The Wild Lands

November 15, 2018
Survivors struggle across a lawless, environmentally devastated Alaska, seeking civilization and safety.Seventeen-year-old Travis' family thought they could survive by roughing it after the United States government withdrew from oil-drained Alaska, but three years after the wider scale evacuation, they find natural resources--devastated by two fires, the first set by the government to destroy military bases--dwindling beyond survivability. The lethal threats Travis and his 10-year-old sister encounter include food scarcity, natural dangers, including wildlife and river crossings, and--of course--other humans. Every time he encounters people, Travis must evaluate them as either helpful, in need of help, or deadly enemies. Travis' first-person present-tense narration, combined with short, punchy chapters, keeps the story at a heart-racing clip even when the characters themselves are slogging through slow-moving, treacherous landscapes. While dealing with hardship and losses, Travis gleans bits of information about what has gone so wrong (with a dash of geopolitical exposition at the end) and experiences multiple facets of human nature. Travis' family is assumed white, as are most characters; one with dark hair and eyes leans heavily and stereotypically into her Native ancestry, expressed as a fractional genetic heritage, waxing romantically about dancing, praying, and how the land needs a chance to heal. The exquisitely described land sometimes has a stronger personality than characters--and environmental consequences are well-deployed in the plot.A rugged wilderness lover's post-disaster survivalist tale. (Adventure. 13-18)

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December 15, 2018
Grades 10-1 Travis lives in a near-future Alaska that is not only remote but also devastated by earthquakes, floods, and fire. People are scarce and savage, desperate enough to kill for the smallest portion of food. After the terrible deaths of their parents, Travis and his 10-year-old sister undertake a treacherous journey southward, following rumors of settlements near Anchorage, and along the way, they team up with a group of teen girls driven into the wilderness after fires destroyed their home. It's bleak and terrifying traveling through the decimated landscape, where the formidable terrain confounds their progress. But the worst dangers come from other people. The narrative is filled with grisly stories of human cruelty, such as the account of a man who crucified his wife or a river clogged by bloated bodies. With an omnipresent sense of horror reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's The Road (2006), this is tough reading, which is a testament to Greci's skill in evoking such a believable dystopian setting. Heart-thumping suspense for readers who liked Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave (2013).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)