by Alicia Rudnicki, Library Mix

The Web of Titan, A Galahad Book, by Dom Testa, Tor Books, 2010,
ISBN 0-765-36078-0
Available at Powell Books

Spaceship commander Triana Martell and her super-smart crew of 250 teenagers are space pioneers.  They have been specially selected to flee Earth where everyone over the age of 18 is succumbing to a fatal virus caused by the infectious dusts of a strange comet.

Dom Testa’s The Web of Titan, A Galahad Book is the second novel in the author’s popular Galahad series about a perilous voyage to the far edge of the universe to find a new home and perpetuate humankind.

Triana and crew have been in space for less than a year and are still adjusting to the loss of their families and recovering from a near collision with tragedy. During the first novel, The Comet’s Curse, they thwarted a suicidal, middle-aged stowaway intent on destroying the crew and Project Galahad.

As it zooms toward deep space in Web of Titan, the crew is worried about its  mysterious, upcoming assignment to retrieve a “transport pod” orbiting Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The pod was launched by a research station that lost contact with Galahad after requesting help.

Concern turns to puzzlement when Triana and her council discover there is only a kitten aboard the pod in a tiny cryogenic chamber. The larger cryogenic chamber intended for the cat's owner is empty.

Puzzlement becomes fear when a bizarre illness and other unusual occurrences begin to cripple Galahad.

Testa, who is also a well-known Denver radio personality, has created a likeable cast of responsible, competent teens. While the story touches on loneliness, attraction, and romantic longing, it is the crew’s work and dangerous challenges that drive the plot.

The author has also created a fascinating spaceship environment, which includes farms located under clear domes that allow gardeners to view the stars as well as a recreational track for “airboarding,” which is like airborne skateboarding.

After self-publishing his Galahad series beginning in 2005, the success of Testa’s novels attracted science fiction publishing house Tor, which is reissuing his work. The third book in the series, The Cassini Code, A Galahad Book, is now available for pre-order from Amazon and is due out in November.

It appears that the self-published copies of Testa’s books are becoming collectible. In particular, used copies of Galahad 3: The Cassini Code, which originally sold for $8.95, are being sold by three major online booksellers for prices ranging from about $50 to well over $100.

Readers who have to wait until November for the new Cassini, may enjoy visiting Testa’s Club Galahad site, which includes Triana’s ongoing journal entries as well as space and science news.

Another site to visit is the Big Brain Club of Testa’s Big Brain Foundation, which the author says he began “to help young people overcome the peer pressure to dumb down.” It contains reading, writing, math, and science activities for students as well as articles for adults.