Today I’ll be review two books I’ve read recently: “The
Scourge” by A. G. Henley and “This Time of Darkness” by H.M. Hoover, both
dystopian novels.
The Scourge
I read this at the recommend of my sister and it was well
worth it. The novel is about a blind girl Fenn who lives on the floor of the
woods with her village in constant fear of zombie-like people that come every
now and again, known as the scourge. They live in delicate balance with the
Lofties, another group of people who live up in the trees; each protects and
despises the other. Fenn’s blindness, however, is also a sign of her protection
against the scourge, allowing her to bring water to her people whenever they
have to hide from the scourge, along with her guardian provided by the Lofties,
a seemingly kind boy named Peree. Normally the scourge come for several days
and then leave again, but this time they are staying longer than before…
The set up is well done and it is intriguing to read a book
that is narrated entirely by a blind girl. In one way it feels natural because
we as the readers are as blind as she and we have to imagine what our
surrounding is like. The characters are well portrayed and you grow to love
them over the course of the book.
Another thing I really enjoyed about the book is the fact
that it kept surprising me. I’ve read a lot of books and a lot of dystopian
books and there are some things that I can usually see coming, but this time I
didn’t. For me, that was a pleasure.
The book ends well – it could receive a sequel and probably
will, but it also stands alone as a good book, meaning that no matter what
happens in any future books, this books is still worth reading. I recommend
this to anyone who enjoys a good dystopian book mixed with a little romance.
And it only costs 99 cents for the Kindle too, so it’s a pretty awesome deal.
This Time of Darkness
This book was written in 1980, which makes it one of the
earlier dystopian novels for all ages. This was also a recommend from a
different sister. Good thing I have such wonderful sisters, eh?
Anyway, this book is about a girl named Amy who lives a
boring life in her city where there are no windows, lots of people and poverty,
and where standing out is bad. Then she meets a strange boy named Axel who
claims to have come from Outside, a mythical place that makes most people
believe he’s gone crazy, but Amy wants to believe its true. But even so, how
can they escape when they are constantly under surveillance?
There are many dystopian novels out there today that wish
they could be as original as this book. Although not everything in this book is
as fleshed out as we might wish it, it also doesn’t drag on in way. Its purpose
is to show a world gone wrong and it does a terrific job of it. The two main
characters are complex and changing and enjoyable to follow. I wish that the
book had gone slower in some places and taken time to show us more of the
dystopian world, but even so the picture left in the mind of the readers is
clear and possible. The book is realistic and it doesn’t feel contrived; not to
me at least.
It’s an old book and therefore easy to find cheap online. If
you love dystopian novels, I recommend this book to you; it’s well worth it.
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