Zenn Scarlett

By Christian Schoon

Zenn Scarlett is a bright, determined, occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. That means she’s specializing in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. Her novice year of training at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars will find her working with alien patients from whalehounds the size of a hay barn to a baby Kiran Sunkiller, a colossal floating creature that will grow up to carry a whole sky-city on its back.

But after a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school and other near-disasters, the Cloister is in real danger of being shut down by a group of alien-hating officials. If that happens, Zenn knows only too well the grim fate awaiting the creatures she loves.

Now, she must unravel the baffling events plaguing her school, before someone is hurt or killed, before everything she cares about is ripped away from her and her family forever. To solve this mystery – and live to tell about it – Zenn will have to put her new exovet skills to work in ways she never imagined, and in the process learn just how powerful compassion and empathy can be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: May 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781908844569

Christian Schoon

Christian Schoon grew up in Minnesota, and worked his way through college in a succession of rock bands before earning his degree from the U of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Journalism. Following a stint as an in-house copywriter/scriptwriter at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, he supplied freelance copy for the entertainment industry and scriptwriting for live-action and animated TV. Currently, he writes from his 150-year-old farmstead in Iowa which he shares with a fluctuating number of horses (generally less than a dozen, but not always), 30 or so cats, a dog, three ferrets and a surprisingly tolerant wife. The Zenn Scarlett books are his first novels, however he admits to being an unrepentant fan of science fiction and fantasy ever since discovering the tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs in the fifth grade.

Reviews for Zenn Scarlett

[theindigoshelf-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am sure a lot of people are like me and wanted to be a Veterinarian when they grew up or they dreamed of what it is like in space, they wanted a cat-like "talking" best-friend/pet... (okay, maybe not that last part.) I know that I would have wanted to BE Zenn when I was much younger. I am going to analyze my feelings in separate sections for this one, much like my review for Angelfall. As with anything there are some faults, but I was able to overlook them and love this book completely.My expectations for this one were pretty high, as with any pretty cover I pick up. I hadn't expected it to move me as much as it did. At times, I will admit, it felt a little disjointed in Zenn's overall story. I would have liked a lot more background. I would absolutely love a prequel or a side-story. Maybe include some new creatures, Zenn's relationship with her parents, more Haymish, and MORE KATIE. Seriously. I loved Katie.Katie was the ultimate character for me. She is a rikkaset, a cat-like creature that can speak and turn invisible by her light-reflecting fur. I am a cat lover. Probably like most cat lovers, I wish mine could talk. Katie is deaf, but knows sign language. She saved the day, as all cat-like creatures do.The first few chapters feel incredibly long. There is so much detail. From the description of the color of the dust to all of her surroundings there is a lot to visualize. Zenn turns out to be incredibly observant and intelligent. In Zenn's world we meet giant beasts and alien insect beings that have language translators around their necks in order to communicate with others. This is where Hamish comes in. Schoon does a brilliant job at mastering social classes and humanity's curse to judge others by their appearance. Zenn doesn't conform to anyone else's views about different lifeforms and befriends Hamish by teaching him and helping him survive outside of his element. By the end of the first few chapters you really get a feel for Zenn's character. At times it can be a bit descriptive, but I enjoyed the uniqueness.We are told near the beginning that Zenn's mother went missing and is assumed dead after being swallowed by one of the largest animals in the galaxy... But the story keeps you guessing. We see Zenn's feelings about her parents relationship before the accident happens, and her father's behavior afterwards-which is understandable. Zenn's determination to keep everyone out is also understandable, she tries to maintain her focus on her career as an exovet.Liam is the "love interest". He is nice, and a bit mysterious.The romance doesn't happen until the very end... well sort of... Just the way I like it in young adult novels!There are tons of elements to this book. In Zenn's eagerness to become an exovet she must go through rigorous training and take multiple tests in order to safely take care of animals on her own. We are introduced to many characters and witness Zenn learn life lessons... the hard way... to discover her true feelings about friendship, and ultimately what it is like to be a unique person and to have such a specific goal at a young age.This was my first science-fiction novel...(!) I thought the world Zenn lived in was wonderful. Zenn, herself was inspiring. She defended herself and her beliefs on numerous occasions. I hope more people get to read this book, especially teens who are interested in living in outer space.

[mirandalg14 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to Netgalley.com and Angry Robot for allowing me to read this title.

This was a very interesting read. I liked it, but it wasn't quite there for me with the descriptions to give me a great view of the world. I will watch for the next book and look forward to seeing what happens. There are definitely those who will love it.

[bookwormdreams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's not a secret that I was looking forward to reading Zenn Scarlett. Colonization of other planets (especially Mars) is one of my favorite topics in science fiction novels. Add to that the fact that Christian Schoon kept teasing us in his comments and tweets by throwing out names of unusual animals featured in a book and you got one very excited bookworm (aka. me).The amount of exotic animals did not disappoint me. There were rikkasets, crypto-plasmodial seepdemons, Greater Kiran sunkillers, yotes and many more. In fact, there were so many animals that sometimes I felt overwhelmed. New species kept appearing and I just could not picture how do they look like. And Christian Schoon does not rush his narration. Everything is slow, from worldbuilding to descriptions.Through Zenn Scarlett's impatience there are some big lessons to be learned. When to be sure of yourself and when you need to take a break. And great view about aliens species and people's antipathy towards them. On a planet that is not your home world, who is really an alien?A lot of things can be said about Zenn Scarlett. It's slow at the beginning and Zenn, main character, can be irritating with her mistakes and overconfidence. Still it's very original and if you're patient it pays of in the end because Zenn Scarlett is an intriguing start to a new series. I will be looking forward to the sequel Under Nameless Stars.IN THE END...If you like young adult science fiction novels with original plots, unusual animals and are patient reader who do not mind if story takes time to develop, then Zenn Scarlett is the book for you.Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

[pattylouise_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Zenn ScarlettByChristian SchoonMy " in a nutshell" summary...Zenn...exoveterinarian...is on a quest to find her mother.My thoughts after reading this book...This book is pretty weird but good. Zenn Scarlett is in training to be an exoveterinarian just like her mom. Unfortunately her mom found herself in a precarious position...inside of a huge creature while she was trying to cure him...and she was unable to get out. Zen's father is away and she has not heard from him in months...her Uncle is her mentor/ teacher and Zen lives in a world filled with unbelievably unusual creatures.Something odd is happening to Zen...causing her to unintentionally put herself in harm's way. And the more she works with animals...the more she becomes one with the animals...I use the term animals loosely...oh...and she has a sort of friend/guardian/helper who is pretty much a huge bug! Yikes!Ok...I am not going into a huge play by play of everything that happens in this book. It's different, it's fun, it's a sort of different kinds of worlds and peoples and creatures trying to survive in a rapidly resource depleting bunch of planets kind of story. There's some bad stuff going down...Zen's mom's death may not have been an accident and Zen sort of gets in the middle of everything.What I loved about this book...Zenn was what I loved...I loved Katie, too...her little pet who could sign and disappear. I actually loved Hamish...the bug creature...he was reasonably cool.What I did not love about this book...The only thing that gets really old is all of the weird names for everything...sometimes too many to track...and not every page was a fascinating adventure...parts were just ok.Final thoughts...A good adventure story that involves lots of weird creatures...just ok for me!

[hrose2931 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So characters. I love characters and there are some characters in this novel! Zenn is one, the main one and for the most part is a likable character. She loves the animals at the Cloister and learning how to take care of them is her focus, the only focus she has. She has closed herself off to people, understandably so- she watched her mother die in an accident with one of the giant Indra's that fuel the starships that travel the galaxies when she was a young girl. And her father has traveled to a far away post doing something secretive. He hasn't been in touch in months. Her Rule is to not get close to anyone because they'll end up dying or leaving or disappointing you. She has no friends her age. So if she is a little animal centric, we can understand why. If she pushes away the cute "towner", Liam, who seems to be showing some interest in her we can understand. But she acts like a thirteen year old and it's kind of hilarious. "Is he flirting?" "Does he like me? I think he does." "Wait is he trying to ask me out" All those awkward moments at seventeen that most of us experienced at a much younger age seem so funny to watch her experience, but it does still bring on the butterflies. Zenn doesn't deserve to be alone. She needs friends, a boyfriend perhaps.But someone to talk to that is close to her age. She doesn't even know how to act around kids her age. Her one soft spot is a Rikkaset (a cat like creature that has chameleon like qualities) she named Katie and is her pet. She shows her human side to Katie when she won't let her guard down with anyone else. And though I love how tough she is, I'd love for her to trust someone (Liam) with the more vulnerable side of her.Liam- We only get small glimpses of Liam, but they endear him to us right away. Even when he's bad, he's good. Obviously he is more self assured on the outside than he is on the inside. There is a particularly sweet and heartbreaking scene with him and his cat that will make you absolutely know, no matter what, that anyone that can love his pet that much is not a bad person. Maybe makes mistakes, but down deep is a good guy. I liked Liam from the start.The Towners including the members of the Council- Don't like them. These are the kind of people that don't like what they don't understand. They don't like different. The animals that come to the Cloister to be treated come from planets all over the galaxies and most people blame aliens for an outbreak of a plague that killed millions on Earth. It was proven aliens didn't cause it, but small minds.... Even though the people living on Mars in the town are technically aliens.....they don't see it that way.There are other characters, minor ones with the exception of Hamish. If you read my interview yesterday, you'll see the description of him, basically a giant beetle with a soundbox to talk to him. About 8 feet tall. He gives me the shudders when I think about what he looks like, but he's a great character with some awesome and humorous moments.The world is fantastic. I approach Science Fiction novels with a bit of trepidation, worrying it will be too techie for me, but Christian Schoon describes animals like a Whalehound or a Sunkiller so adeptly that with a few words, you're able to understand the size, shape and nature of the animal. Most of the animals treated at the Cloister are harmless with a few exceptions. Mars is livable because of terra farming and generators that keep the air oxygenated. There are no complicated living systems. Politics are politics and Earth is refusing to do business with Mars because of some disagreements about the aliens. There are many little threads of stories going on, but not too many that you can't keep up. The biggest one in this novel is whether or not the Cloister's lease will be renewed for another five years and who is causing all the accidents at the Cloister that is starting to make them look bad and getting the attention of the Council who votes on the lease.It all comes down to this- Zenn learns that sometimes you have to let people in and you need people. That despite misgivings and earlier assumptions and actions can be forgiven in the face of selflessness. And sometimes people don't leave, they come back. She also learns to trust her talent or power. The Cloister trouble is resolved but many more questions are raised than answered and Zenn makes some hasty decisions based on her visions. There is a lot of -"I knew it was ....." and "Why would..." and "Holy Whalehound!" You never know with a new author if they are going to kill off a character or not, especially when one disappears. I was satisfied with the ending, but definitely know I'll be picking up the sequel. And yes, there will be a sequel. It's not a cliffhanger ending, but you do know our heroes (maybe) need some luck on their side.This is a pretty clean read. I don't remember any language, but there might have been. Certainly everything else was very clean. I'd say this novel is for anyone that likes Science Fiction even those that aren't sure if they do. It has a light romance, the kind that is slow building, starts with friendship (maybe). You just have to read it. And there are a lot of accidents with very, very large creatuares so there is a lot of action. Fast paced. I think anyone would enjoy it.So put it on the list! You'll be sorry you missed it. And don't forget I'm doing a giveaway thanks to Amanda at Strange Chemistry. Look at the post on May 7th, the interview with Christian Schoon to find the giveaway.