What would you do to save your species?
Viruses and moral dilemma abound in Partials, author Dan Wells’ thriller set well into the future.
In Partials, The world has been torn apart by a myriad of wars, first upon others and then upon themselves as super soldiers called ‘Partials’ switch sides in order to exact destruction.
Even more devastating is the virus that follows, called RM: a killer that’s left only a smattering of survivors in Long Island.
Survivors that are little more than children themselves, as they’re forced into roles more suitable for the remaining score of adulthood.
Sixteen year old Kira is a medic, forced to watch the horror that RM has left behind. With mankind nearly extinct, the government has enforced mandatory pregnancy for women ages 18 and older, and there are threats to drop the age.
The problem is that while Kira’s remaining generation yet survives, resistant to the plague that occurred a decade before, the next generation–all babies being born–are not.
They are dying in droves.
Kira is determined to find the link between killer virus and infant death rate. She realizes that all the genetic testing in the world will get her nowhere without access to the missing genetic data found only in the Partials themselves.
Wells’ novel is fast-paced and well-developed, a dystopia filled with alternate sorrow and hope. The characters are brilliant created, but humanly realistic.
A great read, particularly for sci-fans with an eye for issues of choice and morality.