Review: Selection Event - Amazing and Honest
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2011
This was a recommendation on Amazon for me and it persisted until I gave in. I'm so very happy I did. I just lost the better part of my weekend, including precious sleep, to this book and am not one bit sorry about it. I just finished it a moment ago and am positively filled with the story. It's one of those that will stay with me a while and I'll return to in the future.Briefly, the book is about a plague, but that plague is really just the underpinnings of the human story. Martin, our main character, is one of those lost young adults in our world who just can't find their niche. His late 20s are almost done and he has yet to find what fulfills him. Today, we would call him a rather unpromising fellow. He volunteers for an isolation study that will last a year and during that year he is truly isolated. He reads and tries to figure out the rest of his life. He doesn't know the days, but he knows enough to realize his year is either up or past yet the door never opens. Eventually, he gives up, disappointed with himself, and uses the self release. What he walks up into is a world that ended.If I give too much in the way of further detail, I really will ruin it for any potential reader. So, despite my desire to really discuss nuances of the book, I'll refrain and not take away the pleasure of future readers. I'll leave you instead with the gist...this is about Martin and everyone else who is left and how people really do deal with sudden loss, sudden freedom and sudden responsibility. It's simply beautiful.And yes, there is an absolutely brilliant dog in this book and you're going to love it. In some ways, it has a bit of Dean Koontz in it in that regard but so much more exceptionally done it's breathtaking.Some have compared this book with Earth Abides and there is possibly some small element of that in the bones of the story, but this is better. It's much more approachable and we really do know the people in this book. You'll look up and expect to see Martin so you can ask him a question. He's that real. And you'll love and hate people in real measures too. I can't imagine what it must be like to be able to so completely flesh out a person like that.I like the ending. It's the way it should be. There is potential for a parallel story or second book in this but it wasn't cut off as if that were intended. There is simply room left while still leaving you very fulfilled. I confess, I would love to know what happened 20 or 50 years later. Very much so. If the author reads this, please do let us know if that might be a possibility.Some have mentioned editing errors. I saw a couple but nothing egregious and really very few. No more than I've seen in big publishing houses lately.This book is absolutely worth it whether you like post-apocalyptic fiction or realistic human works or just a good drama. All comers will be satisfied. Grab it up before the author realizes how good he is and raises the price!