After Impact (After Impact #1) by Nicole Stark
Published 10FEB2016
Description
Avalon wakes up from a 100-year-old cryosleep in a new habitat with few memories and lots of questions. At first, HOPE (Humanity's One Plan for Escape) habitat appears to be a well-oiled machine, preparing 5,000 carefully chosen inhabitants for a new Earth. However, a medical assistant named Ilium reveals that certain members of the habitat have been falling ill from a mysterious virus they were inoculated against. Soon, HOPE habitat's tranquil illusion is shattered as Avalon plays a perplexing message left by her father. If Avalon is to survive this dangerous new environment, she will have to find the strength to navigate a habitat enveloped in secrets.
This is a relentless page-turning thriller, and the first in a series by debut author Nicole Stark.
My Review
After Impact is the first book in a series about the survivors of a meteor-strike apocalypse. Avalon is only one of 5,000 cryogenically frozen young people preserved to seed the future of mankind. But she’s awoken early, and that’s only the first of several odd things she discovers as she tries to find her place in the HOPE habitat.
There were several things I liked about this story. First of these is the virus. It was central to a plot that I expected to go one way, but went in an entirely different, unexpected way. The second thing I liked is that the story isn’t predictable (though it seemed so at first). The third thing I liked is how Avalon and Ilium try to champion the less fortunate and fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. It’s not an uncommon theme in dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories, but I like seeing it (probably why I like the genre). Oh, and there seems to be some sort of genetic mayhem going on that promises for some interesting twists in future installments.
On the other hand, certain inclinations in the writing tended to kick me out of the story and send alternate wordings running through my mind. Also, while there are some fascinating technologies, ideas, and character interactions in the story, some of them are presented in a bit of a heavy-handed manner. On a good note, though, it’s obvious the story was meticulously copyedited. I don’t recall seeing any outright errors.
Overall, I somewhat like this story and the direction the series seems to be taking, though the writing lacks some of the polish experience would bring. Based on that, I think folks who enjoy discovering new authors in the post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre might find this to their liking, but folks who are looking for something that feels a bit more practiced might not.
I received a review copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
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