 |
In a dystopian, apocalyptic world ravaged by Plague-21, audiences are transported into an eerie alternate reality, a world that would no longer seem as far-fetched as it would prior to COVID-19. Conjure a landscape where less than one percent of the universe is left to simultaneously replenish the planet’s population and the infrastructure that keeps the entire globe intimately connected. Barlow is a master of worldbuilding as she depicts the world being brought to its knees, from India and China being a shell of themselves to the combination of rampant crime and scarcity threatening to eliminate the very essence of the human race.
The narrative revolves around Jade Greenwood and Chase Carlson. However, it is equally focused on a new dictatorship developing in Russia and Israel’s impending growth. More than anything else, the author has created a contentious reality: while Jade and Chase are immune to everything and possess the plasma to generate cure-generating vaccines, their selflessness is directly juxtaposed with relentless greed in other pivotal characters. Unsurprisingly, the planet is burdened by a burgeoning mindset of paralysis and laziness. The world has just been run over by a buzzsaw, and uniting the world’s nations again would take leadership the likes of which has never been seen.
When the Russian president discovers that he has an heir from his mistress, who has fled to Israel, changed her name, and given her son the name “Malik,” an ensuing series of events erupts, causing chaos, death, and the unraveling of deep-rooted secrets. Every twist and turn of the plot foreshadows an imminent clash between human vice and gospel, leading to allusions about Judgment Day and a biblical level of Armageddon. Overall, Barlow creates an incredibly believable world that, combined with exceptional character development, delivers a mind-numbing and thought-provoking experience designed for all audiences.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review