I received an advance review
copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Eden is a light Science
Fiction, Dystopian, and Speculative Fiction novel published in 2017 by D.A.
Howe. It is a fast-paced story about a woman named Eden set in the town of
Sodaville, West Virginia, in the distant future.
The front-cover of the book and
the blurb intrigued me. I have to say it is an amazing look into the life of
one person in a possible future that feels quite plausible when one considers
the unfortunate events of living during a pandemic. It might even be called a
prophetic look at one potential future. Given the date of publication, it cannot
be said Eden was ripped from recent headlines, but it is a chilling story with
brilliantly written characters and fascinating world building. Eden is
emotionally charged and will make readers laugh and cry, but most of all, it
will make one think about our own future.
As the world become more and
more inundated with technology and industry, Forrester's Disease suddenly
culled the population. At first, there is chaos and mayhem everywhere.
Governments fall or become transformed. Technology is shunned and populations
abandon large cities and gather in smaller communities to survive in a more
agrarian style of living.
In the United States, most of
the population lives in the east where people have learned to live in harmony
with nature. They have learned to accept while nature can provide bounty, it
can also be cruel and bring disaster. Crime and war have been eliminated and
everyone has a place in the community where there is no class conflict, no rich
or poor, and no ambition other than taking care of each other. On the surface,
it would seem humanity has achieved a utopian existence.
Eden Ward is the sheriff in and
around the town of Sodaville. Her job is simple; keep in touch with the people
under her jurisdiction and help them whenever the need arises. The only crime
she is required to investigate is that of people called Loners. Everyone is
required to contribute to the community, and no one may be an outsider. Those
that choose not to take part in the good of the community are apprehended and
sent to work in the mines.
Eden is the widowed mother of
two daughters who attend school every day. They have a home and are happy
living their lives in the simplicity of being in harmony with nature. That is,
until tragedy strikes and Forrester's Disease returns, as it seems to do periodically.
When Eden's teenaged daughter contracts the disease and dies, Eden becomes
fearful of the fate of herself and her remaining daughter.
With the help of a friend, and
the promise of a vaccine, Eden embarks on a remarkable journey of discovery, full
of twists and turns, all the while being chased by a representative of the
government in DeeCee.
Eden Ward is the widowed mother
of two daughters. She has been appointed the sheriff of her area around
Sodaville and spends most of her days interacting with the people of her
community. While she is friendly, she is not afraid to uphold the law. Her
daughters, Mary and Addie, are the center of her world. When not working, she
spends nearly all of her time with them, helping them learn to exist under the
rule of DeeCee (the center of government in Washington, D.C.). When she
encounters a representative, she believes what she is told by him and his
underlings. She has a friend who also tells her things in conflict with what
she is told by the DeeCee representative. When she has a choice to make, she is
more interested in her family's safety than in what is legal. She is forced
into making an unenviable choice.
Tanner Keane is the
representative from DeeCee charged with a nefarious task, but he doesn't see it
as such. He is just carrying out orders. He is not an evil person, but a reader
might see him as one. During the parts of the book featuring Tanner, I found
some of my favorite passages. Tanner, and those who accompany him to Sodaville,
make discoveries of things not common to this vision of life in a simple world.
Matt Jones is Sodaville's
accountant. He works closely with Eden in keeping records and reporting to
DeeCee. Matt's job is basically to keep track of population numbers and
reporting food production to the government. He has a romantic interest in
Eden, and she seems interested in him as well, but Eden is reluctant to allow
the relationship to escalate beyond a close friendship. Matt has secrets he
protects that, if discovered, might cause him problems with the
government.
Forrester's Disease is an ever-present
character. It causes fear in everyone, even though most people see it as
'nature’s way' of controlling the population. Nature seems to be the religion
everyone follows. Everyone tries to live in harmony with natural processes.
Forrester's is not considered natural, but the results of contracting the
disease, or any other, is considered a natural part of life in this world.
As I read this story, I saw
very little I would enjoy about living in the world created by the author. It
is sad how the people have been forced to accept ignorance as a way of life.
Then again, at the same time, one hallmark of life in Sodaville is how the
people accept care of each other.
This story made me feel
conflict within myself. While there are many positive things about life, there
is also much that seems negative. As a reader, I often felt uncomfortable with
situations. It caused me to brood over things as a great story should.
My takeaway from Eden is how
nothing and no one is exactly what they seem. No one is purely good or evil,
they just seem to go about their lives. I would label Tanner is the bad guy in
the story and Matt as the good guy. But both are surprising in that neither one
is what they seem.
I could not put this book down.
It is an amazing story by a skilled writer that created a complicated world.
While Eden it is touted to be a
science fiction story, it isn't bogged down with a lot of jargon. It is a story
about people and how they react to situations and challenges. Readers of Eden
will become invested in the principal character's plight. I found myself
running a full spectrum of emotional involvement with Eden and the people she
cared about.
There are a number of great
plot twists as this story drives to its conclusion
Highest recommendations for
this amazing, well-written story.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
D. A. Howe is an author who
writes in a variety of genres including horror, comedy, and Science Fiction.
One day D. A. Howe might pick a genre to stick with. Maybe.
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
No comments:
Post a Comment