Ahoy there me mateys!  Aye, another Tchaikovsky so soon after the last.  This is a sci-fi dystopian that takes place in a West African country by the equator.  The only reason the little town exists is for the space elevator ferrying rich folks off the dying burning planet.  The town illegally harvests from solar panels but the repair robots are also dying.  Local teens have to firewalk over barren landscape to see why the solar is broken and if they can fix it.

Mao, Lupé, and Hotep are the firewalkers given this task.  I really found meself rooting for the characters.  Mao was a fantastic main character.  The world building was lots of fun and gritty and realistic.  I have to admit that I loved the first half of this book a lot more than the reveal and ending.  The ending was believable but left me feeling bereft that all three characters could make those choices.  A lot of readers found hope in the conclusion.  I really do understand that but felt that humans had sold themselves out.

A solid read by Tchaikovsky even if not a favorite.  I will be picking up more of his work for sure.  Arrrr!