A sharply topical and well-researched apocalypse narrative that shifts among black humor, grisly details, and moments of...
Sosnowski (Vamped, 2004) follows three teenage survivors of a global apocalypse as they struggle through a ravaged America empty of other humans.
Dev is an autistic teenager fascinated by vacuum cleaners, astronomy, and other things that make more sense to him than humiliating interactions with other people. Mohammad is a star football player who nevertheless feels out of place in Trump's America—enough so that he listens to Internet “friends” seeking to radicalize him. Lucy is a pregnant teen mourning the death of her best—and only—friend, the baby's father. The only thing they have in common? They were all preparing to kill themselves when everyone else died first. For Dev, the sudden and unexplained demise of seemingly every other human on the planet is a relief and a blessing; for Mohammad it's a wake-up call that rouses him harshly from his uncertain martyr's faith, prompting him to change his name to Marcus. And for Lucy, it's a desperate hope that perhaps she was spared for a higher purpose. Initially alone, each of these troubled teenagers works to survive the challenges of a world filled with such hazards as wild animals, food spoilage, freezing winter storms...and body decomposition on a massive scale. Part dystopian survival novel and part coming-of-age journey, the tale weaves back and forth between the three leads as they try to make sense of the catastrophe and create a new normal for themselves. Marcus and Lucy meet first, but will Dev welcome these intruders into his blissful solitude or treat them as interrupters of his own personal heaven? Are there other survivors out there? Will these three be humanity's last dying gasp or the creators of a new, more humane world?
A sharply topical and well-researched apocalypse narrative that shifts among black humor, grisly details, and moments of poignancy.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5039-0130-8
Page Count: 459
Publisher: 47North
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
An exciting, thought-provoking mind-bender.
In Crouch’s sci-fi–driven thriller, a machine designed to help people relive their memories creates apocalyptic consequences.
In 2018, NYPD Detective Barry Sutton unsuccessfully tries to talk Ann Voss Peters off the edge of the Poe Building. She claims to have False Memory Syndrome, a bewildering condition that seems to be spreading. People like Ann have detailed false memories of other lives lived, including marriages and children, but in “shades of gray, like film noir stills.” For some, like Ann, an overwhelming sense of loss leads to suicide. Barry knows loss: Eleven years ago, his 15-year-old daughter, Meghan, was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Details from Ann’s story lead him to dig deeper, and his investigation leads him to a mysterious place called Hotel Memory, where he makes a life-altering discovery. In 2007, a ridiculously wealthy philanthropist and inventor named Marcus Slade offers neuroscientist Helena Smith the chance of a lifetime and an unlimited budget to build a machine that allows people to relive their memories. He says he wants to “change the world.” Helena hopes that her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, will benefit from her passion project. The opportunity for unfettered research is too tempting to turn down. However, when Slade takes the research in a controversial direction, Helena may have to destroy her dream to save the world. Returning to a few of the themes he explored in Dark Matter (2016), Crouch delivers a bullet-fast narrative and raises the stakes to a fever pitch. A poignant love story is woven in with much food for thought on grief and the nature of memories and how they shape us, rounding out this twisty and terrifying thrill ride.
An exciting, thought-provoking mind-bender.Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-5978-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A new series starts off with a bang.
A queen and her young daughter are forced to separate and go into hiding when a corrupt politician tries to take over the kingdom.
Queen Cressa of Weirandale is worried about her 8-year-old daughter, the “princella” Cerúlia. The people of Weirandale worship a water spirit, Nargis, who grants each queen a special gift called a Talent. Cressa herself is able to meddle with memories, for example, and her mother possessed supernatural strategic abilities that served her well in battle. Cerúlia, however, appears to have none, because surely her insistence that she can talk to animals is only her young imagination running wild. When Cerúlia’s many pets warn her about assassins creeping into the royal chambers, the girl is able to save herself and her mother. Cressa uses her Talent, which actually extends to forcing anyone to tell her the truth, to root out traitors among the aristocracy, led by the power-hungry Lord Matwyck. Fearing for her daughter’s life and her own, Cressa takes Cerúlia and flees. Thinking Cerúlia will be safer away from her mother, Cressa takes the girl to a kind peasant family and adjusts their memories so they believe Cerúlia is their adopted daughter. Kozloff’s debut is the first of four Nine Realms books, and Tor plans to publish them over just four months. Luckily, the series opener is a strong start, so readers will be grateful for the short wait before Book 2. Kozloff sets a solid stage with glimpses into other characters and nations while keeping the book together with a clear, propulsive plot.
A new series starts off with a bang.Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-16854-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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