Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson

In an engaging sci-fi thriller, one girl attempts to outrun her past while discovering her true identity.

Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson. Carolrhoda Lab, 2013. 320 pages.

Reading Level:  Young Adults, Ages 16-up
Recommended For: Ages 16-up

On June 7, the year I turned sixteen, I vanished without a trace.

On September 28 of the same year I came back, with a story so bizarre that only my parents would ever believe it . . .

Tori Beaugrand, the “other girl” in Ultraviolet, is the protagonist of its sequel, Quicksilver. All she wants is an ordinary life. (Granted, with a new name and in a new city, but a girl can hope!) As readers will discover, this is a vain hope, for not only is Tori -now “Niki”- extra-ordinary, she is also extra-terrestrial, sent to earth as an infant for the purpose of scientific experimentation.

The only link remaining to Niki’s old life is the relay —the extra-terrestrial transmitter that brought Niki to earth and which she is unable to destroy. Then Sebastian, an acquaintance from Niki’s past, reappears to tell Niki that the relay can, and soon will, be used against her.

So begins a race against time, pitting Niki, Sebastian, and her new friend, Milo, against the “man” who first sent her to earth. Can Niki, with her prickly personality and engineering intelligence, truly keep her allies, or will the truth be too much, even for them?

Several themes make Quicksilver unsuitable for younger teens. Niki realizes she is asexual. She talks to Milo bluntly about her lack of sexual interest and struggles with it herself. She also struggles with memories of her former boyfriend attempting to go farther than she wanted. In one intense scene, Niki attempts taking her own life. When circumstances prevent her, she realizes suicide is not the right decision. Though not an overtly Christian book, Milo’s Korean grandmother shares a verse with Niki, Isaiah 41:10. This verse will haunt her through the rest of the book as she wrestles with its meaning.

Throughout Quicksilver Niki tries to find her new identity —an identity linked to who she really is and not the girl she has pretended to be for most of her life. As a result, she struggles to relate to her adoptive parents. Anderson is sympathetic to teenage angst, but by the end, Niki will realize there is more to most parents than meets the teenage eye. (Perceptive readers will also note that part of Niki’s struggles stem from some neurodivergent characteristics.)

Told in a first person narrative, with engineering terms instead of chapters, Quicksilver is a suspenseful sequel. Niki’s uncanny mathematical ability and love of engineering are evident through her narrative.

“My new bedroom was half the size of the my old one —58.7 percent smaller, to be exact.”

Teen girls, particularly those with an inclination toward science and mathematics, should considering adding Quicksilver, and Ultraviolet, to their reading lists.

Considerations: 

• Sexuality (Blunt discussion of Niki’s asexuality, references to past unwanted advances, see above)
• Self-Harm (Failed suicide attempt, see above)

Overall Value: 4 (out of 5)

• Moral/worldview value: 4
• Artistic value: 4.5

*This review was originally published in 2015 and has been updated.

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson (While Quicksilver can be read alone, Ultraviolet sets the stage.)
• A Review: *Swift by R. J. Anderson (A starred review for another series starter by R. J. Anderson)
• A Review: Hidden Figures (Young Reader’s Edition) (For readers who enjoyed the science in Quicksilver, here’s a good nonfiction.)