"Any spot on this planet was going to be infinitely better than the world they'd left behind."
Today's tale is a young adult novel by Kass Morgan, entitled The 100. In this glimpse into mankind's future, the entire race is confined to an enormous space station drifting among the stars. Below, interested parties can catch a glimpse of the planet they once called home--a planet still recovering from a terrible nuclear winter that began three hundred years ago. Yet as the ship begins showing more and more signs of age, it becomes glaringly obvious that the end of this excursion is near. In a desperate attempt to save their people, the Council sends one hundred teens Confined for unforgivable crimes to what remains of Earth. Their mission is to carve out a life for themselves and prove Earth is habitable again. But starting over isn't as easy as it sounds, and if the settlers slip up even once, it's not just their lives on the line. It's the rest of humanity.
The 100 is built on an incredibly strong premise. Clarke and Glass are eighteen-year-old protagonists spared the death sentence only because of the expedition to earth, while Wells and Bellamy put their lives on the line to tag along and protect the girls they love. During a struggle before launch, however, Glass escapes the shuttle--only to find herself trapped on a station where she's still a criminal, her boyfriend has moved on, and one wrong step will send her straight to the execution chamber. There's a lot of angst to work with, and it quickly becomes apparent that the colonists aren't just going to live in harmony. With a shipment of criminals crash-landing on an abandoned planet, countless possibilities are at the author's fingertips, just waiting to be utilized.
The thing is, most of them are never even touched on. The clearing in which the colonists find themselves is perfect for setting up camp. A stream is nearby, so collecting water isn't an issue. Even the woods are free of predators, though there's plenty of two-headed deer to be had. In the face of a complete absence of external conflict, the characters turn inward, fighting each other for power and resources whenever they can and reflecting on their crimes in private when they can't. Even Glass, high up in the sky, doesn't run from guards or fight for her life except during flashbacks. This is very disappointing, especially in light of the story's epic setup. In fact, the most interesting moments take place during flashbacks, while the present remains somewhat stagnant.
What is interesting is the world where this all takes place. The space station Clarke, Wells, and Bellamy abandon is fascinating in its size and complexity, the laws built on questionable morals lending the vessel a somewhat dystopian feel. Meanwhile, Earth has emerged from the nuclear winter stronger than ever. Gorgeous luminescent butterflies dance among the purple-leafed trees, while delicate flowers burst into full maturity in less than a heartbeat--and the once-Confined teenagers have crash-landed right into it. Nature is ripe with emotion and perfect--or unfortunate--timing, sending everything from rainfall and lightning to deadly fires. If there's one thing that's reliable here, it's that the weather behaves believably and realistically.
Now, it's true that the characters sent to Earth have foul mouths. However, considering they are all criminals of one sort or another, their vocabularies could be a lot worse. Although they curse, it is generally basic, frequent as it may be. There is one spat, however, in which an opponent insults his enemy with an exceptionally crude jab at the boy's sister, which ends in a well-warranted fistfight. In a potential trigger scene, a neighbor tries to take advantage of a protagonist, only to be interrupted just in time. The romance is pretty shallow, though it does its best to be based on personalities and experiences rather than physical attraction. Despite this, there is a lot of kissing and a few scenes end in implications of those involved going much further.
I would recommend this book to teens looking for a wide variety of heroes struggling with the ghosts of their mistakes in a foreign environment. The Earth of Kass Morgan's imagination is realistic despite the changes wrought by radiation, and provides the perfect setting for its newest inhabitants. If only more time was spent developing characters instead of fleshing out their backstories, and the potential conflicts provided by the landscape and premise were acted upon, The 100 could have turned out even better. As it is, it deserves three stars.
What is interesting is the world where this all takes place. The space station Clarke, Wells, and Bellamy abandon is fascinating in its size and complexity, the laws built on questionable morals lending the vessel a somewhat dystopian feel. Meanwhile, Earth has emerged from the nuclear winter stronger than ever. Gorgeous luminescent butterflies dance among the purple-leafed trees, while delicate flowers burst into full maturity in less than a heartbeat--and the once-Confined teenagers have crash-landed right into it. Nature is ripe with emotion and perfect--or unfortunate--timing, sending everything from rainfall and lightning to deadly fires. If there's one thing that's reliable here, it's that the weather behaves believably and realistically.
Now, it's true that the characters sent to Earth have foul mouths. However, considering they are all criminals of one sort or another, their vocabularies could be a lot worse. Although they curse, it is generally basic, frequent as it may be. There is one spat, however, in which an opponent insults his enemy with an exceptionally crude jab at the boy's sister, which ends in a well-warranted fistfight. In a potential trigger scene, a neighbor tries to take advantage of a protagonist, only to be interrupted just in time. The romance is pretty shallow, though it does its best to be based on personalities and experiences rather than physical attraction. Despite this, there is a lot of kissing and a few scenes end in implications of those involved going much further.
I would recommend this book to teens looking for a wide variety of heroes struggling with the ghosts of their mistakes in a foreign environment. The Earth of Kass Morgan's imagination is realistic despite the changes wrought by radiation, and provides the perfect setting for its newest inhabitants. If only more time was spent developing characters instead of fleshing out their backstories, and the potential conflicts provided by the landscape and premise were acted upon, The 100 could have turned out even better. As it is, it deserves three stars.
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