Mass Market Paperback, 496 pages
Expected publication: July 30th 2013 by Del Rey
Description:
Jason M. Hough’s pulse-pounding debut combines the drama, swagger, and vivid characters of Joss Whedon’s Firefly with the talent of sci-fi author John Scalzi.
In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura.
Skyler Luiken has a rare immunity to the plague. Backed by an international crew of fellow “immunes,” he leads missions into the dangerous wasteland beyond the aura’s edge to find the resources Darwin needs to stave off collapse. But when the Elevator starts to malfunction, Skyler is tapped—along with the brilliant scientist, Dr. Tania Sharma—to solve the mystery of the failing alien technology and save the ragged remnants of humanity.
In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura.
Skyler Luiken has a rare immunity to the plague. Backed by an international crew of fellow “immunes,” he leads missions into the dangerous wasteland beyond the aura’s edge to find the resources Darwin needs to stave off collapse. But when the Elevator starts to malfunction, Skyler is tapped—along with the brilliant scientist, Dr. Tania Sharma—to solve the mystery of the failing alien technology and save the ragged remnants of humanity.
Review:
WOW!
This book was great! I was pulled into the book and did not want to stop reading. I was expecting, like many first of any series, a long introduction to the main characters backgrounds and how they fit together in the storyline. Mr. Hough did not "bore" me with any more information than was needed to get me started, then ran with the story. This is reminiscent to the way David Eddings wrote his Belgariad and Mallorean series (enjoyed both)
We are introduced right away to the captain of the Melville, Skyler Luiken, who is a very likeable and honorable character. The Melville is a salvage ship manned exclusively by "Immunes", those that are not susceptible to SUBS. SUBS is short for Subhumans, which is caused by a new virus that is spread throughout the world. The only place that is safe from SUBS is in Darwin, Australia, where alien builders have constructed a space elevator which emanates a suppressing aura that protects humans within from SUBS.
The story flowed very easily from one chapter to the next. The suspense and intrigue throughout the book kept me reading trying to find out what secrets are known about the builders and who knows. The interaction of Skyler's crew reminded me of my own days serving onboard a submarines. Mr. Hough captured this very masterfully.
My only regret about this book is that I took too long to start reading it. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone out there and am eagerly awaiting The Exodus Towers release.
Rating: 10/10
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