After Atlas

This is not really a sequel to Planetfall, and can be read without reading the first book

40 years after the departure of the spaceship Atlas (the story of its passengers was told in Planetfall), the people of Earth await the opening of a time capsule left by its captain, and speculation about the contents -- and how they might help the failing planet -- runs rife.

What I thought: This is not really a sequel to Planetfall, and can be read without reading the first book. The main character is the son left behind by the leader of the spacecraft Atlas' colony expedition, and he has tried to make a life for himself on a dystopic future earth, despite spending decades under a cloud of uncertainty and resentment from the rest of the world because of his lineage. The future technology described here, and the political organization of the earth's countries, are quite interesting, and the author builds the stakes nicely as the plot moves along. As with the first book, the ending seems a little abrupt; nevetheless, I found it a worthy read.