The Prey

October 20, 2014
In actor and first-time novelist Isbell’s dystopian future, kids like Book are all too common—orphaned, congenitally deformed by nuclear fallout, and living in “resettlement camps” after EMPs rendered electronics useless. Book believes that life in Camp Liberty is still better than the lawless outside world until a runaway from another camp shows him the truth: he and his friends are society’s “Less Thans,” being raised for the rich and powerful to hunt for sport. As Book begins planning his escape, he meets Hope, a girl in a neighboring camp, who is an identical twin, the government’s perfect test subjects. The two protagonists work well together, though their romantic story line—including a halfhearted love triangle—is a bit forced. But the book plays to its strong suits, with plenty of peril (human and otherwise) and illuminating glimpses of the world outside the camps that allowed this system to thrive. First in a planned trilogy, the story delivers its message without moralizing and will keep readers rooting for Book and Hope. Ages 13–up. Agent: Victoria Sanders, Victoria Sanders & Associates.

November 1, 2014

Gr 7-10-A largely derivative work that borrows plot points from several popular dystopian novels. Despite this lack of originality, Isbell's tale keeps readers intrigued and makes a solid contribution to what is becoming an overextended genre. In the Omega post-nuclear-war age, an EMP has wiped out all electricity and civilization must rebuild; thus the Republic of the True America divides the population into resettlement camps. Protagonists Book and Faith reside, respectively, in Camps Liberty and Freedom. Camp Liberty houses "LTs," those with birth defects or "abnormalities" like dark skin. LTs believe they are being groomed to be lieutenants, but in reality they are "Less Thans," who are to serve as live game for hunters. After Hope and Faith's father's death, the twins find themselves in Camp Freedom undergoing Nazilike experiments. This plot-driven novel covers familiar territory and the characters do not bring anything new to the genre, yet the action and writing make up for its shortcomings. The book ends with several unanswered questions; no doubt avid dystopian fans will anxiously await the next installment.-Laura Falli, McNeil High School, Austin, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Twenty years after the apocalyptic Omega, the orphaned Less Thans are unknowingly trained to be hunted for sport by those in power. Book and Hope lead their small group of teenage escapees east through dangerous regions, in hopes of finding the fabled New Territory. The dystopia is nothing new, but Isbell will hook genre fans with action and a fast pace.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

December 15, 2014
Grades 8-11 An electromagnetic pulse followed by radiationthey called it Omega, the enddestroyed civilization as it once existed. The survivors established the Republic of the True America. But the future still looks like a dead end for Book and Hope, two teens who find themselves in the camps that purport to be orphanages. Camp Liberty and Camp Freedom do not exist to save the young people, though. Instead, they serve to contain prisonersteens who will be hunted, experimented upon, and, ultimately, killed. Isbell creates a dystopian landscape that is bleak and unforgiving and has eerie echoes of the Holocaust. Careful readers will appreciate the irony and subtle, deeper meanings in character and location names as Isbell shapes his own vision of a dark world. Pair this with other blockbuster titles about hope in the midst of despair and danger, including Veronica Roth's Four (2014), Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, and James Dashner's Maze Runner books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2014
Teens uncover their post-apocalyptic, dystopian society's secret program that segregates those deemed inferior to use as game in rich men's hunts.An orphan nicknamed Book who's grown up in an all-boys government-run camp discovers a strange new boy, near death, in the desert. Book befriends him and learns that after the boys graduate, they aren't bussed away for leadership positions as promised-instead, they're hunted by the rich as entertainment. Turns out they're scapegoated Less Thans-a designation given to undesirable races, religious groups, political dissidents and a variety of other discriminatory categories. Alternate chapters break from Book's first-person, past-tense narration for a third-person, present-tense account that follows Hope, who's been running from government soldiers for years. She and her twin sister, Faith, are captured and brought to a girls' facility specializing in twins for twisted medical experiments. Brought together by chance, Book and Hope feel an instant connection. That doesn't stop them from making a weak love triangle with another character when small groups from each camp unite to escape certain extermination. Running for freedom, they face such perils as soldiers and wolves, but the most dangerous are the hunters, yielding scenes in which the teens use clever strategy to defend themselves against the better-equipped hunters. Isbell aims for inventive description but frequently fumbles, producing phrases like "anvil-shaped face." Light worldbuilding leaves too many questions unanswered, paving the way for the sequel. It's an exciting concept, but the execution is for the most part mediocre. (Dystopian adventure. 13 & up)

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