Review: Dystopia with a Twist
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 30, 2013
The post-apocalyptic genre has become wildly popular in recent years, and with tv shows like The Walking Dead, video games, and more movies than you can count about the end of the world as we know it, it is no surprise that writers have also jumped on the proverbial bandwagon. Having read Verhoff's other novel "Promised Land", I had some idea of the world that would be painted in Red the First, but calling it a stand-alone novel is certainly accurate. It is a brilliantly told story that is full of twists and turns that I never saw coming. It moves seamlessly from high action sequences to subtle exposition and character development that clearly shows Verhoff's skills as a talented and self-aware writer.The plot of the book is a bit hard to follow at certain points, as though Verhoff knew individual points or scenes that she definitely wanted to cover, but the bits in the middle get glossed over occasionally, leading to a slight roller coaster effect between major events. However, that doesn't detract from the overall effect of reading the novel. Red is a fascinating character, adopting the role of a leader, although he struggles to take care of himself and his own fears/insecurities in this world gone mad. I can see how the events of this book somewhat impact the other Verhoff novel I read, and it is interesting to have this background text, sort of like a mythology. Red the First challenges our idea of what community, faith, friendship, and survival really mean, and the undeniable similarities between the real world and the world on paper is both thought-provoking and frightening. Questions of why their world fell apart, and what they could have done to prevent it ring quite appropriately for readers who could be asking similar questions in their own lifetime. Overall, it was a great story; a bit more work on continuity would be appreciated, but I think it is well worth the read!