The Ark by Laura Liddell Nolen
Published by: HarperVoyager
Publication date: March 26th 2015
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Synopsis:
There's a meteor headed for Earth, and there is only one way to survive.
With her criminal record, sixteen-year-old Char is never going to get a place on an Ark, one of the five massive bioships designed to protect Earth's survivors. The Arks are reserved for the real goody-goodies, like Char's mom, dad, and brother, all of whom have long since turned their backs on her.
With Earth on the brink of destruction, Char must use all her tricks of the trade to swindle her way into outer space, where she hopes to reunite with her family, regardless of whether they want to see her or not.
Once she arrives on the North American Ark, Char discovers that the remnants of humanity haven't achieved the egalitarian utopia they'd planned for. For starters, the "Officers of the Peace" are anything but peaceful, especially since stealing a spot on an Ark is a crime punishable by death…
Excerpt:
“Hold it right there, Missy.” The gravelly voice paused long enough for a wracking cough.
I raised my hands as slowly as possible. In my experience, there were two kinds of people who point guns at other people. The first kind weren’t going to shoot you unless they had to. Suckers, we called ’em. Suckers made it easy to get away. Sometimes you didn’t even have to give their stuff back, as long as you started running before they got too jumpy. The second kind were just looking for an excuse to pull the trigger. As I was sizing her up, she chambered the cartridge.
This was definitely the second kind. I made my voice as small and feminine as possible. “Look, I didn’t mean any trouble. I thought you were gone.”
“Doesn’t give you the right to steal my stuff.”
I turned around, slowly. “Really, I thought the house was abandoned. Please don’t shoot.” The woman in the corner was elderly and heavyset and sucking hard on a nicostick, the kind the government had approved the year they banned cigarettes. I had no doubt this wasn’t the first time she’d handled a .30.
“Just what do you think you’re doing, anyway?”
“I was hungry,” I whimpered. “And I needed clothes.”
“What for?”
“For the OPT.”
“I saw them clothes in the bathroom. You don’t belong on no transport.”
I breathed out for a moment, and sniffed, and realized that my tears weren’t actually fake, even though I had planned them. “I know.”
“But you’re going anyway.”
If I spoke loudly enough, maybe Isaiah would hear me. Would he try to leave, or try to help me? Would he even be able to help? “I have to. My family went, and I was in lockup, and they left me there.”
The rifle sagged to point at the ground. “Okay, alright. Don’t cry.” She continued to stare at me. “It’s my daughter’s clothes, you know.”
“M-Magda?”
“My Magda. She died thirty years ago. You look a little like her.” She jerked her head toward the wall beside me, where a series of yellowing photographs showed a happy family. The youngest, a girl, did indeed have dark hair and light eyes, but I thought the resemblance ended there. Not that I planned on pointing that out to my hostess, who still had two hands clenched around the rifle. Its butt folded into the ample flesh over her ribcage. I bet she wouldn’t even feel the kick, with padding like that.
My Review:
I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.
A meteor is headed to earth and the only way to stay alive and out run the meteor is to land a seat on one of the five bioships headed to another planet. To acquire a place on one of the bioships you must be one the goody-goody folks or very, very rich.
Sixteen year old Char's mother, father and brother all have a place secured on the North American Ark. But Char wasn't so lucky as she has been in and out of juvenile detention centers for a few years so she doesn't qualify for a seat on The Ark. Char is parents come to the juvenile center to visit with Char one last time before they board The Ark before the end of the world comes. Char is kind of excited to see her parents so that she can tell them how sorry she is for causing them so much pain and heartache over the years and to also tell them goodbye for the last time. .
Char and her parents have sort of good visit but it is over way too soon and she doesn't have the chance to tell them how much she really loves them and how sorry she is. She has thought for a long time that her parents had given up on her and didn't care about her anymore. But as they are leaving her mother slips something in her hand. After her parents is gone she realizes what it is that her mother has given her it is a pass to board the North American Ark. Char is very happy that she going to live and be with her family again. .
But Char only has a certain amount of time to make it to the ark or it will leave without her. So Char with the help of a friend breaks out of the juvenile center and starts making her way to the ark but she runs into a lot of trouble and some very mean people on her way. Char begins to wonder if she will make it on time. .
For a very long while now I have been hooked on dystopian and apocalyptic novels in almost any sub-genre. I can't seem to get my fix of dystopian novels. I loved the world that the author has created at the end of the world in The Ark. I loved all of the characters or most all of them. I can't wait to read more of Char's story along with all of the rest of the characters and what happens to them and the Ark. Will they make it to the new planet? Who will die and who will live to see another day? .
I recommend this book to anyone who loves dystopian or apocalyptic novels. This is one story you won't want to miss. It is out of this world amazing. No pun intended. So with that being said it is now time for you to grab your copy and start out on a new adventure with Char and her friends.
AUTHOR BIO:
Laura grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she spent an excellent childhood playing make-believe with her two younger brothers. The Ark is the direct result of those stories and a lifelong devotion to space-themed television. It received a Work in Progress Grant from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Laura has a degree in French and a license to practice law, but both are frozen in carbonite at present. She lives in Texas with her family.
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