Flashfall Series, Book 1

Generations have passed since the cosmic event that formed the flash curtain, a toxic wall of deadly radiation. The remaining humans are scratching out a desperate survival in the hellish aftermath. Sixteen-year-old Orion is a Subpar, a race of humans who have adapted to the radiation. Subpars now mine the land for the cirium needed to protect the city state of Alara, one of the last refuges for humanity. Despite her youth, Orion is the best miner. She and her partner, Dram, travel ever deeper into the mines, risking their lives to bring up enough ore to secure safe passage for themselves and their families through the radioactive curtain to freedom. But when a shuttle full of new cavers arrives, it brings with it a terrible truth. The promise of freedom is a lie. Subpars are far too valuable to be allowed to leave their posts. Though the premise of this novel has promise, it has too many credibility issues to succeed. The flash curtain and its resultant dangers are supported by frustratingly vague science, and the various human mutations, including a race bio-adapted to perform magic, are similarly undefined. The chaotic plot and one-dimensional characters further frustrate the fascinating premise. An open ending hints at a sequel. Orion and Dram both appear to be white, but this future is a multiracial one. A distinctive post-apocalyptic world stunted by clumsy writing and ambiguous worldbuilding. (Science fiction. 12-16) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 Orion, 16, has a special ability to locate cirian, a valuable element that prevents radiation sicknessand in their postradioactive, flash-curtain world, cirian is essential. Subpars (mine workers) like Orion and her fellow Outpost Five residents will spendand likely losetheir lives mining it. But if they can gather a total of 400 grams, subpars can escape to the protected city of Alara, though no one has ever lived long enough to do so. Orion and her mining partner, Dram, however, are close to achieving this goal when Orion discovers the corrupt politics behind cirian and realizes revolution is what's needed. Moyer has constructed a cinematic page-turner: there's gore, romance, daring rescues, political commentary, and a strong message of social justice. Multiple small details of the rituals that sustain subpars in their grim life lend verisimilitude to the world Moyer has created. Although character development takes a backseat to the nonstop action, the empowering element of a teen-led rebellion creates its own energy and sweeps the reader along.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)