Dark Life

April 5, 2010
It's not “Go West, young man,” but “Go Deep,” in this action-packed aquatic adventure by newcomer Falls. Years after climate changes have devastated the Earth's surface, the new frontier is underwater, where rugged individualists have carved out lives on the ocean floor. “The Topsiders clung to the chunks of oversea land that were still left, and they didn't understand why we weren't clinging, too,” says 15-year-old narrator Ty, part of the first generation born and bred in the so-called Dark Life. When he meets Gemma, a Topsider girl searching for her lost brother among the prospectors and toughs of the region, Ty feels obligated to protect her, especially when they run afoul of the Seablite Gang, pirates who've been preying on local settlers. In their struggle for survival, Ty and Gemma learn the fate of her brother and uncover long-hidden secrets regarding the Deep Life. Though the science and future history are only lightly explored, there's no denying the nifty premise, solid characterization, and tense moments that contribute to a cinematic reading experience. Falls's undersea world warrants further exploration. Ages 9–12.

Keith Nobbs ably inhabits the character of 15-year-old Ty, the resourceful first-person hero of this near-future adventure. The only teenager in a small community of ranchers who farm the ocean floor, Ty teams up with Gemma, an orphaned girl from the surface, to find her missing brother, defeat the marauding Seablite gang, and expose a dark secret. Nobbs is extraordinarily believable as Ty, an adolescent on the verge of manhood who is searching for his place in the world (which happens to be underwater). Nobbs also subtly handles the supporting voices. The production contains bonus material at the end: a deleted third-person scene between Gemma and the outlaw leader, Shade. A.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine