Saturday, February 22, 2014

Falls, Kat. Inhuman.

Falls, KatInhumanScholastic Press   2013 375p $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-37099-8  hs  Science fiction  VG-BN

Lane leads a privileged, sheltered life, protected from the Ferae virus which turns people and animals savage, mutating them into dangerous hybrids, without a cure.  Safely behind the Wall that separates civilization from the Feral Zone, Lane is intrigued about what is really on the other side.  She soon has the opportunity to discover the answer when she enters the Feral Zone to retrieve her father, whose illegal activities as a “fetch” (one who recovers lost artifacts from contaminated zones), are about to have him labeled as a traitor and executed.  To save her father from the legal consequences of his actions,  Lane must now put to use the survival skills he drilled into her and make some unlikely alliances along the way, in order to complete his last job.

There are undeniable parallels between the tale of Beauty and the Beast and this novel. 
Manimals” are mutants with characteristics of both man and beast. "They all think they can beat it, that their human side will stay dominant, but the beast always wins. Sooner or later, every one of them turns into a slobbering animal."  Dr. Moreau’s island is tame in comparison to survival in the Feral Zone.  

Inhuman features a cast of engaging characters.  Lane grows from a germ
phobic  wielder of hand-sanitizer to a self-sufficient risk-taker who faces down any obstacle in order to save her father.  Despite her pampered upbringing, Lane is a no-nonsense, practical heroine who keeps her eye on the goal.  She attracts two love interests, roguish Rafe and by-the-book Everson.  Both are appealing in their own ways, but readers may be surprised at Lane’s choice.  Certainly readers will be eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series.

Summary: Lane must  retrieve an artifact from the forbidden Feral Zone in time to save her father’s life.              

Dystopian novels, Disease-Fiction                                 --Hilary Welliver

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