Pretties - Scott Westerfeld
Westerfeld, Scott. Pretties. 1st Simon Pulse ed. NewYork: Simon and Schuster, 2005. Print.
Summary: Pretties is the second installment in the Uglies trilogy. In this story, Tally has been turned pretty after turning herself in from the Smoke. She now lives in Prettyville with her friends Peris and Shay, and is a member of the elite clique the Crims, lead by a boy named Zane. The Crims is comprised of members with a past as tricky Uglies -- those who did pranks. Together with Zane, Tally finds the secret to staying bubbly. Being bubbly means one is less pretty-minded and thinks more clearly. Zane knows that there is something else to being pretty than just a physical transformation, and has figured out that by thrill seeking, he can clear up his mind. When he shares this secret with Tally, it spurs her to remember that there is a cure for being pretty-minded, and one of the members of the Smoke has left it inside of the city for Tally to find. Together, Tally and Zane find the cure and split the two pills. They are each cured, but Zane experiences chronic headaches which they believe are a side effect of the pill. The two plot to leave Prettyville and find the New Smoke so they can have Zane treated, and help to spread the cure amongst all Pretties. When they finally arrive at new Smoke, Tally finds out she took a pill that did not contain the cure, and realizes that she managed to cure herself by staying bubbly. The New Smoke is discovered shortly after, however, and Tally and Zane are captured. They are to be turned into Specials, the unit which fights outside threats to the city. Will Tally be able to stay bubbly even as a Special and manage another escape so she can spread the cure?
Dystopia: This book continues the story that Westerfield began with Uglies. Finally, Tally finds herself turned into a Pretty, but the circumstances are very different than she imagined. She has joined the dystopian society as a fully-fledged member, and as such, this book delves deeper into the working of the city and Prettyville. Enter Zane. Tally meets Zane through her friend Shay, who appeared in the Uglies novel. Zane is the leader of the Crims clique amongst the New Pretties. The only people who can join The Crims are those who were "tricky" when they were Uglies. Tally has gained wide fame for her escape from the city to the Smoke and her eventual return. This makes her a shoo in for the Crims, and Zane takes a special interest in her. He reveals that he is able to stay "bubbly" by remaining tricky as a Pretty and using stimulants like caffeine. Somehow he has figured out that the operation means more than just physical alteration, and he has found a way to combat the effects of pretty-mindedness. This detail is crucial to the story. While bubbly, Zane and Tally are able to see the corrupt nature of the society they live in, and forms plans to escape and spread the cure. We also learn that Special Circumstances actively recruits tricky Uglies to convert them to Specials.
As Pretties is a continuation of the Uglies series, it contains all of the dystopian elements that were there, with the addition of a new hero, Zane, and the fall of a former hero, Shay. As the middle novel of the series, it becomes the one where the plan is formulated. Zane and Tally, like the heros in the other novels in this blog, plot to release the society members from the snares of its corruption. Like Amy in Across the Universe, there new-found knowledge allows them a new perspective. This novel continues the theme of knowledge as power and ignorance as weakness. The society in Pretties is able to maintain control over its members because they are unaware of the lesions in their brain. They are further dulled because these lesions block their critical thinking. Like the drugged water in Across the Universe, the operation is disguised as something beneficial, but really it is a device Special Circumstances uses to keep its members ignorant. Like Soma in Brave New World, the lesions in a pretty-brain are a mind control device.
This novel was a good follow-up for Uglies and I enjoyed it even a bit more. It's shorter, and I felt that sometimes the events in Uglies were dragged on. I am excited to read the last book in the trilogy, Specials, and once I finish that book, I will be able to round out my analysis of these books, and see if they align with the list I constructed. As I said, this book was also enjoyable, and comes recommended.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
Westerfeld, S. Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse, 2005. Print.
Summary: Tally Youngblood is an Ugly nearing her sixteenth birthday. On this day she will undergo an operation that will turn her into a Pretty: the biological standard of attractiveness. Living in Uglyville, separated from her friends in Prettyville, who have recently been turned pretty themselves, Tally longs for her birthday so she can join them in their constant partying. During her period of limbo, she meets another almost-sixteen Ugly, Shay. As it turns out, they even have the same birthday. Shay and Tally become fast friends, pulling their last pranks as Uglies before they are expected to grow up. When Shay tells Tally that she is running away to the Smoke, a place where no one is forced to become pretty, Tally is shocked and refuses to go with her. She just wants to be pretty and party with her best friend Peris. When she is taken to the hospital on her birthday, however, Tally does not get the operation but is transferred to Special Circumstances. Here she is given an assignment. She must follow the directions Shay left her to find the Smoke and activate a tracking device so Special Circumstances can destroy the Smoke. If she refuses to take this assignment or fails to fulfill it, she will never be turned pretty. When Tally arrives at the Smoke however, she realizes that there may be something better about life outside of Prettyville, and decides not to activate the signal. In the Smoke Tally learns the true meaning of being pretty: tiny lesions in a Pretty's brain which cause them to be complacent and dull-minded. Things go wrong when Tally accidentally activates the beacon, and although she was able to escape capture, she decides to turn herself in and become pretty. She must make this sacrifice because there may be a cure to pretty-mindedness and they members of the Smoke need a Pretty to test it on.
Dystopia: The society in Uglies has set up a futuristic world that no longer exploits the earth in the way the "rusties", modern day humans, did. The rusties were wiped out by a plague that targeted the world's oil. This plague changed the composition of oil to instantly ignite when exposed to oxygen. Due to this, the rustie's world was wiped out completely, leaving the ruins of giant cities, and a new order was put in to place with smaller cities all run locally with large expanse of wild between them. This new population of people remain "ugly," or unaltered by operation, until they are sixteen years old. At this time they are surgically altered to be "pretty." This means that all people are modified to the standard of what is biologically attractive. What the characters in this novel discover is that becoming pretty does not only alter your physical appearance. It changes the way you think as well. During the operation, tiny lesions are made in the person's brain. This causes the patient to become more complacent and less critically minded. This is the set-up for the dystopian society found within this novel. With these lesions, Pretties are perfectly happy with their way of life. The government need not set up alarms in forbidden areas. Keep out signs work because the Pretties blindly obey everything they are told. The life of a new Pretty also consists of constant partying and drinking, which further dulls their minds. In this way, the government in Prettyville is able to enforce order, and the people blindly follow whatever rules are put in place.
Like the other Young Adult dystopias, this novel contains the five components that I listed earlier. The role of the leader who knows the secrets of the dystopia is played by Dr. Cable -- the head of an organization known as Special Circumstances. This organization maintains the society and rule found in Prettyville, and protects against "threats" from outside sources. The Smoke, a village of people who have escaped the operation, represent the hero and the knowledge that the society of Prettyville is based on lies. With the knowledge she gains from the Smoke, Tally acts as the protagonist and sacrifices herself in order to work for a cure for the lesions. Like the other novels, this one ends with a feeling of hope. It is a series, however, so the novel does end with a bit of a cliffhanger. Uglies like Across the Universe was a very satisfying read, and also contains elements of science-fiction and romance. I did like the emphasis on environmental issues, and found that this also appears to be a common theme. Just like 1984 captured the issues of its time, and warned against the possible outcomes, this novel is a, perhaps hyperbolic, example of what may happen if today's society does not care for the environment and maintains an emphasis on physical beauty. Imagine America's Next Top Models at a healthy weight and all over the place, and you'd pretty much have Prettyville. This novel warns against what may have with issues of our time, and does so in entertaining fashion.
I did enjoy Westerfeld's writing for the most part, and found the story in Uglies rather compelling. While I have read other books that begin a series and found myself unwilling to go on, I did want to continue reading this series when I was finished with Uglies. This book is very popular: many of the students at the camp where I work have seen me with this book and asked me about it. I do think that it's a quality book, and I'd definitely recommend it to any teen.
-Zach O
Westerfeld, S. Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse, 2005. Print.
Summary: Tally Youngblood is an Ugly nearing her sixteenth birthday. On this day she will undergo an operation that will turn her into a Pretty: the biological standard of attractiveness. Living in Uglyville, separated from her friends in Prettyville, who have recently been turned pretty themselves, Tally longs for her birthday so she can join them in their constant partying. During her period of limbo, she meets another almost-sixteen Ugly, Shay. As it turns out, they even have the same birthday. Shay and Tally become fast friends, pulling their last pranks as Uglies before they are expected to grow up. When Shay tells Tally that she is running away to the Smoke, a place where no one is forced to become pretty, Tally is shocked and refuses to go with her. She just wants to be pretty and party with her best friend Peris. When she is taken to the hospital on her birthday, however, Tally does not get the operation but is transferred to Special Circumstances. Here she is given an assignment. She must follow the directions Shay left her to find the Smoke and activate a tracking device so Special Circumstances can destroy the Smoke. If she refuses to take this assignment or fails to fulfill it, she will never be turned pretty. When Tally arrives at the Smoke however, she realizes that there may be something better about life outside of Prettyville, and decides not to activate the signal. In the Smoke Tally learns the true meaning of being pretty: tiny lesions in a Pretty's brain which cause them to be complacent and dull-minded. Things go wrong when Tally accidentally activates the beacon, and although she was able to escape capture, she decides to turn herself in and become pretty. She must make this sacrifice because there may be a cure to pretty-mindedness and they members of the Smoke need a Pretty to test it on.
Dystopia: The society in Uglies has set up a futuristic world that no longer exploits the earth in the way the "rusties", modern day humans, did. The rusties were wiped out by a plague that targeted the world's oil. This plague changed the composition of oil to instantly ignite when exposed to oxygen. Due to this, the rustie's world was wiped out completely, leaving the ruins of giant cities, and a new order was put in to place with smaller cities all run locally with large expanse of wild between them. This new population of people remain "ugly," or unaltered by operation, until they are sixteen years old. At this time they are surgically altered to be "pretty." This means that all people are modified to the standard of what is biologically attractive. What the characters in this novel discover is that becoming pretty does not only alter your physical appearance. It changes the way you think as well. During the operation, tiny lesions are made in the person's brain. This causes the patient to become more complacent and less critically minded. This is the set-up for the dystopian society found within this novel. With these lesions, Pretties are perfectly happy with their way of life. The government need not set up alarms in forbidden areas. Keep out signs work because the Pretties blindly obey everything they are told. The life of a new Pretty also consists of constant partying and drinking, which further dulls their minds. In this way, the government in Prettyville is able to enforce order, and the people blindly follow whatever rules are put in place.
Like the other Young Adult dystopias, this novel contains the five components that I listed earlier. The role of the leader who knows the secrets of the dystopia is played by Dr. Cable -- the head of an organization known as Special Circumstances. This organization maintains the society and rule found in Prettyville, and protects against "threats" from outside sources. The Smoke, a village of people who have escaped the operation, represent the hero and the knowledge that the society of Prettyville is based on lies. With the knowledge she gains from the Smoke, Tally acts as the protagonist and sacrifices herself in order to work for a cure for the lesions. Like the other novels, this one ends with a feeling of hope. It is a series, however, so the novel does end with a bit of a cliffhanger. Uglies like Across the Universe was a very satisfying read, and also contains elements of science-fiction and romance. I did like the emphasis on environmental issues, and found that this also appears to be a common theme. Just like 1984 captured the issues of its time, and warned against the possible outcomes, this novel is a, perhaps hyperbolic, example of what may happen if today's society does not care for the environment and maintains an emphasis on physical beauty. Imagine America's Next Top Models at a healthy weight and all over the place, and you'd pretty much have Prettyville. This novel warns against what may have with issues of our time, and does so in entertaining fashion.
I did enjoy Westerfeld's writing for the most part, and found the story in Uglies rather compelling. While I have read other books that begin a series and found myself unwilling to go on, I did want to continue reading this series when I was finished with Uglies. This book is very popular: many of the students at the camp where I work have seen me with this book and asked me about it. I do think that it's a quality book, and I'd definitely recommend it to any teen.
-Zach O
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Across the Universe - Beth Revis
Revis, Beth. Across the Universe. New York: Penguin Group, 2011.
Summary: Amy and her family are being frozen and stored on a spaceship destined for a new inhabitable planet a three-hundred-year's journey away. She and her family are part of a program designed to optimize life on the new planet and populate it with people. Rather than arriving and waking up on schedule, however, Amy is de-thawed early. Amy only survives her awakening because Elder, the boy who will take over as leader of the ship when the Edlest passes away, discovered her in time. Now she must live on the ship with its inhabitants, doomed to be older than her parents when they are unfrozen. Onboard the ship, all of the inhabitants looks the same, and act the same. Differences are the first cause of disorder, so they have been gotten rid of. Amy's unfreezing was not an isolated accident, though. There are other unfreezings, and some are not so lucky to survive. Together, Amy and Elder seek to apprehend the murderer aboard the ship. What they find and piece together reveals the corrupt leadership of Eldest and a ship that operates on lies. They must battle Eldest and the murder in order to restore the peoples' choices.
Dystopia: Across the Universe was a very satisfying dystopian novel containing all of the elements that tend to show up throughout the books. Referring to the list I have made in this blog, all five typical elements of dystopian novels show up in this book. Eldest, the current leader of the ship, insists that the reason all of the members of the ship look the same and because there was a plague that decimated the members of the ship. In reality, there were uprisings on the ship in which people died. Since then, a system has been in place where differences have been genetic removed from people, and "medicines" are put in to the water to keep the ship members complacent. All the current members of the ship are unaware of these realities and truly believe that a plague wiped out the ship. The members blindly follow the rules set by Eldest because of the drugs in the water, and are genetically modified to be competent in their assigned tasks. This dystopian society remains unchallenged by the ship members until the heroine steps on to the scene. When Amy is unfrozen and found by Elder, she realizes that the ship is corrupt because of her experience back on earth. Along with Elder, she seeks to expose the corrupt nature of the society. This novel contains all of the elements found in The Giver, Ashes, Ashes, and Fever Crumb.
This novel also shares an interesting theme/element with Ashes, Ashes. In each novel there is a plague that wipes out the population and causes the dystopian system to be put into place. Although the "plague" in Across the Universe is fake, it is interesting that those who are in power in these two books have gotten there because of a tragedy that has ravaged the population. Additionally, in While I Live, the system in place is because of war. The threat of another plague causes the members of the society to blindly follow the leadership of the society leaders.
Another interesting aspect of this society is its use of drugs and medical procedures to keep its members complacent and dull their critical thinking. This will keep show up again in the Uglies series which I will blog about in the future, but it reminded me of Brave New World. Eldest, in Across the Universe, introduces the drug Phydus into the ship's water supply. This is similar to the use of Soma in Brave New World.
Overall, this was a very satisfying novel. I really enjoyed finding all of the classic elements of a dystopia, and watching Amy and Elder figure out the true nature of their society, just like Winston did in 1984. The novel itself is well written, and I like the switching back and forth between Amy's perspective and Elder's. This way, I got the story from the outsider heroine and the ship member who was turned on to the truth. I would definitely recommend this book for a slightly older audience (high school) and it should appeal to both genders and many readers due to its elements of science-fiction, mystery and romance.
-Zach O
Revis, Beth. Across the Universe. New York: Penguin Group, 2011.
Summary: Amy and her family are being frozen and stored on a spaceship destined for a new inhabitable planet a three-hundred-year's journey away. She and her family are part of a program designed to optimize life on the new planet and populate it with people. Rather than arriving and waking up on schedule, however, Amy is de-thawed early. Amy only survives her awakening because Elder, the boy who will take over as leader of the ship when the Edlest passes away, discovered her in time. Now she must live on the ship with its inhabitants, doomed to be older than her parents when they are unfrozen. Onboard the ship, all of the inhabitants looks the same, and act the same. Differences are the first cause of disorder, so they have been gotten rid of. Amy's unfreezing was not an isolated accident, though. There are other unfreezings, and some are not so lucky to survive. Together, Amy and Elder seek to apprehend the murderer aboard the ship. What they find and piece together reveals the corrupt leadership of Eldest and a ship that operates on lies. They must battle Eldest and the murder in order to restore the peoples' choices.
Dystopia: Across the Universe was a very satisfying dystopian novel containing all of the elements that tend to show up throughout the books. Referring to the list I have made in this blog, all five typical elements of dystopian novels show up in this book. Eldest, the current leader of the ship, insists that the reason all of the members of the ship look the same and because there was a plague that decimated the members of the ship. In reality, there were uprisings on the ship in which people died. Since then, a system has been in place where differences have been genetic removed from people, and "medicines" are put in to the water to keep the ship members complacent. All the current members of the ship are unaware of these realities and truly believe that a plague wiped out the ship. The members blindly follow the rules set by Eldest because of the drugs in the water, and are genetically modified to be competent in their assigned tasks. This dystopian society remains unchallenged by the ship members until the heroine steps on to the scene. When Amy is unfrozen and found by Elder, she realizes that the ship is corrupt because of her experience back on earth. Along with Elder, she seeks to expose the corrupt nature of the society. This novel contains all of the elements found in The Giver, Ashes, Ashes, and Fever Crumb.
This novel also shares an interesting theme/element with Ashes, Ashes. In each novel there is a plague that wipes out the population and causes the dystopian system to be put into place. Although the "plague" in Across the Universe is fake, it is interesting that those who are in power in these two books have gotten there because of a tragedy that has ravaged the population. Additionally, in While I Live, the system in place is because of war. The threat of another plague causes the members of the society to blindly follow the leadership of the society leaders.
Another interesting aspect of this society is its use of drugs and medical procedures to keep its members complacent and dull their critical thinking. This will keep show up again in the Uglies series which I will blog about in the future, but it reminded me of Brave New World. Eldest, in Across the Universe, introduces the drug Phydus into the ship's water supply. This is similar to the use of Soma in Brave New World.
Overall, this was a very satisfying novel. I really enjoyed finding all of the classic elements of a dystopia, and watching Amy and Elder figure out the true nature of their society, just like Winston did in 1984. The novel itself is well written, and I like the switching back and forth between Amy's perspective and Elder's. This way, I got the story from the outsider heroine and the ship member who was turned on to the truth. I would definitely recommend this book for a slightly older audience (high school) and it should appeal to both genders and many readers due to its elements of science-fiction, mystery and romance.
-Zach O
Ano
What I've Noticed So Far - The Dys. List
At this point in my blogging process, I think I have read enough dystopian novels to be able to lay out some common features of dystopian young-adult novels. This way, I can refer back to this list as I compare the novel to each other and discuss them each individually. I will edit the list as I continue to read if need be.
Y.A. Dystopia:
Y.A. Dystopia:
- Dystopian society with members who follow blindly/unknowingly.
- A leader/head figure who knows the dark secrets of the society.
- A hero/heroine who discovers these secrets and seeks to alter and expose the travesties.
- An emphasis on choice or the lack thereof.
- An ending that gives the feeling of hope for change and renewal of choice.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Fever Crumb - Philip Reeve
Philip, Reeve. Fever Crumb. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2011.
Summary: Fever Crumb is a fourteen year-old girl living in London after the time of present day technology and society. Modern advances in technology and thought have seemingly been wiped out, and people have started to build from the remains of the present day. Women are again valued less than men, and London is recovering from the rule of a being known as the Scriven. Scriven, or homo-superior are further evolved humans who do not show the signs of age as much as homo-sapiens, and think themselves worthy of the rule they maintain. Fever Crumb, is unknowingly half human, half Scriven, and lives with her father in the Order of Engineers. The engineers confine themselves to only rational thought, attempting to force emotions from their existence. All of this changes, however, when Fever is sent on a mission to unlock the secret chamber of the former leader of the Scriven, Godshawk. Fever slowly discovers where she comes from, and who she is. Meanwhile, a nomad troop with a moving castle are invading London, intent on gaining the knowledge held within Godshawk's chamber. Having been taught to be rational all her life, Fever discovers what it means to have emotions and be human and not so human at the same time. In the end, Fever sets off to discover herself, while the nomads seek to build a moving city.
Dystopia: As seen from the summary, this novel sets up another of Philip Reeve's: Mortal Engines. While I haven't read this novel, I can assume that the nomads from this novel will build their moving city and engulf others that they come in contact with. I do not know what Fever's part will be in all of this, but guess she'll work to stop the nomads. Perhaps it would be worth reading on in the series to see how the dystopia progresses, but Fever Crumb does do a good job of setting up a dystopian society while following the maturation of a teenage girl. In the London of Fever Crumb people live in fear of the Scriven, and due to Fever's unique appearance - her eyes are different colors - she causes an uproar among the society members. Led by an old Scriven hunter, some set out to find Fever, while others use the opportunity to riot and ransack the city. Throughout all this, the mayor is thrown out of office, and a sleazy business man takes over. His rule is short, as the nomads soon take over, but consists of mostly drunkenness. In all of this, there is a dystopia of fear. The Londoners are afraid of anyone who appears slightly Scriven-like and are wary of those who would claim power. Although she is half Scriven, there is nothing that makes fever dangerous to the people of London, and in fact she stands up for them when the nomads propose building a moving city out of London.
This sets up the second dystopia in the novel. The nomads from north of London plan to build giant moving fortresses and roam the land, taking what they need from other cities by force. Although this does not happen in this book, the following book covers this story. The potential dystopia here is one similar to other books, just on wheels. A crude dictatorship would run this moving city, and those who support the idea do so blindly without thinking about the consequences. Interestingly enough, those who are trained to think rationally, Fever and her father the engineers, are the ones who see the abomination of this plan. Even though, rationally, this city would be very effective, Fever sees the moral crime involved. This novel does not end with her taking a stand, but, rather disappointingly, she escapes London in order to figure out who she is. This ending is tolerable because there are other books, and I plan to read the rest to see where the story goes. Overall, this story is one of a girl finding her place in a dysfunctional society fueled by fear. She navigates the dystopia and escapes it in order to further grow.
Like the other books in this blog, there is a focus on choice in this novel, but it takes a supporting role to the importance of Fever discovering her true identity. Like The Giver's Joel, Fever discovers she is special among the people of her society, and must decide what to do with this realization. She does make choices, and it is most interesting to watch her struggle with her rational side and her newly found emotions. She learns to make her choices based on both of these sides of herself. Like other characters, she grows and becomes stronger and more sure of herself. This novel diverges though, because Fever does not choose to confront the faults she sees in her society, but rather she flees. Unlike the characters The Giver and Unwind, Fever does not try to immediately change the world she lives in for the better, although I expect her to do so in the sequels.
I found this book fairly enjoyable to read and I think that the content is not a substantive as some books, but redeeming. This book is creative, and it has been interesting to see how many female main characters I have encountered even in books written by men. Perhaps this is a sign that more girls are reading these books? Or just an indication that authors are trying to incorporate girls more widely? Either way, it is nice to see strong female characters in these novels. This book should please a lot of readers, and the suspension of disbelief is doable, even with some inconsistencies on the author's part. I recommend it.
- Zach O
Philip, Reeve. Fever Crumb. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2011.
Summary: Fever Crumb is a fourteen year-old girl living in London after the time of present day technology and society. Modern advances in technology and thought have seemingly been wiped out, and people have started to build from the remains of the present day. Women are again valued less than men, and London is recovering from the rule of a being known as the Scriven. Scriven, or homo-superior are further evolved humans who do not show the signs of age as much as homo-sapiens, and think themselves worthy of the rule they maintain. Fever Crumb, is unknowingly half human, half Scriven, and lives with her father in the Order of Engineers. The engineers confine themselves to only rational thought, attempting to force emotions from their existence. All of this changes, however, when Fever is sent on a mission to unlock the secret chamber of the former leader of the Scriven, Godshawk. Fever slowly discovers where she comes from, and who she is. Meanwhile, a nomad troop with a moving castle are invading London, intent on gaining the knowledge held within Godshawk's chamber. Having been taught to be rational all her life, Fever discovers what it means to have emotions and be human and not so human at the same time. In the end, Fever sets off to discover herself, while the nomads seek to build a moving city.
Dystopia: As seen from the summary, this novel sets up another of Philip Reeve's: Mortal Engines. While I haven't read this novel, I can assume that the nomads from this novel will build their moving city and engulf others that they come in contact with. I do not know what Fever's part will be in all of this, but guess she'll work to stop the nomads. Perhaps it would be worth reading on in the series to see how the dystopia progresses, but Fever Crumb does do a good job of setting up a dystopian society while following the maturation of a teenage girl. In the London of Fever Crumb people live in fear of the Scriven, and due to Fever's unique appearance - her eyes are different colors - she causes an uproar among the society members. Led by an old Scriven hunter, some set out to find Fever, while others use the opportunity to riot and ransack the city. Throughout all this, the mayor is thrown out of office, and a sleazy business man takes over. His rule is short, as the nomads soon take over, but consists of mostly drunkenness. In all of this, there is a dystopia of fear. The Londoners are afraid of anyone who appears slightly Scriven-like and are wary of those who would claim power. Although she is half Scriven, there is nothing that makes fever dangerous to the people of London, and in fact she stands up for them when the nomads propose building a moving city out of London.
This sets up the second dystopia in the novel. The nomads from north of London plan to build giant moving fortresses and roam the land, taking what they need from other cities by force. Although this does not happen in this book, the following book covers this story. The potential dystopia here is one similar to other books, just on wheels. A crude dictatorship would run this moving city, and those who support the idea do so blindly without thinking about the consequences. Interestingly enough, those who are trained to think rationally, Fever and her father the engineers, are the ones who see the abomination of this plan. Even though, rationally, this city would be very effective, Fever sees the moral crime involved. This novel does not end with her taking a stand, but, rather disappointingly, she escapes London in order to figure out who she is. This ending is tolerable because there are other books, and I plan to read the rest to see where the story goes. Overall, this story is one of a girl finding her place in a dysfunctional society fueled by fear. She navigates the dystopia and escapes it in order to further grow.
Like the other books in this blog, there is a focus on choice in this novel, but it takes a supporting role to the importance of Fever discovering her true identity. Like The Giver's Joel, Fever discovers she is special among the people of her society, and must decide what to do with this realization. She does make choices, and it is most interesting to watch her struggle with her rational side and her newly found emotions. She learns to make her choices based on both of these sides of herself. Like other characters, she grows and becomes stronger and more sure of herself. This novel diverges though, because Fever does not choose to confront the faults she sees in her society, but rather she flees. Unlike the characters The Giver and Unwind, Fever does not try to immediately change the world she lives in for the better, although I expect her to do so in the sequels.
I found this book fairly enjoyable to read and I think that the content is not a substantive as some books, but redeeming. This book is creative, and it has been interesting to see how many female main characters I have encountered even in books written by men. Perhaps this is a sign that more girls are reading these books? Or just an indication that authors are trying to incorporate girls more widely? Either way, it is nice to see strong female characters in these novels. This book should please a lot of readers, and the suspension of disbelief is doable, even with some inconsistencies on the author's part. I recommend it.
- Zach O
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