Entirely derivative from start to finish, it will probably nonetheless appeal to those still obsessed with the torture genre...
Lucian “Lucky” Spark has run out of luck; he’s been selected as a candidate for the Recruitment, a series of brutal tests designed to be a fast track to military leadership for a few of the most promising individuals of society.
But there’s a catch—one of the four recruits Lucky is pitted against is Digory Tycho, a charming young man for whom Lucky is developing a strong attraction. When Lucky and Digory are assigned as each other’s Incentives—effectively, as hostages to ensure cooperation and competition within the trials—they must choose where love and loyalty lie. Except for the gay romance, dos Santos’ debut is a by-the-numbers dystopian: An overwhelming divide separates rich and poor; the harsh government crushes resistance; vicious death matches result in lots of gore. Lucky’s concern for his little brother (who is initially held by the government to ensure Lucky’s cooperation), his gradual embrace of the resistance movement and his sudden survival skills are all familiar tropes as well. There’s a certain appeal to dos Santos’ depiction of LGBTQ characters—Lucian is treated harshly for being a traitor, not for being gay, and same-sex marriage is routine. None of the supporting characters are developed beyond their flaws, and the gruesome nature of the death traps borders on gratuitous.
Entirely derivative from start to finish, it will probably nonetheless appeal to those still obsessed with the torture genre and stands as a rare dystopia in which gay characters exist. (Dystopian romance. 12 & up)Pub Date: March 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3537-5
Page Count: 421
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Energetic but at times heavy-handed, this dystopian tale seems destined for a screen adaptation.
Trial and punishment are carried out via a social media process called the Hive in this futuristic thriller created by a team that includes an actress, a film producer, and two writers.
The daughter of a famous hacker, high school senior Cassie is still grieving her dad’s recent death. Her mother, a classics professor named Rachel, is struggling both to make ends meet and with the ongoing presence of National Security Agency agents who keep nosing around her late husband’s doings. Alternating between Cassie’s and her mother’s third-person narration, the difficult relationship between the pair provides a believable emotional backbone for this high-concept, fast-paced, sometimes overly detailed cautionary tale of the morally fraught territory that results when technology and mob mentality mix. After Cassie makes a tasteless joke online about the new grandchild of the president (a figure who is so obviously Trump that the pretense of his name being fictionalized seems pointless), she must flee the ensuing violent wrath of the Hive, discovering its secrets along the way. Readers may be frustrated by the intelligent and sarcastic Cassie’s apparent inability to identify people who are clearly likely to betray her. Cassie is biracial—her mother is white, and her dad was black—and the secondary characters are realistically diverse.
Energetic but at times heavy-handed, this dystopian tale seems destined for a screen adaptation. (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0060-8
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
May satisfy Christian fans of dystopian science fiction.
After Cain is infected with the Nightmare Virus, he only has 22 days to find a cure and save humanity.
Cain wanted to build dream worlds as a professional Draftsman, but then the Nightmare Virus arrived. It traps sleeping people in the nightmarish state Cain’s older brother, Nole, called the Tunnel, adding one hour of sleep per day until, after 22 Sleeps, you never wake up. When Cain is infected after Nole’s death, he fights his way through the Tunnel by sheer force of will and finds Tenebra, a dreamscape reminiscent of ancient Rome that’s inhabited by other infected people. Cain makes a bargain with young Emperor Luc—save Luc’s infected father (who’s in a Life Support Pod that needs charging in the Real World), access the cure that’s locked in his mind, and get an exorbitantly expensive LifeSuPod of his own. While Cain is asleep, he must earn his Tenebran citizenship by surviving the Arena and dangerous Spores who enter and exit the Nightmare at will. When he’s awake, he faces the apocalypse. If he dies in one world, he also dies in the other. While this genre-bending work features an interesting premise, it’s slow to start, the worldbuilding is muddled, and the ending may not satisfy readers who are unfamiliar with Christianity. The author’s approach to dealing with mental health and emotional struggles is confusing, potentially communicating blame for sufferers. Most characters read white.
May satisfy Christian fans of dystopian science fiction. (Christian science fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9798886051308
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Enclave Escape
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
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