370 pages
English language
Published Feb. 26, 2015
"The Hunger Games meets Cormac McCarthy's The Road in this richly imagined first novel in a new post-apocalyptic trilogy by award-winning poet Francesca Haig. Four hundred years in the future, the Earth has turned primitive following a nuclear fire that has laid waste to civilization and nature. Though the radiation fallout has ended, for some unknowable reason every person is born with a twin. Of each pair, one is an Alpha--physically perfect in every way; and the other an Omega--burdened with deformity, small or large. With the Council ruling an apartheid-like society, Omegas are branded and ostracized while the Alphas have gathered the world's sparse resources for themselves. Though proclaiming their superiority, for all their effort Alphas cannot escape one harsh fact: Whenever one twin dies, so does the other. Cass is a rare Omega, one burdened with psychic foresight. While her twin, Zach, gains power on the Alpha Council, …
"The Hunger Games meets Cormac McCarthy's The Road in this richly imagined first novel in a new post-apocalyptic trilogy by award-winning poet Francesca Haig. Four hundred years in the future, the Earth has turned primitive following a nuclear fire that has laid waste to civilization and nature. Though the radiation fallout has ended, for some unknowable reason every person is born with a twin. Of each pair, one is an Alpha--physically perfect in every way; and the other an Omega--burdened with deformity, small or large. With the Council ruling an apartheid-like society, Omegas are branded and ostracized while the Alphas have gathered the world's sparse resources for themselves. Though proclaiming their superiority, for all their effort Alphas cannot escape one harsh fact: Whenever one twin dies, so does the other. Cass is a rare Omega, one burdened with psychic foresight. While her twin, Zach, gains power on the Alpha Council, she dares to dream the most dangerous dream of all: equality. For daring to envision a world in which Alphas and Omegas live side-by-side as equals, both the Council and the Resistance have her in their sights"--
I am was torn between two stars and three. It is predictable play and emasculated male characters, and moody women characters. I don't know many characters who are genuinely flat. Cat is for the whole book. It wasn't an enjoyable book. I did decide Olin three starts because of the twist on post-apocalyptic story. After all I am left with meh.
People have always been fascinated with the connections between twins; that somehow they have a supernatural sense when their other half is in danger. Here the idea is taken further. What would happen if the ruling classes were inexplicably linked to the lower classes they were trying to oppress? If tyrants wanted to wipe out an entire race but doing so would kill themselves, they need to think up new ideas.
Some of those ideas are plain scary when you think about them. But The Fire Sermon is also a tale of siblings, of a love that doesn’t break because one of them has made mistakes. As Cass and Zach grow up together, there is suspicion but there is also a friendship, maybe forced by their unique situation, but neither has anyone else to play with.
The naming of the town of Wyndham is not coincidental. The mutations and the …
People have always been fascinated with the connections between twins; that somehow they have a supernatural sense when their other half is in danger. Here the idea is taken further. What would happen if the ruling classes were inexplicably linked to the lower classes they were trying to oppress? If tyrants wanted to wipe out an entire race but doing so would kill themselves, they need to think up new ideas.
Some of those ideas are plain scary when you think about them. But The Fire Sermon is also a tale of siblings, of a love that doesn’t break because one of them has made mistakes. As Cass and Zach grow up together, there is suspicion but there is also a friendship, maybe forced by their unique situation, but neither has anyone else to play with.
The naming of the town of Wyndham is not coincidental. The mutations and the segregation of those possessing them, the concealment of mental powers by those who can’t be identified otherwise, the blast and the deadlands. Even the idea of a place where those with mutations can go and be safe, they all remind me of The Chrysalids. Francesca wanted to give a nod to Wyndham and Miller, a reminder that this post-apocalyptic world is not a new fad but one that started decades ago. I have not read A Canticle for Leibowitz however she cites that as the more influential work on her writing. I will definitely be reading that some time in the future.
It did take me a while to get into the story but when I did, I was hooked and now I can’t wait to see what happens next. It’s a good debut novel, from a writer whose background is in poetry, but I did think in some areas the writing could be a bit more polished. But once I was sucked into the world and characters, I loved it.
Review copy provided by publisher.
