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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SF Premise Captivates!, May 14, 2010
This review is from: Dark Life: Book 1 (Hardcover)
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Kat Falls has a solid base hit with her first YA SF novel. I really like her character, Ty, because he's the kind of kid I expect to be doing all the exciting things he does in this novel. He's old enough to be salty (yeah, I know, the ocean, pun intended) and still young enough to believe he's invincible. This is the kind of hero that Robert A. Heinlein made so popular in his juvenile science fiction novels. I grew up on those, so I'll probably always have a soft spot for that kind of hero. Ty's viewpoint in this novel is important for several reasons. Chief among those is the fact that his first person narrative drags readers into the story immediately. I loved the opening because we got into action at once in the middle of a world that we gradually got introduced to. But that first person viewpoint is tremendously important to the plot because Ty tells us a lot, but he doesn't tell us everything. At least, he doesn't tell us everything all at once. I also fell in love with the world. I have to point out that the author plays fast and loose with some of the decompression issues in the real world (especially in the exciting climax), but that was easy to swallow because she was hurtling along at breakneck speed. Several times after reading passages, I just closed my eyes and fully realized the world that came to life on those pages. I think the image of those jellyfish houses is one that will stay with me forever. The imagery was just so strong and perfect that I was swimming in those waters at Ty's side. For someone who enjoys day-tripping into other worlds, it just doesn't get any better. After I finished reading the book, I gave it to my 12 year old and he read it in two days. Not only did he enjoy it, but we had long, serious talks about what life underwater would be like. As it turns out, he was just as captivated by the idea as I was. But he also had some of the same concerns that I did. The writing, and I know this was intentional, is delivered with a strong western flavor--as in frontier cowboy. Some of the homestead talk and life as pioneers immediately lends itself to that, but often it tended to overshadow the fact that this is a science fiction novel. The plot seems to be straight out of a Western novel to a degree as well. The frontier town is menaced by outlaws that raid at will and take what they want. Kat Falls also has several neat mysteries wrapped up in her tale. The origin of the Seablite pirates as well as the mystery of Akai the pioneer boy with strange "gifts " keeps the pages turning up as well as the action. The title Dark Life plays on several levels and is clever. Whenever your pleasure--adventure, budding teen romance, mystery, or science fiction--you'll find something to fall in love with in this book. I just hope Kat Falls decides to return to this interesting world soon. I can't wait to dive in again.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So glad this will be a series!, February 11, 2011
Due to global warming causing the land to flood and the eastern seaboard to sink into the ocean, there's not enough land for people to live on and barely enough to grow food. In an attempt to solve the food and energy shortages, the Commonwealth government allowed settlers to move under the ocean, to own their own land, as long as they harvested kelp and fish and maintained the energy resources for those who live topside. Engineers and scientist jumped on the chance to create underwater homesteads and develop farming practices that would help feed people. Many of these scientists also became some of the first underwater settlers of the Benthic Territory. The promise of having your own home and a hundred acres after two years of working the land draws many more people looking to make a new life. Despite the fact that many of the settlers are some of the best minds in their fields and provide them with food, Topsiders believe it unnatural not to live on land. They call the Benthic Territory settlers "Dark Life" a reference to bacteria that the settlers find insulting. Then throw in the fact that lack of sun exposure makes them very pale and eating lots of bioluminescent fish give them a slight glow, and the settlers seem even less than a part of Commonwealth society. Ty was the first child born under the sea, and of the 22 children in the territory, he's the only teenager. His discovery of Gemma (a teenage topsider) gives him the first opportunity to socialize with someone his own age. Gemma is looking for her brother who is living in the territory, but nobody seems to know him. Gemma is amazed by life under the ocean, all of the space available, and the fact that settlers actually know who each other are. She's also quite intrigued by the stories of Dark Gifts. According to some doctors, a child born in the territory had his brain altered by the constant pressure and he developed sonar (like a dolphin). Ty is very uncomfortable with Gemma's constant questions about Dark Gifts, mostly because it's used as an excuse by Topsiders to ostracize settlers' children. While helping Gemma find her brother, the problems with the local Seablite Gang grow. Instead of sticking to raiding government supply ships, they've started attacking homesteads, cutting off power causing the homes to sink and valuable livestock to be lost. The local ranger hates being stationed in the territory and all the people that live there, and never leaves the docking ring above the ocean. The Commonwealth decides that the settlers must bring in the outlaws, dead or alive. If they don't, the government will cut all supplies to the territory: no liquagen, no medical, farm, or mechanical supplies. The settlers are desperate to save their homes, Ty is hates the idea of living topside and doesn't want to lose his chance to homestead, and Gemma's search starts to reveal some terrible secrets the government wants hidden. There was a lot of world building and explanations required to describe the life of an underwater homesteader, and Falls' wove this seamlessly into her story. The book had a nice pace, no clunky explanations, and some great characters. Ty is such a sweet character. He's the only boy his age and doesn't realize that Topsiders stare at him because he's apparently very handsome, he thinks it's just one more example of them not liking homesteaders. Gemma confuses him, a brash girl who's life has been a polar opposite of Ty's, she's the only girl his age and very pretty. Ty has the emotions that he can't even identify because they're so new, but he handles them, and the dangers they face because of the outlaws, with a level head, bravery, and a bit of grace. Underwater life, from how the homes are built, to how the livestock of fish are cared for are wonderfully explained in an easy to follow manner. What really stuck out was the fact that Ty would use underwater references to describe a smile, butterflies in his stomach, or the color of someone's eyes. At first a stomach full f comb jellyfish or seaweed green eyes doesn't sound very attractive, but they are representative of his life underwater and add a neat element to the story. I also really liked one of the younger boys, Hewitt. He hated living underwater and had this idealized version of life topside, he was a nice contrast to Gemma who had been equally ignorant of life underwater. Suffice it to say that there's action, mysteries, daring does, villains, strange abilities, crooked politicians, secret prisons, and budding relationship - this book pretty much had it all.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It skims the surface, but Dark Life should appeal to young boys especially, May 28, 2010
This review is from: Dark Life: Book 1 (Hardcover)
Plot Summary: It's finally happened, just like the doomsday guys have predicted - great chunks of land have slid into the ocean. The topsiders are crammed into skyscrapers, while a brave few live under the sea and grow the food that keeps humankind alive. Ty is a teenage boy who was born and raised on the sea floor, and he's developed some unique abilities, which he keeps secret at all costs. While exploring a deserted submarine, he finds a girl named Gemma who ran away from the topside to find her brother. This is an action-packed story with a nifty premise at its core, and although Dark Life did not go deep enough to really satisfy me, I could see it succeeding with tween readers. I've been waiting to read a post-apocalyptic science fiction story where most of the Earth is under water, because I've always found the oceans to be more mysterious than outer space. Kat Falls followed through with surprising sea creatures, vivid descriptions, and believable technologies to make undersea life feasible, and those parts made it a fun read. I can see why this book has been optioned for a movie. Ty is a sweet, likable hero, and at 15-years-old he's still young enough to be innocent, but old enough to take an interest in Gemma. It's not hard to understand why he's so willing to help her, given how rare teenagers and females are under the sea. Gemma, on the other hand, was not so easy to like. Her stubborn side wasn't endearing to me, and I struggled to stay interested in her fate. This young adult novel skews toward the young side of the spectrum, and I could see this being a big hit with the boy crowd. The hero has cool powers, he's constantly getting into trouble, and he helps save the day.
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