Dark Side of the Sun

Space: Above and Beyond #2

by Dina Anastasio

Lieutenant Shane Vansen still has nightmares about her parents' deaths at the hands of aliens, but when the past comes back to haunt her in an alien trap, she must remain cool to save the squad

Genres: Science Fiction

89 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Dina Anastasio grew up and lives in New York City. She lived in West Cork, Ireland, for many years. She is a freelance writer and past editor of Sesame Street Magazine (four years). She is a mother of two with three grandchildren.

Reviews

[Rob Cook]

Fast paced young adult novel based on the classic 90's series.
Reading this took me back to being a kid and reading the YA Star Trek books of the time!

[John]

This is book 2 of 4 in a series of junior novelizations of episodes of the Fox show Space: Above and Beyond that aired in 1995. Despite only being on air for one season I really enjoyed the show. I was a more realistic near-future take on a typical alien invasion story that had well fleshed-out characters. The over-arching story had interesting layers with the In-Vitro and A.I. both shaping the world this story takes place in during the A.I. Wars before the main story even takes place, and the enemy we will come to know as the Chigs will be a mysterious threat that we are challenged to unlock.

Dark Side of the Sun is the third episode which details Shane's past with the A.I. and how she is forced to overcome her crippling trauma to save her squad when a mission goes south fast. It's good to see Shane's character arc transform from trauma-survivor to bad-ass through the story, but I felt everything else was just an obvious vehicle to deliver that story. Regardless, it's a good read, especially for fans of the show.

[J.M.]

I love "Space: Above and Beyond," even though it was only on TV for one season. This is a YA retelling of an episode focusing on Shane, whose parents were killed by AIs (artificial intelligence robots). She was one of my favorite characters so I enjoyed learning more about her character.