Destiny's way

In the rambling conclusion to the Doomed Earth duology (after In Our Stars), Campbell mixes military science fiction adventure with social commentary and a dash of romance as his characters explore issues of ethics and humanity, and what it means to be defined as a person. Following the destruction of the Earth in 2180, Lt. Selene Genji of the Unified Fleet is thrown back in time to 2140, long before her birth and the terrible events of the Universal War. After befriending and then falling in love with Lt. Kayl Owen of the Earth Guard, Selene and her new partner go on the run, pursued by those in power who fear her genetically engineered, part-alien nature and assume she's a spy or worse. Now Selene and Kayl must survive long enough to convince the world of her good intentions while somehow influencing the present to prevent a future apocalypse. But with First Contact with the alien Tramontine already underway, Earth's slide into xenophobia and chaos may be inevitable. It's an exciting setup, and the stakes should feel high as Selene struggles to save the planet by changing the way part-aliens like herself are perceived, but the plot meanders as she and Kayl repetitively slip into and out of danger with little real consequence. This underperforms. (Feb.)