years in the future. The author perfectly correlated the events that transpire in 100 years to our obtuse political and social non reactions regarding to...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Global warming and excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have caused coastal cities -- and the entire state of Florida -- to sink under water. Enormous storms sweep the earth constantly. To save the remaining cities, InfiniCorp has built huge dome-cities, with climate control and robo workers. But Eli Papadopoulos, the 13-year-old grandson of the man who founded InfiniCorp, is concerned. He is not sure that the dome-cities will be able to stand much longer. What will happen when they run out o...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-summer

Global warming, Domed cities, violent weather, mutant animals, animals with chips in their brains and able to communicate with humans, families turning against each other and a dystopian novel. If any of these subjects interest you, this is the book for you! Eli is born into one of the most powerful families, but he soon learns that many things aren't "adding up" - too many questions unanswered. His family expects him to do certain things, but he is not quite sure they are the right things to do...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Princessjay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

A very decent first book in a series. Although filled with many familiar tropes -- the innocent young man, ripe to have the veils torn from his eyes and burdens of destiny dropped upon his shoulders; a "magical" animal; a world going to hell by greenhouse gas -- the setting is timely but unusual, and characters are reasonably well-rounded. CloudNet, mind-control, and children kidnapped away to work in distant Towers -- futuristic echoes of olden fairy tales and steampunk. I foresee much potentia...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Dijay rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The rant at the end really weakened the novel, for me.

This novel is great; I don't want anyone to think that my 2-star rating means that you shouldn't read this, or that I think this book isn't worth reading. I rated it so low because pretty much the entire reading experience was soured for me by the laser-point tract against our environmental habits that popped up at the end basically out of nowhere.

All throughout, we're following the story of a curious and slightly worried young man who's try...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Hilary Wagner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What’s Cool About this Book:
The Genre: A Crack in the Sky covers a lot genres. This book has something for everyone! First off, it’s pure middle-grade. It doesn’t carry over into YA as far as content/violence, though any teenager would be completely in love with this book. It’s dystopian, urban fantasy, sci-fi, and even has a very clever mongoose, so a bit of animal fantasy as well.

The Main Character: After the first few page, you already start caring about Eli. He’s this young, smart guy, who c...more

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Sep 29, 2010 Crowinator rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: booklist-review, arcs, 2010-reads, dystopia-and-post-apocalypse, environmental, childrens-middle-grade, science-fiction, the-future

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. People who have read a lot of dystopias (and seen a lot of science fiction movies) will recognize elements from sources like The Matrix, Wall-E, Terry Brooks’ Genesis of Shannara series, and Lois Lowry’s The Giver (an obligatory reference, to be sure, but apt), as well as countless others. In fact, people who have read a lot of dystopias and seen a lot of movies may be too busy making connections among them all to fully sink into this perfectly enjoyable but not entirely original entry into the...more People who have read a lot of dystopias (and seen a lot of science fiction movies) will recognize elements from sources like The Matrix, Wall-E, Terry Brooks’ Genesis of Shannara series, and Lois Lowry’s The Giver (an obligatory reference, to be sure, but apt), as well as countless others. In fact, people who have read a lot of dystopias and seen a lot of movies may be too busy making connections among them all to fully sink into this perfectly enjoyable but not entirely original entry into the genre. This has pretty much everything but the kitchen sink: ecological disasters are rampant; the science fiction “solutions” are imperfect; the all-seeing corporate entity keeps everyday people in the dark, for their own protection; they use media saturation and virtual reality to keep people docile; a revolutionary group wants to bring down the all-seeing corporate entity, no matter the cost; and a single person with special qualities stands among them as a savior/destroyer. Oh, and there’s a telepathic mongoose who can hack computers. With her mind.

Eli is a reactionary character, so reading from his POV can be a little frustrating; though he asks the big questions, he is otherwise thrust into events by the machinations of others. Most of the time, he is clueless as InfiniCorp and Friends of Gustavo move him around on an invisible chessboard: Eli asks a question; InfiniCorp gives a pat, corporate response through official channels; Foggers spew some crazy religious sermons in secret meetings Eli attends without understanding what it means to be seen with terrorists; Eli is confused; InfiniCorp lays the smack down. His search for capital-T Truth leads him into capital-T Trouble, but he never sees it coming, and once it hits, he blunders around until something happens to push him in another direction. He develops more of an active role once he winds up in the Tower (where bad little InfiniCorp employees go to be re-educated) but even then he is staggeringly naïve until the end. There is another character, Tabitha, who is a foil for Eli; she is as cynical and distrustful as he is naive; he worships InfiniCorp and his family, while she thinks all Papadapolus' are evil. She joined the Foggers for a boy and ended up getting caught and sent to the Tower, where she meets Eli. Her character is less well-developed, since she only comes in as a narrator later in the novel, but she gives readers an outlet for frustration over Eli's seemingly impossibly good nature. I believe she will have some kind of redemptive arc in later books, where she learns not to be so cold-hearted all the time.

Eli’s character illustrates the hypnotic, repressive nature of the dome-city he’s grown up in: he implicitly trusts InfiniCorp, is only trying to be a good employee, and if they had tried harder to placate him, he might have just droned on like the tool they wanted him to be. He might even have gone along with the Horrible Truth, if they had just told him and made it sound reasonable. On the other hand, it’s annoying how long it takes him to realize he’s unearthing a massive conspiracy and that this is one of those things you should do with a little circumspection. I get that he’s a very decent kid, with a strong sense of responsibility and a desire to take care of others, but at some point he has to wake up and say, “Hey, even though I am all of those things, the paranoids at InfiniCorp are not going to see my meeting with terrorists as my honest attempt to help out.”

A few chapters are also narrated by Marilyn, the mongoose, especially once her and Eli are separated, but we're ignoring those bits. She's also too much of a deus ex machina for my liking, with all her telepathic computer skills in a future specifically built around digital realities. Her powers change and increase over the course of the book, too, so each new revelation (like, "hey, I can suddenly talk to Eli with my mind"; and, "hey, now I can manipulate virtual content with my mind!"; and so on) felt like she was constantly leveling up in a video game. Maybe in the second book will we learn more about Marilyn's history -- what was done to her to make her this way and why she was mysteriously given to Eli as a present -- and this won't annoy me so much. It is good that she seems to have much more common sense than Eli does and is always warning him about the repercussions of his actions -- maybe in the second book he will listen to her more.

What I liked about this book is that both InfiniCorp and the Foggers have good intentions, sort of. (Obviously they both have good and bad people working for them, but their whole point for existing is well-intentioned). InfiniCorp constructed the dome cities to protect people temporarily, having dithered too long over how to save the world to really save it; they are basically medicating people into blithely living their lives up to the end. I can see how this happened and understand why they’re continuing to support living in denial. It’s unclear to me what the Foggers point is – what they think bringing down InfiniCorp and telling people the truth will do, besides cause batshit hysteria – but they believe a messiah will lead chosen people into one protected area before everything collapses, and that these people will create a new life there (this is the part that really reminded me of Terry Brooks). Both InfiniCorp and the Foggers seem to believe the end of the world is imminent, which is why I will read the second book, just to see how Eli is supposed to fix it. The build-up makes it seem kind of impossible, so I’m rooting for an interesting resolution that either melds Fogger’s religious beliefs with InfiniCorp’s science or throws everything out.

Overall, this premise of this book is a winner, and it is certainly plotty enough to keep readers turning the pages. I would call this more of an idea-driven book than a character-driven one. The world-building is an amalgamation of lots of different dystopias in movies and books, but all together it makes for an intriguing setting. The author's notes at the end are great fun to read, as he actually takes the time to explain how he extrapolated real science to come up with his ideas. They're also very well organized by subject and could possibly spur kids into doing some of their own nonfiction reading about the environment. Finally, Eli is a character I think kids will relate to -- after all, he's just gotten into big trouble and he didn't even really do anything wrong. Any kid can relate to the injustice of that feeling.(less)

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Sep 04, 2012 Jessica W rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 30, 2012 Kristin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm glad I gave this book a chance rather than being turned off by the cover (not the best cover art in my opinion). It's a chilling look at a future when global warming has destroyed the earth and one mega-corporation owns everything. Apart from being pretty predictable, this story had many interesting moments. I also enjoyed all of the Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass references and quotes. I think this book is going to be the first in a trilogy (wow, that's original :)

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Sep 24, 2011 Squeaky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Eli lives in a domed city in the not-too-distant future when most of the planet is suffering the ravages of global warming. Map and diagram are illuminating, and the author's notes on his research, science fact, and the parts he fictionalized, are useful, along with a bibliography. I thought the 'vision' of a ecological savior parts were too un-scientific, but it was a good adventure. I especially like the character Marilyn. Talk about unconditional love!

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Oct 05, 2011 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought that this book brought up alot of interesting & believable concepts about the future of earth & all the damage humans have done to it. The beginning felt dragged & a bit bland....The main character was really annoying at times and i hated how everytime the characters looked like they would accomplish something they always were thwarted and failed. Overall a decent book.

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Jan 23, 2011 MJ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: future-fiction

Post-apocolyptic
First in series. Eli is one of the many heirs of InfiniCorp, the huge business that keeps everyone (except the outsiders of course) safe inside the domes. But Eli can see that the domes are failing and that none of his family want to face it. Lots of action and adventure in this one and I await the next one eagerly.

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Dec 06, 2010 Leah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

I actually wanted to give it four stars: and deservedly! Smart book, interesting characters, convincing dialogue; lots of good stuff. I deducted a star because I'm sick of being tricked into thinking I'm buying a good standalone children's novel, only to reach the end and be handed a "to be continued." Give a girl a heads up!

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Feb 17, 2012 Colin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadultlit, speculativefiction, fiction

This was a fast fun read, but it didn't blow my mind or anything. There was a lot of obvious influences of other fantasy/spec fic (Philip Pullman in particular), and the characterization was thin/simple in all but our main characters, particularly with the villain. Good for quick entertainment, though.

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About Mark Peter Hughes

Mark Peter Hughes was born in Liverpool, England in the Oxford Street Maternity Hospital, the same hospital as John Lennon. His family moved to the U.S.A. when he was one and most of his childhood was spent in Barrington, Rhode Island.

Mark’s first novel, I Am the Wallpaper, is the the story of a girl who feels unnoticed and ends up being an unwitting online sensation. Soon after its publication h...more

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