*The Declaration-- Gemma Malley
Friday, February 20, 2009
6:58 AM
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5 Comments
Labels: Book Review , Pre-Flowers , Semi-Squeaky Book
Labels: Book Review , Pre-Flowers , Semi-Squeaky Book
It’s the year 2140 and Longevity drugs have all but eradicated old age. A never-aging society can’t sustain population growth, however…which means Anna should never have been born. Nor should any of the children she lives with at Grange Hall. These children are raised as servants, and brought up to believe they must atone for their very existence. Then one day a boy named Peter appears at the Hall, bringing with him news of the world outside, a place where people are starting to say that Longevity is bad, and that maybe people shouldn’t live forever. Peter begs Anna to escape with him, but Anna’s not sure who to trust: the strange new boy whose version of life sounds like a dangerous fairy tale, or the familiar walls of Grange Hall and the head mistress who has controlled her every waking thought?I don't usually include a plot summary in my reivews, but I felt this one needed it. I'm naming this a semi-squeaky book, for, while it wasn't the most original idea, I really enjoyed it. I'm reaching a point in my life where I'm liking this type of sci-fi more and more.
This book was good, standard, sci-fi. The only part I didn't like about it was how badly the children were treated. I don't think there is any way an entire country would let children be treated like that, even at the cost of eternal life.
Brought forth a lot of very interesting ideas. This book really makes you think.
Oh, and I cried at the end.
~Enna Isilee
This summary reminds me a bit of Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series; in that series, families weren't allowed to have more than two children (or maybe it was one), and any further pregnancies were to be terminated. The story follows one of the third children--the shadow children--in a quest to find legitimacy in his dystopian world. It's a YA series & it's been out for a while--you've probably heard of it.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of it. I own most of the series. It was one of my favorites when I was younger.
ReplyDeleteThis book is similar, but there are [i]no[/i] children allowed. And those that are born are quickly found and taken to a facility. There's not very much running and hiding in this book, not until the end.
Heh. Whoops. I used [] instead of <>.
ReplyDeleteIf you're delving into Sci-fi, try Shade's Children by Garth Nix. That one made me cry. But it was good. Have you read any Garth Nix btw?
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely give that a go. I've read the Abhorsen trilogy.
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