Book-Thirsty Thursday: Unearthed, Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Unearthed is a wild ride from start to finish, but it comes with the kind of vibe it promises on its back cover and in its press releases.

The press release that came to me with Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman’s Unearthed promised “Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft, in space!” Now, this writer’s used to books being talked up and pop culture references used to do that. In fact, Indiana Jones … now that’s the hefty kind of reference that not every book lives up to.

But, as I read Unearthed, I found myself looking up and saying “This reads like a sci-fi version of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Oddly enough, that’s not really meant as a criticism, although it does smack slightly of unoriginality. Of course, Mia and Jules aren’t searching for the literal Holy Grail. There are no medieval knights who have survived by not going past a seal in a temple in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon. There’s a trail to follow, but unlike Last Crusade, most of the book is dedicated to the search within the other temple rather than the finding of the treasure’s resting place itself.

Maybe that’s because Kaufman and Spooner didn’t want to construct too much of Gaia, the alien world Mia and Jules have gone to in order to dig up more alien tech from the Undying in order to save an Earth that’s in dire straits. The narrative doesn’t waste a ton of time explaining how Earth fell into the state it’s in, but it does make sure we know why Earth is … well … dying, and why Mia and Jules have come to the planet.

But even though this young adult novel does have a little bit of romance to it, it’s not forced, and it doesn’t develop as quickly as it very easily could. Jules and Mia trade barbs and figure puzzles out together, and, tellingly, it’s Mia who’s good at math — not Jules, who instead can translate the language of the Undying. He’s the academic who’s not great at being out in the real world; she’s the street-smart criminal with a heart of gold. To see them have these unexpected role reversals is refreshing.

There is a point at which the narrative drags a bit, with the arrival of some antagonists seemingly timed to spice things up and stop the repeating. The ebb and flow of action is, aside from this point, fairly well done, however. Even Indy has his quiet or more comedic moments, after all.

That aforementioned press release also notes that this book is a duology — and it reads like one, ending on a note that starts to make sense of some of the mysteries of the book in general but leaves things very ready for a second book. It seems, for all intents and purposes, that Kaufman and Spooner had a plan.

Next: 30 books to read in the first half of 2018

And that feeling helps make Unearthed more enjoyable, despite its occasionally wonky pacing and plotting. It’s a fun read that should help you kick off your 2018 reading in style.