A grim, knotty, thought-provoking SF tale.
In this YA novel, a group of teenagers fights to understand, survive, and break free from a near-future dystopia predicated on total ignorance.
After her father’s death, Juniper sets out for Denver. She arrives injured, repressing the traumatic events that claimed her sister and left Juniper pregnant. Her entry into the city disrupts the Network, the all-pervasive artificial intelligence that oversees humanity’s degradation. The disruption allows Calvin (avatar name: Doc) to abscond from the deadly, immersive video game that he and others play for extra privileges and the entertainment of the masses. Freed from his gritty gilded cage, he rescues Juniper and finds an abandoned apartment for her to stay in. In return, she begins teaching him to read—the gravest sin in a society where “goners” are left naked and illiterate on the streets, sustained by food handouts and a diet of violent reality viewing. One of Calvin’s fellow gamers called Roscoe (avatar name: the Kid) finds that he can not only read the chatting between Network units but also surreptitiously contribute to it. With Juniper digging into the tragic events that brought about society’s commitment to policed ignorance, can the teens spark a revolution? Lane delivers an omniscient past-tense narrative that incorporates not only Juniper’s, Calvin’s, and Roscoe’s viewpoints, but also vast batches of Network dialogue. Such dialogue provides clues about what’s happening—the author takes an immersive approach to storytelling, holding back exposition until late in the piece—but may prove a little too scattershot for some readers. The scenario is unremitting in its bleakness: a totalitarian reductio ad absurdum that’s even more unsettling for being revealed as the end product of current societal tendencies. The teen protagonists prove to be relatable, though more on an allegorical level (as they grope blindly through a world whose rules make no sense) than as traditional narrative agents. Minor characters—such as poor, clueless Itch-ass—also make an impression. The story is dense and takes some wading through. Lane’s prose, though assured, offers the occasional odd phrasing, such as the Trail Boss “asserting” the Schoolmarm back into her wagon or Juniper “assorting” the books. Given the worldview presented, perhaps these snippets have been seeded deliberately to make readers think. Certainly, the book as a whole will achieve this purpose.
A grim, knotty, thought-provoking SF tale.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780998435671
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Both entertaining and well-written; demands and holds readers’ attention.
A duology opener that revisits the world of Divergent (2011).
Beatrice “Tris” Prior is Divergent. But before she can select Dauntless, her Choosing Ceremony is interrupted by a group of factionless rebels, and her good friend is killed. Amid the chaos, Tris sees Evelyn, the wife of Abnegation leader Marcus Eaton—but Evelyn supposedly died years ago. And, shockingly, she’s an Amity woman who’s holding a gun. Tris doesn’t tell anyone, even her father, when he later questions her. Her brother, Caleb, chooses Erudite—the faction that’s most critical toward the Abnegation and their practices—and Tris feels pressured to stay in Abnegation. But when her father tries to erase her memories, she knows she’s unsafe. Tris’ mother helps her escape to the factionless, where Tris meets Four, a Dauntless boy. Their relationship shows her that she was right to leave Abnegation—and that maybe the rebels are correct to want the death of the faction system. As Tris becomes friends with the other “faction failures,” she realizes that no faction is as it seems, and that power is a corrupting influence they can’t escape. This exciting work revisits beloved characters, offering a new understanding of them and of what happens when we stand up and ask questions. Returning fans and those new to this world will appreciate the witty banter, slow-burn romance, and heartache stemming from betrayal and complicated familial love. The leads are cued white.
Both entertaining and well-written; demands and holds readers’ attention. (Dystopian. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9780063462595
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
