Luminary

Gr 8 Up—This second book in the series suffers from multiple problems. Seventeen-year-old Thalli and her teen mates Berk and Rhen have escaped the oppression of the underground State with nonagenarian John. They travel to the settlement of New Hope where they learn that the Scientists who lead the State are responsible for the War that destroyed most of the life on Earth. The closest city, Athens, is ruled by a violent king who raids New Hope to steal the people's crops without regard to their injuries and suffering. Thalli decides that she must travel to Athens to learn more of the Athenians' intentions, buoyed by John's words of the Designer, notably the 23rd Psalm, as well as the phrase "the truth will set you free" from John 8:32. This sole verse drawn from the New Testament is used as a simple injunction against lying rather than an invitation to the Truth as contained in Christ's teachings. Without a strong connection to the Gospels, the Christian message is rather tepid. Thalli's narration is choppy and this, along with her naïveté, gives the impression that she isn't the brightest individual. There are logical flaws as well, such as the fact that the Scientists who defected to Athens specialized in pharmaceuticals but were instrumental in updating electricity and infrastructure technologies. There are many strong heroines with moral fiber in dystopias these days. Readers may prefer one of the better-written alternatives.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids