RUINS

In the wake of one apocalypse, can humans and Partials, cloned supersoldiers, live together, or will the world end again?

Kira Walker found a cure for the RM plague. The Partials think her DNA might hold the cure for their “expiration date,” the genetic trait that shuts their bodies down when they turn 20. The Partials held the last remnant of humanity hostage until Kira turned herself in for study (Fragments, 2013); when her biopsies yield no answers, she sets off to find unaligned Partials in hopes of finding a solution to the expiration date herself. Meanwhile, Samm, her Partial boyfriend, makes a startling discovery halfway across the country, and he sets out to find Kira and, he hopes, save both races. However, a splinter group of humans plans to use a nuclear warhead to destroy the Partials. And two very different genetically modified scientists are stalking the survivors; one shaped like a monster is warning everyone, and another shaped like a man is intent on harvesting everyone to create a perfect future. Wells concludes his post-apocalyptic, action-packed trilogy with a literal bang and a lot of blood. Believable characters face tough moral choices, and though the end is tidy, the twists and treachery that get readers there are all the fun. It’s enjoyable alone but best read after the first two.

Science (fiction) at the end of the world done right.