[review] Isolation (Partials 0.5) by Dan Wells (2012)

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book, book review, dan wells, dystopia, dystopian, ebook, fiction, novella, romance, sci-fi, utopia, YA, young adult

Isolation (2012)
by Dan Wells (blog.)
Edition Read: E-book (Novella)
Publication Date: August 28th, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
buy a copy via Amazon.
synopsis via Goodreads.

Two decades before the events of Partials, the world was locked in a different battle for survival: a global war for the last remaining oil reserves on the planet. It was for the Isolation War that the American government contracted the ParaGen Corporation to manufacture the Partials—our last hope in reclaiming energy independence from China. And it was on these fields of battle that the seeds of humanity’s eventual destruction were sown.

A powerful take of our world on the brink, Isolation gives readers a glimpse into the history from which Partials was born—as well as clues to where the Partials Sequence is heading next.

My Thoughts:
Isolation is a prequel novella in Dan Well’s Partials series. Although it is technically a prequel and can be read alone, I still recommend reading it after the first book, Partials, because there is a bit of jargon, but more importantly, it’s clearly a supplement to the series and it’s just not very strong story by itself. The story is from the point of view of Heron, an assassin Partial created to infiltrate Chinese headquarters.

I admit I might be a bit biased since this novella is set in China, and me being Chinese is especially keen to how my culture is depicted, especially when they are supposed to be the “enemy.” Which brings me to this:

Why Do All The Chinese People Have Awkward Dialogue That Sounds Like Poor Movie Subtitles?

[review] Partials by Dan Wells (2012)

Tags

book, book review, dan wells, dystopia, dystopian, fiction, romance, sci-fi, utopia, YA, young adult

Partials (2012)
by Dan Wells (blog.)
Paperback ARC, Read for Ali’s Bookshelf Book Club
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)
buy a copy via Amazon.
synopsis via Goodreads.
preorder Isolation.
preorder Fragments

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.

Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival

My Thoughts:
Dan Wells’s Partials is how a post-apocalyptic, dystopian novel should be. Not only is Partials entertaining, but left me questioning about what it means to be human. Wells creates a riveting story, packed with realistic multi-dimensional characters, heart-pounding action, and suspense that will leave you wanting more. Wells knows how to build a word while telling a captivating story. Partials is the sci-fi book for people that don’t read sci-fi.

A brilliant dystopian novel always leaves me with introspective questions, and Partials did just that. Partials left me thinking about the ethics behind man-made humanity and what makes the Partials “scary” (as opposed to just another ethic group, who just happens to be gifted with extra strength and health); if Partials are stronger, healthier, and are just like humans aside from a few differences in DNA, then why don’t we all become Partials already? If everyone had super strength (through steroids or something), then the Partials would not be feared, right?