Golden State by Ben H. Winters
Back in April, when I noticed that I was reading my third dystopian book of the month, I joked that I must be reading them because “at least it’s not THIS bad yet.” I kept picking up increasingly odd books that inhabited worlds of surveillance states, post-apocalyptic ruins and contagion. This made no sense. Why would I want to read about disaster and collapse in the most uncertain of times? At first, I thought I was just being pessimistic or morbid. Then I started to notice that I was not alone in seeking solace in dystopias. This had become “a thing.” Friends were posting similar books on Goodreads; others were asking for recommendations of books containing pandemics. We were doing this together, but why? Perhaps we felt that we could learn from the characters when they were faced with harrowing situations. Maybe we could learn from their mistakes so we could better prepare for the unknown. Or maybe it’s just what I thought in the beginning. At least it’s not THIS bad yet.
In the final book of the series, one last team of scientists enters Area X to try and solve its mysteries before it spreads beyond control.
California has been turned into Golden State, a land where truth is law and lies are illegal. Citizens know nothing of the origins of their seeming utopia, or anything of the outside world. There is a bit of crime noir in this novel that follows a member of the Speculative Force, one hand in a vast network of state surveillance.
Radicalized by Cory Doctorow
This Canada Reads 2020 book is actually a series of timely short stories. There are themes of immigration, artificial intelligence, health care reform, police brutality and, in the last story, of a collapsing civilization. A multimillionaire has the forethought to plan for the apocalypse. He builds a bunker, stocks it with food and water, and invites a select group of people to join him in case of emergency. What could go wrong?
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
A teenaged narrator lives in a near-future California city that is barely holding on to a semblance of civilization. The economic collapse, war, famine, and water shortage have led to an era of extreme violence. After her family is killed and she is forced out of the seeming stability of her compound, she joins other refugees on a voyage north to safety.
Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer (Southern Reach #3)
Strange things happen to people who enter Area X. Some come home changed; some are never seen again. The area is slowly expanding, swallowing up towns, people, and the scientists there to study it. Inanimate objects breathe and buildings are alive.
Kristen Johnson is a homesteader and home-school mom who lives in Eastern PEI. She loves to spend her free time between the pages of a book.
SUMMER 2020 www.pei-living.ca
151
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker