Genesis is the sequel to Nemesis and if you thought Nemesis was a wild ride into the apocalyptic techno future, then hold on to your keyboards because Genesis will take you for an even wilder ride.
The betas are back, and they have divided among factions. The environment is one in where they must kill to survive. As they discover that survival is predicated on their ability to not only stay alive but to kill others, each must decide about how they want to survive in the new world.
This book is a foray into the world of digital life and just what the possibilities could be if the earth faced an apocalyptic event that super smart people could see coming. The book is divided into four parts, each part corresponding to a phase of the program that is being run.
Fans of the Hunger Games series will find many similarities. Survival of the fittest being the name of the game. However, the final phase (or part) of the book provided redeeming qualities that will make you start to believe in the good of man again. The band of characters is relatively small making it easy to follow characters throughout the book and track who belongs where. The plot line moves forward at a quick clip, so even though the book is lengthier in terms of page count, it won’t feel long. Especially when you arrive at the twists and turns in part three and four that will leave you going, “What?!”
The book ends on a cliffhanger, so expect a third book in this series. It doesn’t end on such a cliff that you will be dying for the third installment. Overall a good read with content caution for younger or squeamish readers.
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 32 religious exclamations; 78 mild obscenities; 4 religious profanities; 34 derogatory names; 29 scatological words; 21 anatomical terms; 2 offensive hand gestures; 18 f-word derivatives.
Violence/Gore: Multiple references to apocalyptic earth event; multiple recalls of shooting teen girl in back; numerous short and multi-page scenes of graphic teen on teen violence including gunshots, knife wounds, and grenade attacks with graphic depictions of blood, mangled bodies, and death; multiple instances of purposeful destruction of property with intent to kill those residing within; numerous verbal threats of bodily harm or death; multiple minor injuries (cuts, bruises, scrapes); multiple instances of teens committing suicide via gunshot to head; numerous instances of non-detailed violent death; bombing of multiple buildings; depiction of mangled corpses lying on ground; creepy 4-page scene of laboratory with cryogenically frozen bodies in tubes; multiple fist fights.
Sex/Nudity: Teen boy runs hands over girl’s bra straps; three instances of hand holding; five instances of hugging; four kisses.
Mature Subject Matter:
Suicide, war, ethics, stealing, murder, cloning, death, socioeconomic conflict, war, abandonment.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Teens drink beer and liquor and adult smokes.
