The Mayflower Project by Katherine A. Applegate

Remnants, No 1

Synopsis
The end of the world. Not something most people think about. Not something we even expect to ever really happen. But what if you found out an asteroid the size of New Jersey were about to collide with the earth? What would you do? t's the year 2011, and that's the question Jobs is asking himself. The question he asked his family. He certainly didn't expect the answer he got. Didn't expect that in a very short time he and his family would be some of the lucky few selected to board a revamped space shuttle... A shuttle that would leave Earth just before the asteroid destroys it. But there are a couple of catches: The shuttle has no ultimate destination; and all those aboard will be placed in a state of suspended animation---indefinitely. Or at least until the computers find a habitable planet for them to live.

My Opinion
I picked up the first 4 books in this series because I absolutely loved Applegate's Everworld series. So I thought I would try this one as well. I love sci-fi and like to read 'end of the world' books so this sounded right up my alley. I decided to go ahead and start the series even though I only have the first 4 and there are a total of 14, because my dd read this book and said that she did not care for it.

I am currently on #4 and all I can say is 'Waaahhhhaaaa!! I don't have anymore of the series yet!'

I love this series!

In this first book we meet the main characters, Jobs, Mo-steel, 2Face and others as they discover that Earth is doomed by a huge asteroid that will hit in less than 2 weeks. The only plan to save humanity is a quickly thrown together hope of survival for a select few called 'The Mayflower Project'. What is essentially a refurbished old shuttle with a bunch of as yet untested technology quickly added on. The hope is that the 80 chosen will be able to launch into space prior to the asteroid strike and use a new hibernation technology to travel in space in search of a planet that can support this ragtag remainder of humanity.

The chosen are folks who work for or have contacts with NASA and their families, so while there is an intersting mix of people, it is nothing like a group you would expect to be formed when they are to be the only humans left alive.

Jobs-- a 14 year old techie, and his best friend, Mo-Steel, an adrenaline junkie are the main characters in the story. We follow them from the first discovery of the impending dome of the planet Earth to the final moments of Earth's existence as witnessed by Jobs and Mo-Steel as they are floating in space attempting to repair the solar sails on the shuttle so that the shuttle can begin it's journey to the unknown. The ride from the discovery of the asteroid to the moment of the destruction of Earth is a roller coaster that you don't want to get off.