Alive (The Generations Trilogy 1) by Scott Sigler
“I open my eyes to darkness. Total darkness. I hear my own breathing, but nothing else. I lift my head . . . it thumps against something solid and unmoving. There is a board right in front of my face. No, not a board . . . a lid.”
A teenage girl awakens to find herself trapped in a coffin. She has no idea who she is, where she is, or how she got there. Fighting her way free brings little relief - she discovers only a room lined with caskets and a handful of equally mystified survivors. Beyond their room lies a corridor filled with bones and dust, but no people ... and no answers.
She knows only one thing about herself - her name, M. Savage, which was engraved on the foot of her coffin - yet she finds herself in charge. She is not the biggest among them, or the boldest, but for some reason the others trust her. Now, if they’re to have any chance, she must get them to trust each other.
Whatever the truth is, she is determined to find it and confront it. If she has to lead, she will make sure they survive. Maybe there’s a way out, a rational explanation, and a fighting chance against the dangers to come. Or maybe a reality they cannot comprehend lies just beyond the next turn.
I picked up an ARC at Book Con. The release date is July 14, 2015. I will be respectful of author's request and keep this spoiler free.
I enjoyed Alive very much. It's an exciting page turner. Sigler does a great job of writing about human behavior. During the characters' journey and discoveries they face many ethical, phycological, political, and other challenges.
The characters are well developed and play off each other in a manner that the reader feels like they are a part of their group.
I have to mention this and I won't give anything away. I'll just describe it in a general summary. There is a very subtle love triangle but it was not the main focus, which I loved. It's more about basic human emotions of attraction and some jealousy, rather than anything mushy, idealistic and moving way too fast.
I like the sci-fi aspect. It was not what I was expecting since I thought it would be a supernatural story. Some answers I guessed correctly and other times I would go back and reread chapters to absorb all the details again. There is some world building that really interests me and I want more details.
The pacing is just right. I didn't get frustrated by drawn out mysteries but there are questions I hope are addressed in the next two books.
I can say without a doubt I am interested in this trilogy and look forward to the release of book two.
5 out 5 (circles) O