Half Lives

June 10, 2013
Grant (Dark Parties) mines fresh material from the dystopian genre through an intriguing scenario and approach to the form. In the present day, 17-year-old Icie’s normal life is disrupted when her government advisor parents alert her to a biological threat and tell her to get to a shelter outside Las Vegas. En route, she encounters a perky, bald cheerleader named Marissa; young casino heir Tate; and a Native American teen named Chaske. Alternating with Icie’s tale is the story of a mountain cult in the future, in which teenagers like Beckett and Harper face the mysteries of the same base Icie and her friends are running toward, as well as their own connections to her world. Grant’s choice to tell two stories simultaneously works quite well, glimpses of each world hinting at the other (even before readers meet Marissa, for example, they know there’s a class of people in the future called “Cheerleaders”). Each story line stands on its own, but together they form a thought-provoking study of faith, misunderstanding, and survival. Ages 15–up. Agent: Jenny Savill, Andrew Nurnberg Associates. (July)■

May 15, 2013
A thought-provoking futuristic drama examines different generations affected by a bioterrorist attack. Icie is a normal teenager, largely consumed with her social media accounts, drama with friends and boyfriends, and her daily trips to Starbucks. Her days are spent creating "the Ripple" with her BFF: grafting two words into one, in hopes they spark trends online. Her routine is irrevocably shattered when her government-affiliated parents warn her of an upcoming bioterror attack, arming her with survival supplies, money and instructions to head to a mysterious underground bunker in Vegas. In the future after the attacks, a remote band of people lives on a mountain in an encampment named Forreal and worships the Great I AM, a deity who left cryptic messages about Facebook and malls, and tales of rock stars and cheerleaders. The mountain people fear terrorists (which they believe are monsterlike creatures with talons and venomous fangs) and the inhabitants of the enigmatic locality Vega. The two intertwining narratives eventually converge, although Icie's palpably anxious, claustrophobic story is noticeably the stronger half. The decisions made by either generation aren't easy, and thinking with hearts versus heads leads to missteps, but whether one agrees with their actions, they are compelling nonetheless. Though a bit uneven, the pressure builds at a breakneck pace, making for a fast, addictive read. (author's note) (Post-apocalyptic adventure. 13 & up)

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November 1, 2013
Gr 10 Up-Despite the commendable effort to be different from typical dystopian novels, this book doesn't entirely succeed. It follows two story lines. In one, 17-year-old Icie confesses that she's been forced to lie, cheat, steal, and even kill, after she flees DC at her parents' urging and heads to an underground bunker beneath a mountain in the Nevada desert because of an imminent bioterrorist attack. She's joined en route by irrepressible cheerleader, Marissa; younger casino heir, Tate; and gorgeous part Native American, Chaske. Being forced to remain underground for months, not knowing what's happening outside, takes its toll on them all. Things get worse when Tate discovers leaking nuclear waste stored in the bunker. The other story line takes place hundreds of years later after terrorist attacks destroyed the Time Before. Teenaged Beckett and his small group of followers worship the same mountain where Icie's secret bunker was built. They are descendants of the Survivors from before and worship the Great I Am, a name derived from artifacts from Icie's time. They spend their time defending the mountain against terrorists (complete with fangs and poisonous venom) and inhabitants from nearby Vega. When Beckett falls for Vegan Greta, a deadly power struggle ensues within the group. Icie's first-person account is more compelling than the story about Beckett, told in third person. In the latter, his plight is harder to relate to and the frequent switches between the two plots take readers out of the story. Still, this is a gritty, fast-paced read that offers a different look at the nature of faith and the power of miscommunication while celebrating the will to survive.-"Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton"

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