Aoléon: The Martian Girl - Part Two

“Which is exactly my point--being telepathic, my thoughts and memories are not always my own.  Your individuality in spirit, in thought, and in your wide range of emotions is what makes Terrans unique among all other races of sentient beings.  In a sense, I think many other races either envy or fear you--for what you are and what you might become."
~ Aoléon: The Martian Girl (Part Two), Brent LeVasseur


Telepathy is a common theme in modern science fiction, and many extraterrestrials have telepathic ability.  In Aoléon: The Martian Girl (Part Two: The Luminess of Mars), written and illustrated by Brent LeVasseur, more attention is given to the matter of telepathy, which is introduced in Part One.  Aoléon says that Martians are a telepathic race, who communicate telepathically.  It has its advantages, of course, but it also has its disadvantages (Aoléon can't keep any secrets from her mother).  And with the way things are going right now, Mars feels like a dystopia of sorts, due in part to telepathy.

Since I can't communicate with my readers telepathically at this very moment, I'll straight out tell you a bit about this book. ;)  I read an ARC of Aoléon: The Martian Girl (Part Two), comprised of three chapters: Luminess (Chapter Six), Bizwat the Procyon (Chapter Seven), and Martian Space Academy (Chapter Eight).

In Part Two of Aoléon: The Martian Girl, we meet many other Martians.  Along with Gilbert, we meet the formidable Luminess, when Aoléon and Gilbert go on a special mission to investigate the Luminon, who's suspected of planning an invasion of Earth to steal cows.  Later, Aoléon brings Gilbert home for dinner, and he meets the members of her family, her mother, Phobos, her father Deimos, and her little sister, Una, as well as Zoot, Una's pet moog, an odd-looking little creature.  They forgo the usual evening consumption of galact, and order platters--Martian pizza--delivered by Aoléon's friend, Bizwat (the delivery guy) who is a Procyon Commando, and who uses his Saturn Pizza delivery job as a cover.  When Gilbert attends school, the Martian Space Academy, with Aoléon, we meet Charm (misnomer), Quarkina, Neptunian "exchange students", Plutarch Xenocrates (the teacher), and others.  Gilbert tries to blend in at Martian school, but as a Terran, he stands out like a sore thumb.  At least Gilbert has some telepathy now, and knows what the other students think about him, although the thoughts he hears are chaotic, and more than a bit overwhelming.  Plutarch Xenocrates gives a lesson about the history of Martian people, and they even take an exciting field trip to the Galactic History Museum.  Later in the day, after school, Gilbert and Aoléon, frolic as they train in zero-G.  The last chapter ends with a game of psi-ball, "the greatest game on Mars", in a "friendly" match between the Martian Space Academy and the Martian Science Academy. 

Pizza: no civilized world can exist without it.

Fun, fun, fun!  Gilbert and Aoléon are a charming dynamic duo, and Aoléon: The Martian Girl (Part 2 : The Luminess of Mars) is an irresistibly fun book.  The brightly-colored, three-dimensional graphics delight the eye and fit the story perfectly.  This time, I read the story on my computer, rather than on my iPad mini, and enjoyed viewing the graphics on a larger screen.  The characters are too cute for words, and there's a healthy amount of humor in the story, which is quite appealing.  I found myself laughing out loud (but not too loud) at least a few times.  As I said in my review of Part One, Aoléon: The Martian Girl has MOVIE written all over it--I can practically see and hear it now.  As a book, though, it's a quick and absorbing read, the second part of a five part book.  I enjoyed many of the sci-fi adventures and ideas in this book, which includes a handy dandy glossary of terms, and think that this sensational book is especially suitable for (even reluctant) readers in middle-school, as well as older readers with an interest in Martian matters. 

Many thanks to Laura from iRead Book Tours for sending me an advanced readers copy of this ebook. For more reviews, please stop by iRead's book blog tour for Aoléon: The Martian Girl (Part Two). 

Thank you for reading! Your comments are welcomed.