Literary rating: ★★★½
Kick-butt quotient: ☆☆
Regular readers will know I tend to review a lot of Book 1’s in series, but I don’t return for the sequels as often. This is an exception, and I was definitely left interested in reading the second volume by part one. If you remember, the first book took place here in Arizona, after an electromagnetic pulse sent an already wobbly and fairly dystopian America into full-blown collapse. College student Jenn Jansen needs to come to terms very quickly with a new world order (capital letters optional…) where violence is frequently the key to survival.
The second volume sees the process of change for the lead character continuing. The first volume saw Jenn engage in a fair amount of guilt and angst, after having to shoot someone in self-defense, a man known to her only as “Yankees Hat” [hey, some would call wearing a Yankees cap in Arizona sufficient grounds for homicide, in itself…]. However, as time passes, the memory of the incident and its impact on her psyche fade, as she adapts to what is now normal. She still isn’t exactly enthusiastic about it, but has a better appreciation of the necessity. This isn’t a character arc I often see: typically, action heroines tend to be fully formed, from page one. The steady development of Jenn, over multiple volumes, is an interesting variation.
Part two is largely concerned with an expedition down from Flagstaff to Phoenix. Jenn is convinced to go along, partly in the hope of discovering what happened to her parents, who were living in Phoenix when the EMP hit. It’s actually the second such reconnaissance mission, the first having failed to return. Naturally, the follow-up proceeds with great caution, and it’s not long before this proves justified, with an ambush set for them on a bridge. After dealing with that, they arrive on the northern outskirts of Phoenix and find a survivor from the first group in a refugee camp. He’s in desperate need of antibiotics, and getting them will require a raid on a hospital occupied by a well-armed group of thugs.
This helps up the ante on the action, as Jenn and her group have to make their way undetected to the hospital, then figure out a plan of attack, despite being outnumbered. Fortunately, they aren’t entirely outgunned, having been loaned a rather nifty self-propelled mech. However, that only mitigates the situation, rather than solving, and by the end, after a strong, well-written climax to the story, Jenn has found levels of courage which surprise even her. By the end, while she may be back in Flagstaff, it’s clear that it’s not necessarily a safe haven, and I have a strong feeling we’ll find that demonstrated in the books to come. I also suspect it might not be 18 months before the next entry in the series gets reviewed.
Author: David Lucin
Publisher: Highway 3 Publishing, available through Amazon, both as a paperback and an e-book
Book 2 of 6 in the Desolation series. The author sent me a copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review.