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Across the Universe (novel series)

novel by Beth Revis

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 14, 2026
Entity authorityQ4676511 ↗
Source-derived summary

Across the Universe is a trilogy of young adult science fiction romance novels written by American author Beth Revis. Chronicling the life of Amy Martin aboard a generation ship hundreds of years in the future, Across the Universe, the first novel published in 2011 by Razorbill, received a starred Kirkus review and made the New York Bestseller List for Children's Chapter Books.

Plot summary

Hundreds of years in the future, the spaceship Godspeed travels toward a distant, earth-like planet with 100 cryogenically frozen settlers on board. Seventeen year old Amy, frozen along with her parents, wakes early and only to find herself in the middle of a strange, regimented society made up of those born on the ship over generations. With the help of Elder, the ship's only teenager and future leader, she must solve a murder mystery, and save the ship. They must hurry before the murderer kills any more people, and before time runs out of life.

Books in this universe

Across the Universe (2011)

A Million Suns (2012)

Shades of Earth (2013)

The Body Electric (2014)

The first three books in the series make up the original trilogy, published by Penguin Books. The fourth book is a standalone novel set in the same universe, and was self-published by Revis.

Short Fiction in this universe

The Other Elder

Love is a Choice

Night Swimming

As They Slip Away

Revis has also written short fiction that takes place in the universe of her trilogy, including As They Slip Away, a novella available as a free download from Penguin Teen, as well as short stories in the anthologies After (edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling), which includes The other Elder; Shards and Ashes (edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong), which includes Love is a choice; and Defy the Dark (edited by Sandra Mitchell).

Reception

Across the Universe debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List for Children's Chapter Books at #7 in January 2011, and received a Kirkus starred review.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Across the Universe (novel series)” as novel by Beth Revis. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Across, Universe and novel.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2011, 2012, 2013, 2014—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2011-01-01. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Across, Universe and novel providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Across the Universe (novel series)”, the useful work is to connect “novel by Beth Revis” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4676511. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Critical limits

Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

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  2. Expand the search: follow Across the Universe (novel series) primary sources, Across the Universe (novel series) archive and Across research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Across the Universe (novel series)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.