Assessment:
Plot: Hill’s novel explores the sudden and mysterious death of technology and the subsequent creation of a dystopia and the inevitable reversion of human beings to old-fashioned methods and traditions, delving into darker and darker themes as the book progresses.
Prose: The language in Hill's novel drips with suspense and eerie tension, as the Strykers navigate a brave new world teeming with dangerous possibilities. However, efforts to accurately depict the young narrator’s voice can come off as forced and inauthentic at times.
Originality: Though this book will remind readers of the Twilight Zone episode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” and Stephen King’s The Mist, the author does a superb job at creating the unique storyline of the Strykers’ fight for survival.
Character Development: With the death of civilization, comes the transformation of an entire community and society. Kyle Stryker is a distinct character who witnesses these unstoppable changes—and grows and changes himself over the course of the narrative.
Date Submitted: August 05, 2018
I got this book and read it first, then both my kids read it (ages girl 10 & boy 11), and then my husband read it too! We all loved it! It was fun and interesting from beginning to end. I loved the characters and it was packed with interesting action the whole way through. Very thought provoking...had me thinking about what would happen to my family in the same predicament. Highly recommend!
