Beyond New Eden

title: Beyond New Eden
author: H.S. Stone
published: 18 March 2013
publisher: self-published
genre(s): dystopian, postapocalypse
pages: 283
source: author
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | BookBub | BookHype | Goodreads

rating:

the blurb

Eve 142 has lived her entire life in the domed city of New Eden, home to the only surviving humans after the War. Like all of the inhabitants of New Eden, Eve 142 is a clone. Together with the other clones, dubbed the Adams and the Eves, she leads a safe, predictable existence. However, Eve’s life changes when she causes a tragic accident to befall one of the Adams. As retribution, she and her counterpart, Adam 142, are banished from New Eden. At first, Eve 142 considers their punishment a death sentence because she grew up believing the world outside the dome was uninhabitable. She is wrong. Forced to live in the Wastelands, Eve and Adam discover many new truths about the outside world and, more importantly, the truths about themselves.

my review

I love dystopian fiction and this novel did NOT disappoint.  What I found most interesting was the blend of themes that are woven together in this story line.  The world of Beyond New Eden is post-apocalyptic, what is left after a war that devastated the entire world.  At first the world inside the dome seems as close to utopian as possible.  It is a peaceful, ordered society.  Class systems do not exist in a society of clones, each person the same as the ones before and after them.  But we soon discover that, as with most utopian worlds, there is much that is dystopian in nature.

Adam and Eve 142 are at the center of this books, two paired clones.  A horrible tragedy causes them to be banished from the city for six months.  During the six months that they are gone, they discover that the world outside is not as much of a wasteland as they were taught, even finding other humans that have survived, even flourished.

The characters are fantastic, the foils between those inside and outside New Eden fascinating.  Those inside the dome are not devoid of emotions, but they are seemingly dampened, especially when compared to those in the outside settlements.  It is through those other humans that Adam and Eve learn more about themselves and humanity itself.  Their romance was very sweet and innocent as they discovered what it really meant to be human.

Things to love…

• The world of New Eden.  It was perfectly created.
• The emotional growth of Adam and Eve.
• The secrets and twists.

Things I wanted more/less of…

• More explanation of the supplements.
• More explanation of why the lifespans are the way they are.

I loved the twists and turns, the intrigue of the story line.  The ending suggests that there is more to come and I hope that there will be!

Rating Report
plot
characters
writing
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Overall:

reading challenges:

• 2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge
• 2014 Ebook Challenge
• 2014 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge