Reading About the End of the World..... Lately

August 28, 2012

As I think about the last few fiction books I have read, I realized they all had an "end of the world" theme. The fiction I decide to read has to have a good storyline, and the summary or review has to create enough interest for me to want to read the book. The last one I read was called SecondWorld by Jeremy Robinson (adult fiction). Actually, the end of the world hasn't happened yet, but it's all in the works. If you liked the Die Hard movies, then you would like this book. The main character narrowly escapes death many times, but keeps moving to stop the WWII plot to get rid of all the undesirables in the world. It's a race to the last second, and it's a quite a ride to the end of the world. NO!!! The end of the book.

The next two books are young adult: Enclave by Ann Aguirre (Razorland series) and Partials by Dan Wells (Partials series). Enclave is a world where you don't get a name until you have lived to your 15th birthday and earned your right to live and be a benefit to the clan. They live underground; the above world was destroyed. Some other clans do exist besides Freaks, which are basically zombie like creatures that will eat you if they catch you. Is the above world such a terrible place? Do the elders of the clan really know what is best? I'm ready for the next book in the series!

Partials deals with the last remaining group of people in North American living on Long Island. Partials are engineered organic beings identical to humans, created to fight wars. When the wars were over they came home to work, but they rebelled against the humans. There is not only a fraction of people left alive, but no babies survive the airborne virus that killed millions. The clock is ticking on humans with no children being born.  Everyone on Long Island has some kind of specialty or assignment. No one has seen a partial in years. Are the partials really the enemy? Is the government really making the right decisions? Does a cure exist for the virus? Will a human baby ever survive? Is the government's mandate of forcing every woman who turns 16 years old to have a babies, hoping one will survive, really the answer? All good questions, start reading the series and find out!

Kevin Z.
Red Bridge Branch