Dead Zone

Gr 9 Up—In this sequel to Blackout (HarperCollins, 2013), the Russians have taken Alaska back and have moved on to Seattle, using a mysterious device that deactivates any electrical or mechanical object from jets to computers to wristwatches. Aubrey and Jack—along with a cohort of other teens with superpowers—have completed their semi-voluntary military training and are deployed on their first missions. Aubrey, Jack, and a small team of lambdas whose abilities complement one another's, making them ideal for discovering the secrets of the device, are sent to work with a team of Green Berets, but not everyone seems to be as committed as they are, and Aubrey struggles with her role in the death that accompanies war. While the previous entry followed American teens and Russian terrorists, Dead Zone focuses on Aubrey and Jack, with chapters from other characters' points of view revealing information the protagonists do not have, piling on the tension as the teens are surrounded by dangers known and unknown to them. The ethical issues here—what it means to be a soldier but to have one's own moral code—are still only given cursory treatment, but Wells explores more extensively the interplay between the lambdas' powers and what they're capable of as a team. A solid duology for teens who like their sci-fi heavy on action but light on backstory and social commentary.—Gretchen Kolderup, New York Public Library