Annette's Book Spot: future

Showing posts with label future. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood book cover and review

I've been wanting to read The Handmaid's Tale for so long. I finally picked it up and am so glad that I did.

The Handmaid's Tale deserves all the hype. Not only is it a compelling look at a very twisted future society, but it is also well written with vivid descriptions and sophisticated use of language. And it isn't bloated like most popular young adult dystopian stories seem to be.

I won't say much about the plot since I think most people know. The basic premise is the population is decreasing because most women can't have babies. So if you can, you become a Handmaid, which basically means you are assigned to some man so that you can become impregnated. While handmaids are revered and protected, they are very oppressed.

Do educators use this book in the classroom? I just think there is so much to discuss here. I don't know of any classrooms that read this.

I'm looking forward to watching the series now, although I'm sure I'll be disappointed. And I need to read the second book, The Testaments. If you are at all interested in dystopian stories, don't miss this one.

Published by McClelland and Stewart, 1985
eBook obtained from the library
320 pages

Rating: 5/5

Monday, September 23, 2019

Book Review: Verify by Joelle Charbonneau @jcharbonneau

Verify by Joelle Charbonneau book cover and review

Compelling and a bit scary, Verify is a book that needs to be read by many teens.

Meri's world, a future Chicago, is as close to a utopia as any city has ever been. Everyone and everything is safe. There is no poverty and very little crime. The environment has been preserved, partly by getting rid of paper. All communications are done electronically. Miri believes everything she hears on the three TV channels that have been provided by the government. What else is needed? Citizens are paid for turning in any books or paper they find and must pay a tax to use paper for anything. It is much better for the environment--or at least that's what they want you to think.

Since Meri's mother died in a freak accident, Meri's father has pretty much checked out. Meri meets some people who don't necessarily think the world is a better place at all. In fact, they are convinced the government is controlling everything you see and hear. But is that such a bad thing? Look how happy everyone is. But is everyone really happy? Meri wants to find out why her mother died and why she had become so distant in the last weeks before her death, so she begins to question everything she has believed.

Think about a world without paper. No books. Everything online. If someone were controlling what is released online, what is to stop them from eliminating words (such as "Verify") from the dictionary? Or entire chapters from textbooks. Or entire books.

If you are interested in relationships, it seems there might be a romance developing, but in no way does this relationship take away from the story. We'll have to see about this in future installments. (Something to look forward to.) The characters are interesting and the situations eye-opening. Verify has been compared to Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 and would be a great addition to any curriculum studying those texts.

Things are not all they seem in Meri's world, and she is in for a rude awakening. The tension mounts nicely as we reach the conclusion. I got through this one very quickly. And, sure to be a series, Verify leaves the reader wanting more! Charbonneau certainly has another winner in Verify.

Published by HarperTeen, September 24, 2019
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
320 pages

Rating: 5/5

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Book Review: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Aurora Rising by Kaufman and Kristoff book cover and review

I'm starting to realize that science fiction is becoming my favorite YA genre (maybe just after historical.) Aurora Rising helped me reach this conclusion.

We are way in the future (2380), and Tyler is on a distant planet ready to graduate from Aurora Academy with top honors and begin his career keeping the universe safe. Everything goes off the rails for Tyler when on one last flight, he rescues a girl from cryo-sleep on a spaceship that was lost over 200 years ago. The girl's name is Aurora.

Instead of the most elite squad in his class, because of this rescue, Tyler ends up with a squad of misfits who seem hopeless. And, of course, instead of an exciting, elite mission, they are given a supply delivery. However, Aurora stows away on their ship and soon it is apparent that she is wanted by the government. But Aurora is convinced she must not be caught. This unlikely crew decides to help Aurora and possibly save the galaxy from certain destruction.

The world building and science fiction elements of Aurora Rising are fascinating. The characters are quirky and distinct, each telling part of the story from their own point of view. The secrets about Aurora are compelling, and I couldn't figure out what was going on -- but I wanted too!

Yes, some of the events are a bit far-fetched, but it's science fiction, so expected. The story moved quickly from one life-threatening situation to another, and for the most part, their escapes were clever. Aurora Rising is the first book in a series, so the book ends at an appropriate point, but leaves you wanting more. After all, the survival of the universe is at stake!

These authors wrote Illuminae and the rest of that series. I enjoyed Aurora Rising more than Illuminae mostly because of the format. Aurora Rising doesn't have all of the emails and other varied types of story-telling formats like Illuminae did, and that just worked better for me.

Teens who are fans of Kaufman and Kristoff, as well as any who are sci-fi fans will enjoy Aurora Rising.

Published by Knopf, May 7, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
480 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

Monday, November 5, 2018

Book Review: The XY by Virginia Bergin

The XY by Virginia Bergin book cover and review

While parts of the premise are a bit far-fetched, I did find The XY compelling and it serves to get you thinking, which is always a good thing.

The setting is a near future where there are no more males in the population. A virulent virus killed males, and those that were able to be saved and newborn males are all kept in sanctuaries around the world. Women are the rulers and the caretakers of the earth. Almost all countries have signed "The Global Agreements" that consist of things like rejecting all violence and vows to always all help each other.

So they live in this utopia, where there are no more wars and life is simple. I need to make a couple of somewhat negative comments before we go on. Just because you tell people to play nice, whether they are female or not, doesn't mean that's going to happen. And also, society seemed very primitive. I was saddened by this because, in essence, the author is saying that if there weren't any males, technology would fail and women wouldn't be able to fix it. Thirdly, an amazing amount of physical labor was done by everyone -- even small children -- and it just didn't seem like life should be that hard. There were also several things I really liked about this new society too, so I don't want to sound too harsh.

River is a teen girl who runs into an XY (a boy) who is almost dead along the road. She manages to get him to her home, and all of the women are sure he's going to die of the virus. But he doesn't. They begin to learn that life in the sanctuaries is a living hell -- not the life that the women thought their men were being given. There are several moral dilemmas for River and her mom and granmmumma, as well as the other women of the town. They are breaking The Global Agreements, but they also are beginning to think the government is keeping secrets from them. Granmummas are the older women who still remember life before the virus. And River's Granmumma Kate is a bright spot.

Like I said, The XY left me with a lot to think about. I think there is enough material here for a sequel, but I have no idea if it is being planned. The XY is a quick read, and even though I struggled with some of the premises, I would still recommend it to teens who are interested in futuristic stories of this type.

Published by Sourcebooks Fire, November 6, 2018
eARC obtained from Edelweiss and NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 4/5

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Book Review: Lost Republic by Paul B. Thompson

The unique and creative concept in Lost Republic suffers from a lack of characterizations.

Stranded in what appears to be Ancient Rome, but certain they are in the present, a group of teens tries to survive and escape. The “present” is 2055, where technology has permeated society. These teens are glued to their PDD’s (Personal Data Devices.)

They all happen to be on the last voyage of an old steamship heading to Boston, where it will be scrapped. The world is now going to be totally free of dependence on fossil fuels.

Soon after departure, Your/World (what we would call the World Wide Web) goes down, then the ship runs aground in the middle of the ocean. The survivors are captured by Roman soldiers. But weird, magical things happen, and although the society is primitive, there are anomalies, such as a printing press. The teens are understandably confused, but fear for their lives as they are each assigned a job. There is a soldier, a printer, a prostitute, and an acolyte in the temple. The other survivors have been assimilated and remember nothing of their past. It is unclear why this group of teens remembers everything. They band together to attempt escape.

There are eight teens that are the main characters. It was hard to keep track of them. It would have been nice if one or two stood out more than the others. They were introduced quickly and weren't very distinct. I also didn't realize they were teens, until I was reminded. The author refers to "the teens" often. It's a good thing, because they don't act like teens and if not reminded I would have forgotten.

I didn't feel much tension throughout their daring escape attempt. Maybe this was because of the lack of connection to the characters. Some of their decisions and responses were difficult to understand, but once again, the characters weren't distinct so I couldn't relate to each personality separately.

Throughout this very short book, I was apprehensive about how all this strangeness was going to be explained. I was worried that it would be contrived or not make sense. I needn't have worried because THERE IS NO EXPLANATION! I'm assuming another book is planned, so we have yet another book that is really only a partial a book. There is no resolution. Only a huge cliffhanger.

I wish that I had connected more with the story and characters, because the premise of Lost Republic has a lot of appeal.

Published by Scarlet Voyage, September 1, 2014
ARC obtained from Library Media Connection Magazine
256 pages

Rating: 2.5/5

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Book Review: Brilliance by Marcus Sakey

Brilliance is a well-crafted thriller that seamlessly incorporates a paranormal element and sucks you right into its unique premise.

About 30 years ago a phenomenon began. A much larger percent of the population started to be born with savant-like abilities. The abilities are very specialized and the people are normal in all other ways. No one has been able to figure out why this is happening, but it has changed the complexion of society. Children are tested at age 8 to see if they are an "abnorm." Some of them are sent to special academies.

The main character, Nick Cooper, is a special agent working for a new government department called Equitable Services that was created to deal with abnorms. Nick IS an abnorm. He goes after those abnorms who have used their powers to endanger the public or break the law.

There is a huge national incident that kills many people. Nick decides the only way to stop the terrorists is to go undercover and pretend that he's left Equitable Services and joined the other abnorms.

The tension builds nicely, as Nick faces dangers and makes alliances but really can't trust many people at all. There are twists and turns to keep you guessing. The farther along I got in the story, the faster I needed to read.

Nick makes some stupid decisions a few times that get him into trouble, but this added to the drama and tension. The actual "bad guy" may not be a surprise for some, as the story follows a familiar design. But the unique premise and the part that these special abilities play in the outcome make Brilliance special.

Fans of espionage, detective, thrillers, government conspiracies, or futuristic stories should give Brilliance a shot. The second book in the series, A Better World, was released recently, and I can't wait to get to it.

Published by Thomas & Mercer, 2013
eBook purchased
452 pages

Rating: 4/5

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Book Review: Salvage, by Alexandra Duncan @DuncanAlexandra

I really found myself getting wrapped up in the world of Salvage. I loved the main characters and became very attached.

Ava is a teenager living on a space ship. In her world, women are to be seen and not heard. They do the dirty grunt work -- cleaning and taking care of the animals. There is a hierarchy, and Ava has a good position as "so girl" of the ship. Not sure what that means, but she gets some advantages. Marriages are arranged, but Ava has met a boy from another ship called Luck, and they hit it off. Ava is also friends with his sister. So, when Ava is told she's going to be married to someone from Luck's ship, she assumes it's Luck since he's the son of the captain of the ship and Ava is "so girl."

Women are never allowed to go to (a very different) Earth. They are told they will die if they do. So when things fall apart and Ava and ends up on her way to Earth, she assumes she is dead. Well if that happened, this would be a short story, and since it's a novel, we can guess she survives and finds a very different life on Earth.

I don't really want to say too much more. Suffice it to say, Ava is a strong character who fights for herself and those she loves. She makes some bad decisions, but mostly because she in such a foreign situation. She can't read or write, which makes her predicament even worse.

I did think the plot lagged a bit after Ava gets to Earth, but this is a minor complaint. For the most part Salvage is well paced and kept my interest very easily. While it is science fiction, there's no technical jargon or space talk to separate you from the story. Ava has a unique jargon she speaks, but it's subtle and doesn't hinder your understanding.

I loved the ending. Just...well, that's all I'm going to say. Except, it's romantic and Ava shows great strength. Not that this book is heavy with romance. As a matter of fact, I think boys would also really like Salvage, even though the main character is a girl. Wow. I just realized this is 528 pages long. Sure didn't seem that long....

I'm going to love handing this one to my teens. It's a great adventure with great characters and a unique setting.

Published by Greenwillow Books, April 1, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
528 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Book Review: Avalon, by Mindee Arnett

While Avalon has an interesting sci-fi premise, I was unable to connect with the characters or build up the appropriate excitement for the plot.

Jeth and his team fly around on spaceships stealing, hijacking, and doing the bidding of one of the biggest crime lords in space, Hammer. Jeth is basically a slave, along with his sister, Lizzie, who is on Jeth's team. Jeth's parents were accused of treason and executed. After that, their uncle who was their guardian lost the family's ship, the Avalon, to Hammer. Jeth is desperately working to make enough money to buy back the Avalon from Hammer.

Jeth and his crew get caught in the middle of Hammer and the governing agency for all space travel. Everyone is keeping secrets; no one can be trusted. They end up going to a section of space that's like a wasteland, and it also has a reputation for being somewhat like the Bermuda Triangle of space. Weird, unexplained things happen.

The premise of Avalon is promising. I just didn't click with this book. I'm a sci-fi fan, so the explanations of those aspects didn't bother me. The plot drags a bit -- I spent much of the book with a "just get on with it" attitude. I didn't feel much of a connection to the characters. There were sweet, touching moments, but I'm not sure why I didn't care very much.

Avalon is one of those books that I just didn't like as much as I thought I would, and I'm not sure why. The story is pretty good, but the execution was inadequate to really compel me to keep turning pages. Although I did finish it.

The comparison to Firefly is unwarranted. That TV show was about a group of space cowboys, who did end up doing some running from the law. But the witty dialog and colorful characterization that made Firefly special are not evident in Avalon.

Since I can't really put my finger on the problem I had with this book, I would say that if it sounds interesting to you, give it a try.

Published by Balzer + Bray, January 21, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
432 pages

Rating: 3/5