Review of The Loop by Ben Oliver

Oliver, Ben.  The Loop.  Chicken House, 2020.

The Third World War, also known as “Futile War”, ended with the dropping of twenty-nine nuclear bombs and the deaths of nine-hundred million civilians.  Even more people died afterwards when the temperature of the Earth dropped.  A coalition of rebels from both sides of every country ended the war, but  it was billionaires who caused it in order to stay rich and in power.  This resulted in only one governing system called The World Government and the birth of Happy, their computer operating system, which controls life all over the globe.  Citizens are divided by caste, with the Elite being the highest. 

 

Sixteen-year-old Luka “Luke” Kane is living in The Loop, a death row prison for teens, for a crime he did not commit.  Life in The Loop is no picnic; inmates are in solitary confinement and get only one hour of exercise per day.  Their energy is harvested nightly in order to power the prison, and they receive chemical-laced showers immediately afterward.  Prisoners can extend their lives every six months by agreeing to Delays, scientific experiments which benefit the Elite of society.  The only pleasure Luke receives is reading books brought to him by the Warden of the prison.

 

After a cataclysmic event, Luke and some of his friends are able to escape from The Loop.  However, they discover that the outside world is even more dangerous than inside the prison.  Citizens have become vicious and are maiming and killing each other.  The former prisoners must defend themselves, run for their lives, and avoid being captured.

 

This debut novel, the first in a planned series, by Ben Oliver is a terrifying journey into a dystopian society created out of a planned, devastating war.  The world that the author has created, both inside and outside of the prison, is both eye-opening and terrifying.  The prisoners are treated brutally, and the caste system is set up to be mandatory and discriminatory.  The book is packed with gripping action and surprises.

 

Billed as a “mashup of The Matrix and The Maze Runner”, this class-warfare novel is a political and social commentary on what might happen to our world if these events were to become reality.  There is an ethnically diverse group of characters which are well-developed and fleshed-out.  The futuristic world-building is well-thought out and presented.

 

The Loop is the first in a planned trilogy by this Scottish author.  Hand it to fans who enjoy dystopian and science fiction novels.  I recommend it for upper middle school, high school, and public libraries and give it four out of five stars!

 

Thank you to Edelweiss and Chicken House for allowing me to read and review this book.

Review of Access Restricted by Gregory Scott Katsoulis

Katsoulis, Gregory Scott.  Access Restricted.  Harlequin Teen, 2018.

Speth Jime ends the tyrant Rogs’ oppressive hold over Portland with a resounding boom.  As a result, in a futuristic, dystopian United States, where all forms of communication is owned, Portland’s citizens are hoping the “Silent Girl” will guide them in their quest to be free from word and gesture oppression.  Speth and her friends make a getaway from the dome on the “Outer Ring” while the government is trying to restore Portland’s Wi-Fi and bring order.   Unfortunately, Silas Rog’s sister, Lucretia, and her lawyers are close behind the escapees.

Speth is not sure what to do next, but she wants to locate her parents, who are “Indentured”, working as legalized slaves, in Crab Creek in the Carolina dome.  To find them, she and her friends must cross the country outside of the regional domes.  On their journey, they face challenges, adversity, and danger but learn that Speth has helpful supporters in other domes. 

Once reunited with her parents in Tejico, formerly Mexico, Speth and her sister, Saretha, face a grueling, prejudicial trial back in Portland, where they will try to prove that the Rogs stole Saretha’s likeness for use as a famous movie star.   Even though she dreads and fears returning to Portland, Speth realizes that the trial is about more than her family—it is about freedom.

Access Restricted, the second and final book in the Word$ duology, begins moments after the first book, All Rights Reserved, ends.  The chapters are titled with words and phrases, many of which are trademarked, listed with their costs, which get increasingly larger as the story continues.  The reader learns that many names, especially those of foreign origin, have been shortened, both because they cost less and also so that people will not learn about their ancestry.

The characters are fascinating and multi-layered.  Speth, the main character, is a strong, reluctant heroine, not expecting to cause a rebellion, or even be a part of one.    The minor characters have distinct personalities and play a large part in the plot.  The Rog family members are evil, manipulative villains--cold, calculating, and controlling.  The author is especially gifted at world building, creating a vivid technology-enhanced world, where advertisements play constantly on screens in citizens’ homes and inside the domes.

The plot is mesmerizing and engrossing, filled with nail-biting action, thrilling chase scenes, and spy drones flying around.  This series is very timely because it is certainly something that could eventually happen.  Although some backstory is given, it is my recommendation that readers read the first book before reading this installment.

I highly recommend Access Restricted and the Word$ series for middle school, high school, and public libraries, and especially for collections where libraries have purchased All Rights Reserved.  It is a real page-turner, and I give it five out of five fleur de lis!