Outpost (Enclave) [Hardcover]

Ann Aguirre (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 4, 2012 | Series: Enclave (Book 2)

Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-In this sequel to Enclave (Feiwel & Friends, 2011), Aguirre uses dreams and conversations to supply information for readers unfamiliar with that volume and to add background about the major characters. Having reached the fortress community of Salvation after a terrifying trek through a postapocalyptic world populated by voracious Freaks (mutants), Deuce, Fade, Stalker, and Tegan try to adapt. Trained as a Huntress, Deuce chafes at expectations about how to dress and act because she is female. She also cannot understand why Fade avoids her after she practices fighting skills with Stalker. Salvation's citizens lead simple, prosperous lives, and Deuce's unconventional behavior troubles some who fear violating rules will lead to everyone's doom. In the forest, Freaks gather in colonies, and some have evolved enough to develop strategies beyond mindless feeding; summer patrols must be stationed outside Salvation's walls. Deuce volunteers and is joined by Fade, Stalker, and 17 others. By season's end, many have died. Salvation's only chance for survival lies in summoning allies. Armed with trade maps and survival gear, Deuce, Fade, Stalker, and Tegan set out for an uncertain destination. Deuce's growing awareness of her capacity to love, including her romance with Fade, has a prominent place in the story. However, there are plenty of bloody encounters with Freaks to satisfy readers more interested in combat. The Stalker-Deuce-Fade triangle remains unresolved while Tegan develops more complexity. Aguirre's success lies in generating page-turning action more than in developing characters. It is enough to recommend the book, especially where Enclave is popular, and readers will demand the final volume.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankatoα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

"A dark, haunting read... Ann Aguirre has me hooked!"

NYT bestselling author Gena Showalter

 “Aguirre’s success lies in generating page-turning action…”—School Library Journal

“…an engaging world and forward-moving plot with a resolution that promises new settings and challenges in Book 3.” —Kirkus

“This postapocalyptic thriller delivers gripping suspense and bloody violence. A must-read for fans.” -- Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (September 4, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312650094
• ISBN-13: 978-0312650094
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (184 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in a terracotta adobe house with her husband and children. In this guise, she writes SF, UF, and YA.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Different from Enclave, Equally Amazing September 28, 2012

By anaavu

Format:Hardcover

This probably sounds redundant because everyone's Outpost reviews are starting with this, but the most important you should get out of this review is that its plot is very unlike Enclave. Whereas Enclave was all about surviving in harsh environments, walking until your whole body felt like it would fall over any second, and fighting for dear life; Outpost focuses on the relationships between characters, emotional development of the teenagers, and learning more about the enemy.

Deuce, Fade, Tegan and Stalker has finally found a place that (seems to be) safe and they are relieved to be rid of the danger of Freaks, but there are problems of a different kind at Salvation. For one, Deuce and Fade are so different from the teens here, there are constantly teased and ridiculed. Girls are expected to cook and sew and wear pretty dresses here, and Deuce cannot tolerate these rules. She joins the summer patrols to protect the growers only to be threatened for indecent activities. She does find a family for the first time in her life when she is taken in by a loving and understanding couple - it is here she learns tenderness and devotion and the meaning of love.

Once she joins the Outpost to protect the town's crops from the Freaks, Deuce stars noticing strange things such as fire being stolen from the campsite, and she realizes what this means - the Freaks are growing sneaky and more intelligent and they seem to have a personal grudge against the humans! Nobody listens to her, and eventually, her dear Fade and his tent-mate are taken from the campsite to a giant settlement of Freaks and only Deuce and Stalker can save them.

Outpost's pace is a lot slower than Enclave and most dystopians I have read, but I suppose that's what makes this book so unique. It is so heartwarming that in the midst of all that despair and danger, one can find a love so pure and honest. What hasn't changed since Enclave is Aguirre's impeccable writing style that makes me jump into Deuce's head and want to stay there :)

Deuce is one of the few characters who can successfully pull off being both a kick-ass MC as well as an emotional girl in love. When she talks about her fighting, you can feel the passion radiating off the page, and when she and Fade are together... well, MOAR passionfulness!! Those two have the sweetest relationship ever, up until... well, I can't spoil that.

During Enclave, I was all for Fade. I felt like there was no competition at all and Stalker was just a random dude who tried to kiss Deuce. She didn't even like it (much)! It was the same case with Outpost (except you learn just how deep Stalker's feelings do). By the end, though, I really don't know what to think. Fade's still Fade, but Stalker has changed, become deeper and more meaningful. Fade's beautiful and sweet and emotional, while Stalker is loyal and so much like Deuce herself. I really don't know what to make of it.

I am dying to know how the Freaks (or Muties) came about and what the humans did to elicit this kind of response. By the end, we are made aware that these aren't just zombies but mutants. I can't wait to join the foursome (together again) on another heart-stopping adventure in Monsters.

*I received an ARC of Outpost from the publisher to read and post an honest review.*

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Sequel Leaves You Screaming for More! August 24, 2012

By OpheliasOwn VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

When Enclave by Ann Aguirre ended, we found Deuce and Fade Topside- aboveground after living underground in the Enclave all their lives. It was a change that sent the series into a completely different direction, and it injected more surprises and excitement into Outpost than you can imagine!

Deuce, Fade, Tegan, and Stalker were taken in by the people of Sanctuary, but they certainly weren't accepted by everyone immediately. Given to different foster parents, they found themselves suddenly immersed in a society that had survived within tall walls and relatively removed from the Freaks who roamed the countryside. They almost never came face to face with the Freaks, animal-like humanoids with terrifying teeth and claws, and they certainly couldn't defend themselves against them. Deuce and the others were well-trained in Freak combat, but Sanctuary saw them as children, not the lethal hunters they actually were. Forced to go to school and act like proper boys and girls, Deuce and the others struggle to fit into Sanctuary.

When the crops are destroyed by the Freaks, it becomes clear they are no longer mindless roaming monsters with no intellect. After a couple of calculated attacks, Sanctuary is forced to acknowledge that the Freaks are getting smarter and Sanctuary is in danger. When Deuce, Fade, and Stalker offer to set up an outpost to protect the crops, the rest of the town is shamed into sending adults with them. Leaving the walls is terrifying for the people of Sanctuary, but so is starving through the winter with no crops to eat. Once they establish the outpost, however, it becomes clear the situation with the Freaks has escalated to a point that leaves Sanctuary vulnerable. But if the only people willing to do anything about it are the outsiders, how will Sanctuary survive this new threat?

I know it is difficult, sometimes, when a series takes a whole new spin, like Enclave did by throwing the kids Topside, but when done well, it can transform a series and make the sequel just as exciting as the original novel. That was certainly the case with Outpost, which extended the first story, but gave this book a whole new purpose all its own. I thought it was brilliant on Aguirre's part to do so, and it made me just as thrilled for the third book to come. We also get to see a whole new side of the characters we loved from the first book. Most transformative for me was the path Deuce traveled. Having never had a family in the Enclave, she couldn't get used to Momma Oaks, her foster mother. But when it became clear Momma Oaks really loved her, allowing herself to be the child of caring parents was an experience that made Deuce want to save Sanctuary. There were also times when you saw the ugly side of Sanctuary, which was very realistic for any community living so close together, and it made me like and believe the story even more.

I really liked this sequel, and I think Aguirre did a great job of keeping a story going without just repeating what worked in the first book (a common mistake). The journey these characters traveled not only changed them, it changes you as a reader. You see them differently and cannot help but transform with them. The story was exciting and terrifying at times, but it keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. You will want to protect these kids, but you will also be proud of their bravery, even when the adults from Sanctuary are unwilling to take the same risks to save their own home. This was a fantastic follow-up, and I am dying to get ahold of the next book!

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Butt-Kicking Action! August 30, 2012

By Lee VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Sequels always make me squeamish. You never know if it's going to be an utter waste of your time as a lot of authors have that one perfect novel, and then *poof* that was it. So the million dollar question: Did Outpost actually live up to Enclave? Luckily, I can say with total honesty and no let-me-try-to-be-nice-review, when I say it didn't just live up to the first novel. Outpost, without a certainty, surpassed Enclave from one end to the other!

Outpost, and boy do I love this, starts right off with no major backtrack from the author. The first page literally has an edge to it that makes you sit up and take notice. The whole group has finally made it to Salvation, a small town bordered by wooden walls to protect the inhabitants. But these four teens have a lot on their plates in learning how to be "perfect citizens," and get along with their foster parents. For Deuce, the whole town is completely alien to her in its concepts. It's taboo for her to wear her hunter gear, and instead has to wear dresses with ribbons in her hair, go to school with the other children, and ultimately repress her inner nature to protect. But all that comes to a head as Freaks begin to come out of the woodworks, literally. And what's worse is that these freaks, as Deuce noted previously in the tunnels of her enclave, seem to show signs of intelligence. Worse still is the fact that they seem to be thriving, learning new stalking skills, and show a definite sign of waiting for the perfect moment to kill. Deuce realizes quickly that the town is in immediate danger, and needs someone to rise up to protect the family she has come to love. And who better to do that than a huntress?

Outpost was utterly fantastic. I cannot praise it enough! The characters are fully developed even more so in this novel as we get to see sides of them that wasn't present in the first book. Deuce not only shows her mad hunter skills, loyalty, and protective instincts, but she also had a very humble spirit that manifests itself throughout the book. In the previous novel she's nearly a tool for the enclave, but here she really has spread her wings with her level headed intelligence. As for the boys and Tegan, they all are more developed, open, and honest with one another that was truly astounding. Stalker and Tegan, to me, had the most growth, as they realize that life does change and with it so do people. The plot, again, heaping praise, but it was such a mixture of churning emotions, dire circumstances, fear, jealousy...you name it, it was in this book! Outpost literally had me glued to the pages as I didn't know what would happen next, but couldn't wait to find out! Also, the backtracking...I have to say I loved how Aguirre implemented it. There was no massive undertaking to get the readers on track, just a simple passage from the previous book where Deuce reminisces. And the best thing about it, was the fact that it was pieces of the really good/emotional parts of Enclave, just enough to give a glimpse of what happened previously, and to make me want to reread Enclave again. This novel is action packed, full of high emotions, and I am dying to know what happens next!!! Believe me when I say you will not be disappointed in Outpost!!