Review: The Darwin Elevator

The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Science fiction/post-apocalyptic
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of high-octane, fast-moving sci-fi thrillers in post-apocalyptic settings.
Book Available: July 30, 2013 by Del Ray in mass market paperback and Kindle formats; July 26, 2013 in a trade paperback edition
Trigger Warnings: killing, sexual assault

My Thoughts: This is a very fast-moving story. Russell, the head of the area around the Aura on the ground (and excuse my horrible memory, 'cause I can neither remember his last name, nor the name of the area) was … a horrible excuse for a human being. He doesn't care if the entire world goes up in flames, just so long as he has power. Neil Platz was someone for whom my feelings were constantly going back and forth. Sometimes I admired his attempts to try to save everyone, and other times I felt like he was just looking for a way to increase his own wealth and power. I did like Skyler, who is definitely the type to want to do right, but has been forced into smuggling to make ends meet and try to make things better for the people around him. He reminded me a bit of Han Solo, really. Crazy.

At any rate, for what it was, it was an enjoyable book. Didn't blow me away or anything, but I'll keep reading the series to find out what happens next. Skyler's scene where he's pretending to be Nera, and playing dumb for the administrator that Russell left behind on the station, was hilarious; I was literally rolling around laughing at it, and I'm very interested in learning more about the purpose of the towers in Belem, Brazil. I have requested the third book in the cycle from NetGalley, but haven't heard about that one yet; we'll see. In the meantime, if you like fast-moving, high-octane stories set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world, go ahead and check it out. Maybe you'll like it.

Series Information: Dire Earth Cycle series
Book 1: The Darwin Elevator, scheduled for release July 30, 2013
Book 2: The Exodus Towers: will read this next, scheduled for release August 27, 2013
Book 3: The Plague Forge: have requested from NetGalley, scheduled for release September, 24, 2013

Disclosure: I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura.
 
Skyler Luiken has a rare immunity to the plague. Backed by an international crew of fellow “immunes,” he leads missions into the dangerous wasteland beyond the aura’s edge to find the resources Darwin needs to stave off collapse. But when the Elevator starts to malfunction, Skyler is tapped—along with the brilliant scientist, Dr. Tania Sharma—to solve the mystery of the failing alien technology and save the ragged remnants of humanity.



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