Some books are easy to enjoy and put down. Others become an obsession. For teen and young adult (YA) readers searching for a series with enough action, suspense, and emotional weight to make them immediately want the next book, Tom Di Paola’s “Starbound: Enter The Inferno” has the ingredients of exactly that kind of read.
The author’s debut novel follows four teenage brothers who are pushed out of an ordinary life and into circumstances far bigger than anything they could have expected. There are new powers to comprehend, planets to explore, enemies to survive, and a mystery surrounding their father that changes everything they thought they knew.
But what makes “Starbound” particularly suited for fans of YA adventure fiction is that the protagonists navigating this enormous world still feel unmistakably young. The Evermore brothers are teenagers learning what they’re capable of while simultaneously figuring out who they can trust, how far they will go for one another, and what happens when growing up suddenly becomes less of a choice and more of a necessity.
A young adult adventure that actually feels young
One of the pleasures of YA fiction is getting to experience extraordinary circumstances through characters who have not already figured everything out. While a seasoned warrior entering a dangerous situation presents a typical kind of adventure, a teenager entering it is another.
At the beginning of “Starbound: Enter The Inferno,” 17-year-old Skyler Evermore is still thinking about summer break and how he and his younger brothers — Dexter, Matt, and Sam — have never traveled beyond Earth. Then, when armed forces storm the Frontier Building in downtown Matalax City, their father, Roger, is murdered as Skyler hopelessly looks on.
Soon, the brothers discover that the quiet life they knew was hiding something much larger. Roger had been working on a classified project involving an experimental serum capable of granting extraordinary physical abilities. Once the brothers inject it themselves, their lives become even more complicated as they come to terms with their new powers — and no guidebook on how to use them. And that clumsiness in navigating a new type of life is exactly what makes YA adventure fiction relatable.
The kind of adventure plot that keeps its momentum
While some critics of YA adventure fiction discredit the overall genre for being monolithic at times, “Starbound” is a perfect example of a much more layered story. The novel blends key elements of mystery, action, thriller, fantasy, and science fiction with rich world-building and character development that evolve naturally as the plot takes readers beyond Earth and into the Unified System, a network of inhabited planets that dramatically expands the book’s scale.
Instead of remaining in one familiar setting, the Evermore brothers travel through different planetary environments while uncovering a conflict that becomes increasingly dangerous. And that movement gives the novel constant momentum.
There’s always another place to discover, another piece of the mystery to understand, or another threat capable of changing the direction of the story. Readers who lose interest when an adventure stays in one location for too long will appreciate the book’s shifting settings and the sense that something larger is always waiting on the next page as they wonder where the characters are going next.
The perfect trifecta in a YA adventure book
Every great YA adventure book has three things: newfound powers, unbreakable relationships, and a fantastical, fully developed world.
Teens trying to figure out their new powers is a lot like a real-world teenager trying to figure out their place in the world. The stakes may be much higher in fiction, but the uncertainty feels familiar: “Who am I becoming?” “What am I capable of?” “And what happens when other people start expecting more from me?”
For the Evermore brothers, the experimental serum makes those questions literal. Their enhanced strength, agility, and healing abilities change what they can do, but don’t automatically tell them who they’re supposed to become.
As they explore these new powers together and navigate hand-to-hand combat, sword fights, shootouts, and a growing interplanetary threat, the brothers form an unbreakable bond that draws readers into the book’s narrative. They worry about one another. Frustrate one another. Underestimate one another. But eventually, they have to learn to trust each other in situations where hesitation can have serious — and fatal — consequences.
These obstacles only matter because readers care about the brothers and their relationship as they explore this immense new world they didn’t know existed. The Unified System gives “Starbound” the kind of expansive setting readers often look for in both science fiction and fantasy, one that feels bigger than the story currently unfolding inside it. Humanity has expanded beyond Earth into a network of inhabited planets, creating room for new environments, new threats, and new pieces of the larger mystery.
Each setting gives the story somewhere new to go, helping maintain the constant momentum readers expect from YA adventure books. New powers give the brothers something to discover about themselves. Their relationships and cosmic explorations give them something worth protecting. And the world around them gives readers a reason to keep turning the page.
Add “Starbound: Enter The Inferno” to your to-be-read list
Every reader has a slightly different definition of the perfect adventure book. Some people want just mystery or suspense; others want a whole new fantastical world and character-driven plot.
“Starbound: Enter The Inferno” brings those interests together in a fast-moving science-fiction story built for readers who enjoy teenage protagonists, high-stakes danger, developing powers, family loyalty, and a universe large enough to keep exploring.
Tom DiPaolo’s debut novel, “Starbound: Enter The Inferno,” is now available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart.