Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Dystopian/Short Story
Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words
Availability
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on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
Smashwords store
Author:
“Alyssa
Cooper is a Canadian writer with a graphic design diploma and a passion for storytelling.
She collects old books and antique typewriters, and has a preference for the
darker side of fiction.”
For more,
visit Cooper’s website.
Description:
“When ozone
levels plummeted, the world changed. There’s no going back.
This is a
world where sunshine can kill. Where there are heavy steel shutters on every
window, and underground tunnels for safe passage. Where citizens nourish
themselves with synthetic vitamins and rationed food, living a life in
darkness, never seeing the sun.
This is the
only world that eighteen-year-old Manda has ever known. As this strong,
passionate girl struggles to bloom in a hard and unforgiving world, she finds a
single comfort; Jordy, a man who delicately shows her how beautiful life can
be. But then the letter comes.”
Originally
published in 2012, the author did some revamping and republished it, hence the
subtitle “The Author’s Edition” on Amazon.
Appraisal:
This
long-ish short story or novelette has a love story as a significant story
thread, but the main story conflict is the protagonist Manda’s struggle living
in the world the author has imagined. It isn’t clear why, but with rare
exceptions, people are not exposed to the sun. Maybe the world is different due
to climate change. (The rarity of rain and shortage of water argues for this.)
Possibly it is due to government intervention for health reasons. Most likely a
combination of both. Avoiding the sun is possible through a change in habits
(most sleep during the day, with waking hours at night) and infrastructure
(blackout blinds and underground tunnels to get from place to place). A
thought-provoking story.
Format/Typo Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating: **** Four Stars
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