Crank Palace

Dashner, James. Crank Palace. 2020. 166p. ISBN 978-1626015678.

The Maze Runner series features a lot of memorable characters, but one of the most compelling was Newt, who eventually dies in The Death Cure. But the time Newt leaves the Berg to the time he is found by Thomas was left unexplained. Until now. In Crank Palace, Newt escapes the Berg, intent on not letting his friends see his descent into madness as the Flare begins to eat his brain. He soon meets Keisha and her young son Dante in the suburbs of Denver. They try to escape the Cranks, those who are far too gone with the Flare, and those who are infected and already showing signs of madness, but the three of them are captured by agents of the government and, despite killing one of the agents, are shipped to a place called Crank Palace, instead of being executed.

It soon becomes clear to Newt that his reputation as being one of the Maze Runners has already reached the Palace, and it seems that someone important is eager to keep him alive as long as possible. A riot at the Crank Palace forces the staff to evacuate, and the residents take the opportunity to flee. Keisha has an old cellphone that still works, and she's received word that her brother and her daughter are safe in a suburb of Denver. Newt agrees to go with them to make sure that they arrive safely. WICKED is not quite done with Newt however, and as the Flare progression gets worse, Newt will have to confront his worst enemy one more time ...

Told from Newt's perspective, Crank Palace opens a window into the mind of a Flare victim. Newt fights his demons as his mind sinks away from him, giving the reader a bittersweet opportunity to once again spend time with a beloved character. Fans of The Maze Runner must read this story to round up their view of Newt and his friends!

Champion

Lu, Marie. Champion. Book 3 of the Legend series. 2013. 369p. ISBN 9780399256776. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves.

Having thrown their support to the new Elector in Prodigy, June and Day are separated once again as the disease that is progressively killing Day is making any lasting relationship impossible in his mind, and he does not explain himself to June. When the Colonies attack the Republic with the help of the African Republic, the Republic finds itself isolated and vulnerable. The introduction of a mutating plague first engineered by the Republic to attack the Colonies, and instead deployed back to harm the Republic is ravaging the population. Facing these dual threats, the Elector is forced to ask Day to let his scientists examine his brother once again, something Day vehemently refused before.

As the Colonies' military power overwhelms first Denver, and then Los Angeles, the Republic finds itself in a race against time, for Antarctica, the world's prominent power, will come to the Republic's aid only of a cure to the virus is developed. During the attack on Denver, Captain Jamesons and Thomas both escape from their death sentences, and June and Day become the hunted.

With the Republic ready to collapse, can Day once again summon the people to aid the Republic in stopping its enemies before it is too late? Can Day and June secure a happy future together, or does their history doom any chance at love they might have had?

Prodigy

Lu, Marie. Prodigy. Book 2 of the Legend series. 2013. 371p. ISBN 9780399256769. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves.

It has been seven days since the end of Legend where June and Day escaped the clutches of the Republic by throwing their lot with the Patriots, a group dedicated to destroying the Republic and its chief, the Elector. Reaching the Colonies, they meet with more Patriots who propose a plan to assassinate the Elector. June would be used as bait, and lure the Elector away from a fake assassination attempt, only to lead him to the real deal. With the head of government dead, the Patriots would seize control of the Republic and end the deadly war with the Colonies.

Day and June begrudgingly agree to once again be separated. While Day remains with the Patriots and trains for the real assassination attempt, June returns to the Republic and is arrested. Following her interrogation by Captain Thomas, her brother's best friend, she meets the young Elector, and realizes that he doesn't have a good grip on the levers of power. The Senate is actively working to undermine him. Meanwhile, Day comes to the conclusion that the Patriots are not financed by the Colonies as he has been led to believe all of these years, but rather by the Republic, who keeps this paramilitary group in its pocket to foment trouble, and now they have been tasked by conspirators to eliminate the Elector and replace him with someone more pliable.

With the wheels already set in motion on the plot to kill the Elector, and with no possibilities of communicating with each other, June and Day must figure a way to stop the Elector's killing to save the Republic from itself...

The story concludes in Champion.

The Eleventh Plague

Hirsch, Jeff. The Eleventh Plague. 2011. 416 mins. ISBN 9780545353960. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Following war and the release of a plague that killed over 70% of the American population, civilization ceased to function, and everyone was left to their own devices. Violence, sickness and death undermined what remained of humanity, and the world devolved into slavers, long distance traders, and scavengers. Stephen Quinn III was born into this world, and for the last fifteen years he, his father, mother, and grandfather have traveling up and down the East Coast, trading and scavenging. Stephen lost his mother to childbirth, and he just lost his grandfather to illness. Iron-willed, grandfather always had an answer and knew where to go next. Now, it's just Stephen and his dad.

It's only been a few days since grandfather died, but already Stephen's father is moving away from the ideals that grandfather had instilled in Stephen. When his father decides to play the hero and rescue two captives of slavers, Stephen is dumbfounded but reluctantly goes along, only for everything to go wrong. With his father in a coma, Stephen is captured by a group of villagers who built a haven in the forest. 

As his father lies unconscious in Violet Green's home, Stephen meets her son Jackson, and their daughter Jenny. Jenny is Chinese, and she's the first Chinese person Stephen has ever met. When the United States were attacked by China a few decades ago, the enemy was Chinese. No one know where Jenny came from, but she was adopted by the Greens. Hated by some and sneered at by others, Jenny is a free spirit who longs to explore the world. For his part, Jackson is quiet but loves to play baseball.

Stephen is torn. On the one hand, he loves the idea that this community survived and still holds ideals of family and love. On the other hand, he knows this can't last, and as an outsider everything he does is suspicious. Can Stephen overcome his fight or flight instinct to make himself a home in this new land?

Legend

 Lu, Marie. Legend. Book 1 of the Legend series. 2011. 305p. ISBN 9780399256752. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves and as an audiobook from Overdrive.

June is the only teen to score a perfect 1500 on the Republic's grueling entrance examination, granting her a life of privilege and wealth as one of the elite members of society. Her brother Metias, a captain in the Republic's armed forces, was proud of her for accomplishing such a feat, and she looks forward to following in his footsteps.

Day failed the entrance examination, and he has been on the run ever since. Considered a terrorist by the Republic, but scorned by the Patriots who are in open rebellion for failing to join them, Day navigates between the two factions, hoping to keep his brothers safe. When his younger brother contracts the plague, Day is forced to break into the hospital to acquire the vaccine that will help him recover.

During the daring mission, Day is confronted by Metias, the officer in command of the hospital's protection, and Metias ends up stabbed to death, while Day barely escapes with his life. Filled with rage, June vows to track down the fugitive and bring him to justice. But what if it wasn't Day who actually killed her brother? As she begins to uncover more information following Day's arrest, she discovers that the Republic is implicated in a secret conspiracy so vast no one would ever believe her. But Day would. As his execution nears, June must make a difficult choice. Renounce her life of wealth and certainty by helping Day escape, or respect order by siding with those who killed her brother. There's only one choice ...

Two engaging characters discover each other in this dystopian novel. Both of them are realistically portrayed and experience doubt and conflicting emotions. The supporting cast of characters help propel the story forward. Fans of the underdog will gobble up this story.

The story continues in Prodigy.

Illuminae

Kaufman, Amie and Jay Kristoff. Illuminae. Book 1 of the Illuminae Files. 2015. 599p. ISBN  978-0-553-49911-7. Available at FIC KAU on the library shelves.

The world ends today. Literally. Kady is breaking up with Ezra over their plans post graduation. She wants to leave this rock of a planet on the far corner of the galaxy, and he wishes to stay here. He’s got his reasons, but he won’t tell her what those are. But as if breaking up wasn’t hard enough, the planet is invaded by Beitech troops ready to kill the illegal settlers of this mining colony. Beitech fighters roar overhead and drop bombs while ground soldiers fire on civilians. Ezra and Kady manage to escape the planet and are brought about a United Terrean Alliance fleet, consisting of a battle cruiser, the Alexander, a science vessel, the Hypatia,  and a cargo ship, the Copernicus. Several thousands colonists are rescued. Unfortunately, the colony was bombed with a prototype biogenetic weapon, and many of the colonists are infected.

The evacuation of Kerenza proceeded while the Alexander was busy defending the fleet from four Beitech warships. The Alexander suffered significant damage, and its artificial intelligence, Aidan, is damaged and is making erratic decisions. With the ship unable to jump in hyperspace, the entire fleet must travel to Heimdall space station where a permanent jumpgate awaits. Unfortunately, one of the Beitech warships, the Lincoln, survived and is in pursuit.

At the end of the day, two people who did not want to talk to each other are now together on a spaceship being chased. With the death of military personnel in the battle colonists are conscripted in the military, and Ezra is sent to the Alexander to become a pilot. Though a great computer hacker, Kady is judged to be too volatile and remains on the Hypatia. But as the plague spreads throughout the fleet, as the Lincoln slowly catches up, and as Aidan’s health and processing deteriorates, the prognostic for survival is low. Kady hacks into the computer grid and realizes that the fleet’s chances to successfully reach Heimdall are dwindling, and that military command is not being honest with the troops. With the situation worsening and Aidan making autonomous deadly decisions, Kady has no choice but to reconnect with Ezra in an attempt to salvage what’s left of the Kerenza colonists. Can she forget Ezra long enough to help save the fleet?

The story continues in Gemina.