The Declaration

Jan 20, 2012 Warnie B. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, dystopia-post-apocalypse, young-adult, science-fiction

I normally love dystopian teen fic. And the premise of this one sounded fairly interesting. I just assumed I would really enjoy it. But right off the bat I was annoyed by the beginning--a nine-page-long diary entry. Such a lazy (and boring) way to give background information! I mean, diary entries CAN be done well, and written in a believable way. The ones in this book are not. A lot of times it's a case of telling instead of showing, which always makes events feel flat and not quite believable....more

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Jun 05, 2012 Maree rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-future-dystopian, 2012-read, thought-provoking

“I think sometimes you can outstay your welcome.”

The YA dystopian genre is almost exploding with books at the moment, but for me Malley’s The Declaration was probably the first I read. I read it when it was first released and I remember still being up at 1am, devouring it page by page until I finished it. Reading it second time around with one of my Goodreads friends and the feelings have pretty much been the same.

Set in a world where no one has to die of diseases or old age, surely everybody...more “I think sometimes you can outstay your welcome.”

The YA dystopian genre is almost exploding with books at the moment, but for me Malley’s The Declaration was probably the first I read. I read it when it was first released and I remember still being up at 1am, devouring it page by page until I finished it. Reading it second time around with one of my Goodreads friends and the feelings have pretty much been the same.

Set in a world where no one has to die of diseases or old age, surely everybody is happy? Living forever gives you so man possibilities, doesn’t it? No, it doesn’t. In a world where you can live forever, no children are allowed. Energy and food is scarce. Everyday life is monotonous and boring. You still age physically, even if Longevity pills keep you alive. Malley’s world is dark and oppressive, stifling all forms of new life. For illegal Surplus Anna, life is harsh, offering no pleasure. After all, in the eyes of society she shouldn’t even be alive; her only purpose in life is to learn how to serve Legals.

I have read reviews complaining about Anna and what an annoying character she is. I have to admit that she is annoying at times, but for me that makes her all the more real. Her thoughts are a result of a lifetime of brainwashing and these ‘Surplus statements’ make her more dynamic as a character, showing the level of control government departments have over all citizens, even ‘legal’ ones.

For the most part, this book is written from Anna’s point of view. However, multiple points of view were introduced to great effect in the final part of the book, adding to the suspense already building as the final twists were revealed.

The best thing about this book was that the romance which sparked between Peter and Anna wasn’t the main focus. Perhaps more authors writing for this genre should consider this?

As with The Returners (which I reviewed earlier this year here) Malley’s premise is frighteningly foreseeable. Everybody hopes to cures for terrible diseases like Cancer or AIDs, obviously a world without the pain of death would be incredible. However, without death there is no life.

This review and many more can be found at Maree's Musings.(less)

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Jan 20, 2008 Karin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult, 2008-reads

Would you make the choice to live forever even if it meant you wouldn't be allowed to have children? In the year 2140 most people do. In order to take Longevity, people have to sign the Declaration. People that choose to have children anyway are arrested and put in prison and the children are taken and put into something that resembles an orphanage. The children are referred to as Surplus.

Surplus Anna is one of the most promising occupants of Grange Hall, a bleak and cold housing unit for illega...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Flora Bateman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia

This story is set in a future world where people live forever making it illegal to have children because of overpopulation. Longevity drugs have made it possible for people to live forever but with this brings a tremendous strain on the world. We certainly get a look at life in such a world. A world where there are not children. Children that have been conceived illegally are taken to facilities where they are raised to be slaves for those that are legal. They are treated as surplus citizen and...more This story is set in a future world where people live forever making it illegal to have children because of overpopulation. Longevity drugs have made it possible for people to live forever but with this brings a tremendous strain on the world. We certainly get a look at life in such a world. A world where there are not children. Children that have been conceived illegally are taken to facilities where they are raised to be slaves for those that are legal. They are treated as surplus citizen and the cruelty they are subjected to was sometime hard for me to read. Horrible mental and physical abuses at the hands of their captors that were supposed to be caring for them. And once free of such abuse how do you learn to live free? I love one of the final quotes from Anna about this, "I know that we have to live each moment because we won't be here for ever, and that I wouldn't want to be anyway, because knowing something's going to end makes you appreciate it more, makes you want to savour every moment." More people should take this advice.

I tend to really like dystopias and this one is certainly original. Its definitely more than what it appears to be. Its not only a YA novel about the possiblity of eternal life. Its also about child abuse within the system by those that are supposed to be protectors. Its also about differences in society with those that are somewhere legally as opposed to illegally and how they are treated. People are still people and we all deserved to be treated with dignity. Loved this one, it will make you think. I recommend this to anyone that loves a good dystopia.

*Edit*
I keep thinking about this book, I kept thinking that something was missing about this story and I figured out what it was: religion. Most religions have thoughts about the afterlife and that the next world is better than this one. However, in this book that was never addressed. Is this a future with no relgion? Or due to the longevity drugs was religion deemed no longer needed since no one was going to the next world? I'm personally not a religous person, but society as a whole is, but not here. Its certainly a different world from our own.(less)

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Jan 17, 2011 Emma (BelleBooks) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

The Declaration is set in the UK in the future. A future where resources are scarce and people live forever, thanks to the wonder drug Longevity. In order to be eligible to take Longevity, people have to sign the Declaration, stating they will never have any children...although there are some who have broken the rules. These children are called Surpluses, they are seen as a drain on precious resources and they need to work in order to replay their debt to society, and atone for the sins of their...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Emily May rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia-utopia, sci-fi, ya-na, 2011

My opinion on this book swayed back and forth between 3 and 5 stars, so I eventually settled on 4 and I'm now going to do my best to explain why.

Why it got 4 stars
This book got 4 stars for being a highly original and intriguing story. I'm a real lover of dystopian societies, especially those set in a foreseeable future, and this is one unlike any other but with elements that are so cleverly woven with the current thoughts and fears that it makes it seem like a tragic possibility.

The book tells t...more My opinion on this book swayed back and forth between 3 and 5 stars, so I eventually settled on 4 and I'm now going to do my best to explain why.

Why it got 4 stars
This book got 4 stars for being a highly original and intriguing story. I'm a real lover of dystopian societies, especially those set in a foreseeable future, and this is one unlike any other but with elements that are so cleverly woven with the current thoughts and fears that it makes it seem like a tragic possibility.

The book tells the story of a society where longevity drugs mean that the body never grows old and dies, they keep all the organs working and eradicate diseases such as cancer, heart disease and AIDs. But a society where no one dies cannot exist unless no one is born either.

Hence the declaration. Signing the declaration gives you eternal access to longevity drugs, as long as you swear to never have children. Any children born illegally are called 'surpluses', and sent away to surplus houses where they are taught of their lack of worth. How they are a burden to mother nature and the Legals who were here first, they are trained to be slaves to the Legals and to expect beatings and mistreatment as a punishment for their parents' sins.

It's an incredible and well-constructed idea and you can feel the frustration at being told your nothing by people who have selfishly warped nature in order to avoid death. It questions some of today's issues, particularly some practises found in China, and is a story about the value of life... and, strangely, of death. I cannot wait to read the second book in this series.

Why it didn't get 5 stars
Quite simply, I didn't like any of the characters. The protagonist, Anna, was selfish and bratty and just really quite pathetic at times. Also, Peter was a drip. I've never been a big fan of the male hero coming in and saving the helpless princess, but if you are going to go down that route, at least make your hero memorable. There just isn't much to say about Peter, other than the fact that he was boring. The most interesting character was Mrs Pincham and the strange twist to this story that does come as quite a shock.

I am eagerly anticipating more and just hope that the author can develop her characters to match up to the standards of the the very imaginative story.(less)

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Dec 16, 2010 Aaron Vincent rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystocalypse

Originally Posted On Guy Gone Geek.

It’s year 2140. Aging, lethal diseases such as cancer, AIDS, etc., and even death is no longer a problem, much thanks to the Longevity drugs. Mankind achieved what seemed to be the impossible, immortality. The world soon realized that this poses a problem. If no one will die and people keeps of reproducing, what will just happen to the limited resources of the planet? So they introduced the Declaration, an agreement a person have to sign that devoid them the ri...more Originally Posted On Guy Gone Geek.

It’s year 2140. Aging, lethal diseases such as cancer, AIDS, etc., and even death is no longer a problem, much thanks to the Longevity drugs. Mankind achieved what seemed to be the impossible, immortality. The world soon realized that this poses a problem. If no one will die and people keeps of reproducing, what will just happen to the limited resources of the planet? So they introduced the Declaration, an agreement a person have to sign that devoid them the rights to bear a child once they choose to take the Longevity drugs. There is, of course, another choice, an unpopular one, Opting Out. This will give the person the opportunity to have a child, but they must agree that they will never take the wonder drug. Any child conceived by couples who didn’t Opted Out are considered illegal and tagged as a Surplus.

Anna, 15 years old, is a Surplus. She resides at Grange Hall along with other Surpluses. They are taught that their existence is a crime against Mother Nature, and the only way they can pay the Sins of their Irresponsible Parents is by being a Valuable Asset(read: slave). Anna Knows Her Place(read:believes she’s worthless) and strives hard to be a Valuable Asset. Then Peter, a Surplus who grew up on the Outside, arrives at Grange Hall. Peter forced his way into Anna’s life, turning her world upside down.

Gemma Malley penned an entertaining dystopian novel that is rooted upon the questions our society is currently facing. She was able to draw — albeit presented in massive info dumps at the beginning of the book — a solid dystopian world that is not far from coming to life what with all the day-to-day advancement in Science and our day-to-day diminishing perception on what it means to be human, and as a person.

There’s just one question — a logical one, I assume — that I kept asking while reading it, and was only answered towards the latter half of the book; If the government is so keen on eliminating reproduction, why not include contraceptives in the Longevity drug. It was answered, yes, but I just don’t buy the kind of answer Malley gave me. I thought she took the easy way out. The author shouldn’t have left it like that even if (just guessing) she’s planning to raise it again on the sequels. It just dug a hole in the entire story.

Perhaps I’m already nitpicking but I just can’t let this pass. The ending was a wee bit too melodramatic for my taste. I’ve seen it a hundred of times in our local tv series. It’s been a long time since I stopped watching these kind of series but I think I’ve already seen enough for me to not like it when it makes a guest appearance on the books I read. It also hurts the book that I saw it coming miles away. I’m very particular with endings, and this ending was just a big let down for me. It’s not enough for me to dislike the book, but enough for me to consider it a mediocre one.

The Declaration, by any means, is one flawed boo but it is still thought-provoking one, which is a feat for something you can read in the span of 2-3 hours. If you have 3 hours to spare, read it – who knows, you might like it more than I did.(less)

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Nov 25, 2010 Eva Leger rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Eva by: Felicia A

Shelves: b-fiction, y-a, preqs-seqs-series, end-of-the-world

4.5 - Yikes. If there's anyone out there who thinks only the horror genre can scare them they need to pick this up.
I have a hard time with the classification of some books, YA in particular. Why is this YA? Because of the main characters? There are more than a few supporting non-teen characters. What are they? Nothing? I mean, I'm a decent ways past my teens and I can say that I'd recommend this more to adults than to teens. Now, I know more adults than teens so that may play a part, but it's a...more

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Aug 08, 2008 Brandy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008reads, dystopian-post-apocalyptic, teen, speculative-fiction, library

The premise: technology has advanced to the point that, with just two little capsules each day, everyone can live forever. Hooray! But if nobody's dying, the world is getting mighty crowded--so nobody is allowed to have babies anymore. Anna is a surplus, a kid born to a couple who did not Opt Out of the Declaration [apparently a legal document that says I Won't Have Children?]. So she's been shuffled off to Surplus Hall, where she learns menial housekeeping tasks to earn her keep in the world th...more

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May 13, 2008 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: bookclubs especially

Shelves: work-review-related-reading, ya, 5-star

This is teen targeted fiction published by Bloomsbury Children's Books, but the premise is so completely fascinating that I'd literally recommend this book to the 12 to 102 crowd with no reservations.

It's the year 2140 and the fountain of youth has come to the world by way of Longevity, a drug that literally lets
people live forever. But it's caused a problem--if everyone lives forever, the planet is going to fill up--FAST. The solution is to ban anyone on Longevity from having children, and bann...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, trt-gold-star-award-winner

Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com

C.S. Lewis, author of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, once wrote that there are three ways of writing for children. The first is to cater to what children want (but people seldom know what they want and this usually ends badly), the second develops from a story told to a specific child (Lewis Carrol's THE ADVENTURES OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND, for instance), and the third is that it is simply the best art form to convey the story.

Gemma Malley's debut young ad...more Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com

C.S. Lewis, author of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, once wrote that there are three ways of writing for children. The first is to cater to what children want (but people seldom know what they want and this usually ends badly), the second develops from a story told to a specific child (Lewis Carrol's THE ADVENTURES OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND, for instance), and the third is that it is simply the best art form to convey the story.

Gemma Malley's debut young adult novel, THE DECLARATION, is of the last category.

I am making this point because while THE DECLARATION involves two teenagers, fourteen-year-old Anna and fifteen-year-old Peter, it never feels aimed towards the teen audience Therefore it is categorized as a young adult novel by the age of its narrators rather than its content and this, I believe, will give it an enduring quality. C. S. Lewis wrote, "Where the children's story is simply the right form for what the author has to say, then of course readers who want to hear that will read the story or reread it at any age."

THE DECLARATION opens in the year 2140, and people have conquered death in the form of Longevity drugs. With limited food and fuel resources, waste has become a serious crime and the worst crime of all is having a child. Anna is one of these children. She is housed at Grange Hall where she and other Surpluses are taught that the most they can ever hope for is a harsh life of servitude to make amends for their existence.

Anna is well on her way to becoming a Valuable Asset when Peter arrives at Grange Hall. He challenges everything she has learned by arguing that people who take Longevity are the real criminals and perversions of nature, not the young. He also claims that he knows her parents and that they want her back. Peter is strange and new, but is he enough to make her risk everything to escape with him?

Unlike some novels that use characters, plot, and setting as a vehicle to drive home a message, Gemma Malley never lets the moral and ethical questions she raises detract from the actual story. The characters are well drawn and identifiable, and the language is simple and unpretentious. THE DECLARATION is not without flaws, especially the failure to explain or integrate Mrs. Pincent's involvement with the black market product Longevity+ into a major plotline, but this lends mystery and excitement for a sequel.

Even though it contains a handful of science fiction and young adult hallmarks, such as a utopia/dystopia setting, wonder drugs, and finding and defining oneself, it cannot be dismissed as merely a youthful 1984 knockoff. It is mostly a book about people, fear, and loss. Themes that are, if not always, exquisitely accessible in this age. (less)

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Feb 26, 2013 Evelin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

recenzia: http://readandwatchlikeme.blogspot.cz...

Veľmi dobrá dystópia! Skvelý nápad, originalita sa autorke nedá odoprieť, len ku koncu sa mi zdalo akoby to chcela čo najrýchlejšie ukončiť. Asi len môj pocit, ale mne tam proste chýbalo, že už viac neboli v tom zvrátenom "sirotinci".
Hl. hrdinka mi bola neuveriteľne sympatická, čo všetko si musela vytrpieť a pritom držala jazyk za zubami a poslúchala. Pani Pincentová je poriadna hnusoba, ale nakoniec som ju chápala. Koniec bol plný prekvapení a...more

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Feb 15, 2013 JuliaR rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dobrá kniha. Určitě bych ji doporučila spíše mladším čtenářům, i když je doporučena od patnácti. Třeba by to starší nemuselo bavit ale zase je tady ta stránka knihy, nad kterou se nedá docela dost dobře zamyslet. :)

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Sep 09, 2012 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Found this gem in the book library on the island I'm holidaying on in the Maldives. Showing off over, I loved this dystopic tale told simply but very effectively of illegally born children and their path to freedom ?

Not writing an in-depth review as, well did I mention that I'm on holiday ... in the Maldives !

Perfect holiday read which I devoured in 2 days. Passing on to my 11 year old daughter to read.

9/9/98
Currently the 99p Kindle Daily Deal at Amazon co uk !

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Oct 25, 2011 El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 06-eltemplo, reseñas

"Anna es una Excedente, una persona nacida sin permiso, cuyos padres cometieron un terrible crimen por el simple hecho de traerla al mundo. Por esta razón, Anna ha contraído una deuda con la sociedad que debe saldar, convirtiéndose en una Empleada Valiosa a través de un duro adiestramiento que acepta sin rechistar, porque sabe que ella, como todos los Excedentes, no tiene derecho a existir. ¿Cómo se ha llegado a esta situación? Estamos en el año 2140 y la investigación con células madre ha logra...more

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Jun 14, 2013 hawwa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"My name is Anna.
My name is Anna and I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't exist.
But I do."

Sixteen year old Anna Covey lives in the brutal, brain-washing Surplus Hall. A home – if you can call it that – for unwanted children. Children that should not have been born. Children, that in the eyes of the rest of the world, are unclean, and a disgrace to everyone else.

In a world where no-one has to die of diseases and old age, Anna is one of many outcasts of society. As a result of Longevity, the drug that...more "My name is Anna.
My name is Anna and I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't exist.
But I do."

Sixteen year old Anna Covey lives in the brutal, brain-washing Surplus Hall. A home – if you can call it that – for unwanted children. Children that should not have been born. Children, that in the eyes of the rest of the world, are unclean, and a disgrace to everyone else.

In a world where no-one has to die of diseases and old age, Anna is one of many outcasts of society. As a result of Longevity, the drug that gives everyone the chance to live forever, no-one is allowed children. Instead, you have to live a dark and monotonous life in exchange for Longevity drugs, although you still age physically.
For Anna Covey, or Surplus Anna as she is know by, life is harsh and unforgiving. As a child who shouldn’t exist, there is no pleasure, and her only aim and goals are to learn how to become a ‘Valuable Asset’, and to ‘Redeem Her Parent’s Sins’.

Anna’s character was, I have to admit, annoying at times. All she seemed to talk about was how lucky she was to be at Surplus Hall, even when It was plain obvious to the reader that she wasn’t. As the book went on I came to accept her as who she was though. Her thoughts, however boring and pathetically docile made her more realistic and showed me how much the government and all the people around her had succeeded in brainwashing her, and making her entire life what they wanted it to be. They had managed to construct a near robot out of her just by continuously telling her what they wanted her to believe.
To be honest I felt sorry for her. Sometimes I just wanted to shake her and yell at her to get a grip and see how everyone had pulled the wool over her eyes but I knew it wasn’t really her fault. You can only know what you’ve been told. And if you’ve learnt ever since you were young that your parents were dead, they were evil and were responsible for giving her a life like she was living, what would stop you believing it?
In Anna’s case this was Peter. The strange boy who came to Surplus Hall at ‘late age’ and proceeded to turn her world upside down; telling her things she couldn’t possibly imagine to be true.
Peter was a breath of fresh air for me. Finally, someone who could see sense! It was part of his upbringing though, he had lived on the outside so he knew things Anna didn’t. Peter was everything Anna - at first - wasn’t: Stubborn. Determined. Fierce. Reckless and he sparked the real Anna to come out of her shell. The one that had been hiding somewhere all her life but hadn’t been strong enough to come out.

One thing I was very relieved to see was how romance wasn’t the main focus. It hung on the sidelines cropping up in little moments ever now and then as Peter and Anna’s friendship grew and as a result, I didn’t dread those times, because it wasn’t constantly being brought into the forefront of everything. It had its own little place in the story.

The Declaration holds a dark and oppressive world within its pages which is all too frighteningly foreseeable for my liking. Malley’s book offers a glimpse into what the world could turn into sometime in the future for ‘Surpluses’ and ‘Legals’, with a shocking result at the end.
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May 30, 2013 Smithjamest rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Declaration by Gemma Malley - what a book! Another futuristic novel it follows Surplus Anna, Anna Covey to her family (though she refuses to believe in them), who has been brought up in the oppressive Grange Hall and taught that she is a waste of the Earth's resources and it is because of her parent's selfishness that she walks this earth. Surpluses are taught that they must make up for their parent's sins and Know Their Place..... However there is a new Surplus coming to Grange Hill, called...more The Declaration by Gemma Malley - what a book! Another futuristic novel it follows Surplus Anna, Anna Covey to her family (though she refuses to believe in them), who has been brought up in the oppressive Grange Hall and taught that she is a waste of the Earth's resources and it is because of her parent's selfishness that she walks this earth. Surpluses are taught that they must make up for their parent's sins and Know Their Place..... However there is a new Surplus coming to Grange Hill, called Peter, and he says he isn't a Surplus, that there shouldn't be Surpluses - they have as much right to be there as anyone else...... Anna knows he's trouble, knows listening to him is dangerous, encourages him, will only lead to punishment for disobeying the rules... yet she does... he's mysterious, alluring, and more than that... he claims to know he she is....

Gemma Malley's story is very complex, yeah the plots simple - a drug has been created that means you can live for ever - no-one needs to die. But these drugs are only giving to the Legals and the Legals can't have children. They drain resources the Earth no longer has, so children are illegal, any born are Surpluses - they are collected, stolen from their parents, and sent to Surplus Halls where they are taught to be good citizens - but she manages to throw in so many curveballs that you'll have difficulties catching them all. There are a good deal of twists that threw me as I read it. And get this, I hated it to begin with - I found the first few chapters quite slow, a bit of a slog and I wasn't really interested. But when I realised it wasn't a fluffy read and I would have to pay attention to detail I started to revel in it. It was nice to read a book that had depths and a big background. If you liked Hunger Games this should be right up your street... These books scare me a little as the idea of governments or cities having so much power over people's life I find rather terrifying... I hope to not see Earth if it ever becomes like this!

Anna
Anna is an interesting character to watch develop as to begin with she starts of as a stoic, really brainwashed, girl who Knows Her Place and wishes to remedy her parents sins. However once she meets Peter you can witness her change to a brave, smart girl whose prepared to break the rules and begin to attempt to change the world and the corrupt societies of that day. When you begin to understand the extent of the brainwashing Anna has gone through and what they teach the Surpluses - that they are a waste and unwanted - you actually start to feel quite sick!

Peter
Peter is unbelievable... He has surrendered himself to The Surplus Halls just to find Anna, though I can't say why or I'll ruin the story!, and he puts up with the various tortures designed to break his spirit, still believing that parents do want their kids, that the Legals are in the wrong. Once you've realised the extent of the stuff Peter has to put up with you can really admire his commitment, belief, and passion for his cause. He is so sweet and patient with Anna as well!

Peter and Anna are the main characters in this book and they work and gel well together. Malley has created a partnership between the two that holds the plot up and you can become attached to them as they battle to save themselves against this crazy mad and cruel world.

I would give The Declaration a 4.5 out of 5 and I have bought the Resistance, the second in the trilogy, as I can't wait to see how the story progresses. I hope it's as good as the Declaration. It loses half a mark because I found the start a little slow though I do acknowledge that was due to my lack of interest to begin with!

It's published by Bloomsbury and you can get it from Amazon.co.uk (which I really recommend!!) for £5.24 or - and this is the one and only time I'm putting it in - for £2.48 for the Kindle! (it's such a bargain I had to put it in in case it convinced you guys to buy it!).

Good Reading!
Tabs
X(less)

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May 15, 2013 Kailee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Declaration is very different from any book that I have ever read. Overall I enjoyed reading it. I did have some mix feelings about the way the author choose to end the book. The plot of the book beginnings in the future. In this future the medical advances that have been made are amazing. They have a new drug to make people live forever. The drug cures all disease and prevents them. After trying the drugs a problem was found. The world would over populate, that’s when the declaration comes...more

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May 12, 2013 Sonia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This book was so good!!!! I have to say at first I thought it would be a bit like the hunger games but its totally different! I love the fact that its based in the future it gives it more of an edge!! Most books about the future are very boring, but this one was very Interesting once I started I couldn't stop! The characters in the book are really good, they all have different types of roles and I love it!! At first I hated the main character on Anna she was always so obedient and really boring,...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Martyna G. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rijetko me knjiga privuče zbog naslovnice, većinom gledam najavu iza knjige, ali ovdje me je definitivno privukla naslovnica (imoj najdraži distopijski žandr) i mogu reći da je naslovnica najbolji dio ove knjige.
Ali ne znači da je knjiga loša, nemojte me krivo shvatiti. Tema je vrlo zanimljiva, dobro je razrađena, ali također sam imala osjećaj da je ovo napisano za mlađu publiku, ispod petnaest godina. Radi se o vrlo ozbiljnoj temi, ali nije napisana ozbiljnim jezikom bilo je lagano za čitati i...more

Rijetko me knjiga privuče zbog naslovnice, većinom gledam najavu iza knjige, ali ovdje me je definitivno privukla naslovnica (imoj najdraži distopijski žandr) i mogu reći da je naslovnica najbolji dio ove knjige.
Ali ne znači da je knjiga loša, nemojte me krivo shvatiti. Tema je vrlo zanimljiva, dobro je razrađena, ali također sam imala osjećaj da je ovo napisano za mlađu publiku, ispod petnaest godina. Radi se o vrlo ozbiljnoj temi, ali nije napisana ozbiljnim jezikom bilo je lagano za čitati i pratiti.
Anna Covey naziva sebe Višak Anna i živi u Majuru ponižavajućim životom. Viškovi su djeca rnastala od roditelja koji su potpisali Deklaraciju i uzeli lijek za dugu mladost, a oni koji su uzeli taj lijek, predodređeni su da rade ostatak života i zabranjeno im je imati djecu (dase nartalitet naglo ne poveća) Legalni su djeca roditelja koji nisu potpisali Deklaraciju i nisu uzeli lijek.
Djeca Viškovi žive u domu u ponižavajućim uvjetima. Uvjerena su da ih roditelji mrze i da oni moraju platiti njihovu kaznu. Nakon dobrog ponašanja u Majuru postaju Perfekt i petnaest mogu postati vrijedna imovina.
nakon što dječak Peter dođe u Majur, on počne Anni pripovijedati o tome kako će je vratiti roditeljima i da ona nije višak, a ona mu ne vjeruje, ali nakon nekoliko tvrdnji mu počne vjerovati.
Kojih imam problema s ovom knjigom? Pa Anna se isprva ponaša onako kako bi i pretpostavio čovjek da bi se ponašala u takvoj situaciji, ali nakon što upozna Petera, počne misliti samo na sebe i da se izvuče iz Majura. Uopće ne misli na prijateljicu Sheilu koju je prije branila i koja se borila s najgorim. Isprva mi se činila Samostalna i snažna, a kasnije je potpuno postala ovisna o Peteru i samo je on bio njen svijet, možda malo roditelji i njen brat. Osim toga se nije pokazalo da Anna i Peter imaju neku manu pa mi se nisu činili baš realistični.
Nismo puno saznali o njenim roditeljima. Nekako su bili kao roditelji iz onih bajki za petogodišnjake, ni oni nisu imali manu, možda su i imali previše vrlina pa mi nisu bili nimalo realni. Zbog toga su mi oni najgori likovi u ovoj knjizi.
Ne bi trebali dovoditi Viškove u Majur svih dobi. Teško ćeš uvjeriti dijete starije od šest godina da ga roditelji mrze, pa možda i nikako. Takvu su djecu trebali odvajati od druge ili odmah uklanjati jer bi ta djeca okolo širila informacije i drugima potpuno promijenila mišljenje. A i t tako će Viškovi kad odrastu shvatiti tko su.
Tko se pametan sjeti na Majuru izgraditi podzemni tunel i to napraviti ulaz točno u samnici?
Najdraži lik mi je Sheila, jer je ipak ona legalna, bori se s najtežim i neda se uvjeriti da je roditelji mrze. Ima vrlo snažan karakter vrlo je tvrdoglava i dobra prijateljica. Zato sam i zamrzila Annu kad ju je ostavila.
I gospođa Prcella (zaboravila sam joj ime) upraviteljica majura mi se jako dopala unatoč njenoj vrlo tragičnoj prošlosti i shvatila sam zašto je takva kakva je, a pogotovo kad je učinila ono što je na kraju učinila.
Ostali likovi su mi bili OK ili BLAH. Nisu mi se puno dopali
Politika mi nije bila baš složena, pogotovo kad roditelji Viškova samo završe u zatvoru na nekoliko godina. Mogli su se okupiti i razbiti sustav nakon pet godina. Mali broj likoa mi se svidio, radnja je bila dobra, iako spora. Najviše mi se svidjela naslovnica, nakon toga radnja. Uživala sam čitajući knjigu, ali me nije puno impresionirala.
Također mislim da Gemma može bolje odraditi posao.
Ocjena: 3.8/5(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Oliver rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Declaration is situated in year 2140 where humans have found the fountain of youth in the form of the Longevity drug. That drug makes the patient invulnerable to disease and effects of old age. The side effects are that it eliminates the next generation due to the law of unforeseen consequences. Since the Earth can only support so many people, the government forces everyone who takes the Longevity drugs to sign the Declaration, which makes the users acknowledge that they cannot have childre...more The Declaration is situated in year 2140 where humans have found the fountain of youth in the form of the Longevity drug. That drug makes the patient invulnerable to disease and effects of old age. The side effects are that it eliminates the next generation due to the law of unforeseen consequences. Since the Earth can only support so many people, the government forces everyone who takes the Longevity drugs to sign the Declaration, which makes the users acknowledge that they cannot have children unless the Opt out of Longevity drugs. “Surplus Anna” is a young teen living in a Surplus ward, born illegally from two Legals who had a child even after signing the Declaration and this book is about her struggle to regain her humanity.

In this book, my favorite thing was when Anna escaped with Peter, because that was when she finally began to realize that her world was manufactured, and that she may have belonged on this world. Anna’s character development was good, and I really liked how the romance was almost a side story, rather than the focus of the plot. Mrs. Princent, the Head Matron of the Surplus hall, taught that Anna was despised by everyone, and that the only way to repay her damage was to work and be as useful as possible. I admire how Anna managed to grow up in this situation, and yet still have the courage to break free and seek a life for herself and Peter. So far, however, I have been praising this novel, but there are certain parts of it which I didn’t like. One of those parts was the escape from the Surplus Ward. From the escape onward, the book became very predictable, and as a result, anticlimactic very fast. The journals were also a downside, since they were very long and talked a lot about the indoctrination that Anna grew up with. One final negative side to the story was abrupt, as it didn’t give much insight onto what happened to everyone else. Though Anna suffered almost all her life because of her parents, her parents redeemed all their humanity when they sacrificed themselves to secure their children’s future.

I liked this book, but it’s the type of book that after you read the first one, you might not take the special effort to read the sequels passionately, since it loses its’ appeal when it ended. I know I certainly won’t look for it with a passion. After reading this book, it gives the reader a question, of whether or not we, as the human race, would engineer our own extinction just to satisfy our inner subconscious “Id” to live.
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Apr 09, 2013 Emily Collins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

wait, this says this is #1, does that mean there's more?!

Rating this 5 partly for nostalgia's sake - I absolutely loved this book when it first came out, and then for a long time I couldn't find it again - I couldn't remember the title, only the front cover. I think I managed to find it again only through some advanced searching a few months ago when I decided to compile a set of all of my favorite books over the years.

Tue Declaration is a sort of dystopia-style book, set about 150 years in the...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Kat Heckenbach rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like dystopian novels, and I thought this one would be different. The idea of humans discovering a Longevity drug and that people must decide between near-immortality and having children intrigued me. But a quarter of the way through we have determined that Anna is a well-behaved and completely brainwashed Surplus, living an isolated life, and not much else. Peter comes into the story to tell her things aren't what she believes, and all that really happens at first is a rehashing of what's alr...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Big Book Little Book rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Helen for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The concept for this series, for this is the first in a trilogy of books, is brilliant. Set in 2140, a drug called Longevity has been invented that allows people to live for ever. As a result the population of earth has to be controlled. If you choose to take Longevity you may not have children, you sign a Declaration to promise this. You can opt out, but why would you? Opt outs are seen as very peculi...more Helen for www.bigbooklittlebook.com
Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The concept for this series, for this is the first in a trilogy of books, is brilliant. Set in 2140, a drug called Longevity has been invented that allows people to live for ever. As a result the population of earth has to be controlled. If you choose to take Longevity you may not have children, you sign a Declaration to promise this. You can opt out, but why would you? Opt outs are seen as very peculiar and despised by society. Children have become something found in the history books. However there are people who break the rules. But if you are caught the consequences are devastating. Your child will be taken away and put in a Surplus Hall, for that is what children have become, surplus. In a society where waste is now the ultimate crime children are a drain on precious resources and very definitely surplus to requirements. But there are parents who want their children back.

Anna has been in a Surplus Hall for about as long as she can remember. She has been taught, in this brutal place, that she must pay for her existence. She shouldn’t be here and to make up for it she must learn to be useful so she can eventually serve the people who are allowed to be here (legals). Anna is a fantastic character. She is such an interesting mixture, she has plenty of fear of her environment, the Outside and doing things differently to the safety that she knows. But she is also brave looking after weaker people when she can. She has a rebellious streak hidden away that comes out in the form of her writing a diary. This is forbidden, a Surplus doesn’t need personal possessions for a start, let alone the opportunity to think for themselves! But she has been well taught, she knows her place and wants to keep her head down and be as useful as she can be.

When Peter arrives at the Surplus Hall he frightens and excites Anna with stories about the Outside, and about her parents. Peter says they love her, want her and want to rescue her. Anna has been taught for so long that her parents were bad people who had children when they should not and have left her to pay for it that she is quite bewildered by Peter’s assertions. She is also worried that Peter is going to upset her plans to be useful and get out of the surplus hall to be a housekeeper. At the same time she can’t understand how Peter keeps telling her and the other Surpluses things about the Outside and yet doesn’t seem to care about his punishments. Punishments at the Surplus Halls are brutal. She begins to ask questions. Even scarier are the feelings she begins to develop for Peter, as he tries to encourage her to escape she begins to believe that it might just be possible.

Peter tells Anna that there are people who don’t agree with Longevity, who believe children are precious and the cycle of life should be preserved. But with people scared to defy the Government and afraid to lose their Longevity drugs if they make their escape they will be on the run, they won’t know who they can trust until they make it back to Anna’s parents.

Verdict: I loved all the issues this story raises. It feels like this is a situation that isn’t too big a step away from our society, always searching for eternal youth. Without being in your face it reflects on our propensity for waste and what we might be heading for if we don’t do something about it. But most of all it really makes you think, do we really want to live forever?
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Jan 04, 2013 Jenna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've always loved Science Fiction, especially dystopian fiction, so was quite intrigued when I found this on the Kindle Daily Deals for 99p. Malley's premise is really interesting - the world has discovered the secret to eternal life but also realised that there are only finite amount of resources and they must be rationed. This leads to a ban on bearing children, unless those adults decide to 'opt-out' of receiving the Longevity drugs. Those who defy the Declaration by having 'Surplus' children...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not a terrible book but it's not great either. The writing seems more like a children's book but the content is young adult so that kind of bothered me. It started really really slowly, i felt like 'I get it already, She wants to be a good little surplus, surpluses are bad, just shut up and start the story already!'

I got so sick of all the over explaining of EVERYTHING - Things that could have easily been written into the plot or the reader could easily work out for themselves. It also...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Lyndsey Rushby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

Recently I have been back in the mood for dystopian books so The Declaration was a great choice for me to read. It also sounded extremely different to any others I had previously read so I was excited about this one. I loved the initial idea of a world where no more children were allowed to be born unless it was under specific rules. I can’t imagine a world where no one grows old and there are no new people growing up all of the time.

I didn’t think I was going to but I liked main character Anna...more Recently I have been back in the mood for dystopian books so The Declaration was a great choice for me to read. It also sounded extremely different to any others I had previously read so I was excited about this one. I loved the initial idea of a world where no more children were allowed to be born unless it was under specific rules. I can’t imagine a world where no one grows old and there are no new people growing up all of the time.

I didn’t think I was going to but I liked main character Anna. She’s a girl living in a Surplus Hall, a place where the illegal kids go to in order to learn their ‘proper’ place in society. To begin with, I thought Anna was an idiot for not having a mind of her own but then I slowly realised that she had been brought up this way so didn’t really have any other choice. Living here is the only thing that she has ever known and it has been drilled into her that she is a waste and shouldn’t be alive. Although Anna is one for following the rules, she does break some of them on the sly which was something I did like about her to begin with.

As the story gets going, and a strange boy is brought to the Surplus Hall, Anna really comes into her own. The boy helps her to realise that the world outside is not all that she has been told it is and it makes her question her life and what she is doing. I really enjoyed watching Anna and Peter get to know each other and for her to slowly begin to befriend and trust him, even though she knows it is ‘wrong’. Peter is very interesting due to where he says he comes from. He comes from a life completely opposite from what Anna has been brought up in so the contrast between the two characters was really good!

For the most part, I found the plot to be very interesting and different. The explanations about why the world has particular rules and laws was definitely the most interesting aspect of the book. The ideas behind it all were viable and also very creepy. The Declaration made me wonder whether or not the world could ever actually get to the point where it becomes so overpopulated that this kind of thing could ever happen. You hear on the news and television programs of families having a lot of children and I guess if everyone did this then there would be massive population problems eventually, especially with life expectancy ages a lot higher than they used to be.

The Declaration, while with a dark and dingy setting, is exciting and thrilling. Gemma Malley has created a great new dysopian world.
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Dec 04, 2012 Encruzilhadas Literárias rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

O Pacto de Gemma Malley parte de uma grande premissa que, na minha opinião, é o que o mantêm interessante do inicio ao fim. A história não é particularmente original tendo apenas uma ou outra reviravolta, mas a ideia de um mundo como este é cativante e puxa as pessoas. Creio que puxa exactamente porque deixa uma pergunta no ar: Se eu pudesse escolher entre a imortalidade e ter filhos, o que escolheria?
Talvez para maior parte das pessoas a dúvida não seja imediata. Talvez maior parte escolhesse...more O Pacto de Gemma Malley parte de uma grande premissa que, na minha opinião, é o que o mantêm interessante do inicio ao fim. A história não é particularmente original tendo apenas uma ou outra reviravolta, mas a ideia de um mundo como este é cativante e puxa as pessoas. Creio que puxa exactamente porque deixa uma pergunta no ar: Se eu pudesse escolher entre a imortalidade e ter filhos, o que escolheria?
Talvez para maior parte das pessoas a dúvida não seja imediata. Talvez maior parte escolhesse a Imortalidade, mas esta não é fácil e vem com alguns inconvenientes. Como a ciência ainda não evoluiu ao ponto de restaurar os órgãos, a pele das pessoas estica e tem de ser rpesa por pinças para parecer que ainda está direita. Há senhas que ajudam no racionamento de luz e comida, porque ter um planeta cheio de pessoas que não morrem significa que os recursos naturais se irão eventualmente esgotar. Daí ter aparecido o pacto, o pacto no qual as pessoas abdicam de ter descendência para poderem viver para sempre.
Mas valerá a eternidade o suficiente para uma pessoa viver de senhas, toda a vida? Uma vida eterna mas sofrida, carregada de compridos e maquinetas para as pessoas parecerem eternamente jovens, quando não o são?
Anna foi formatada pelo poder instaurado, os seus pais assinaram o pacto mas tiveram-na na mesma. Ela aprendeu que esta atitude é considerada egoísta e que penalizada com a perda destes da custódia de Anna que foi parar a um "orfanato" de Excedentes. A vida no orfanato não podia ser pior, todas as crianças que lá se encontram não deveriam sequer ter nascido e são todas tratadas como peças extras de uma sociedade que já funciona bem com as peças que tem.
O livro acompanha a luta de Anna para aprender a ver-se de outra maneira e que só porque algo nos foi dito ser correcto, não significa que assim o seja. É aqui que Peter entra, ele vem por em causa tudo aquilo em que Anna acredita, virando para sempre o mundo desta de pernas para o ar.
A escrita de Gemma Malley é fluída e a história segue-se rapidamente. Apesar de me ter dado alguns nervos ao inicio por estar excessivamente formatada, acabei por aprender a gostar da Anna e segui a sua história com muito interesse. Sem dúvida um dos primeiros livros distópicos a chegar a Portugal e um dos meus favoritos por obrigar o leitor a pensar.
O Pacto é o primeiro livro de uma trilogia, chamada "The Declaration", é seguido pelo livro a A Resistência, editado também pela Editorial Presença e pelo livro O Legado, de momento ainda não disponível em português. - Catarina

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Nov 27, 2012 Alice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, ed-presença, distopias

Ainda que nos possa parecer um livro direccionado para um público mais jovem, pela sua temática e pelas questões que levanta, esta é uma obra que pode ser desfrutada pelo público mais adulto sem quaisquer problemas.

Partindo de uma permissa que nos é muito familiar - a vida actual com todas as suas doenças, problemas ambientais e sobretudo o medo da velhice e da morte - a autora faz um verdadeiro exercício de Filosofia que nos leva a um verdadeiro campo de concentração (Grange Hall) em 2140. O mu...more Ainda que nos possa parecer um livro direccionado para um público mais jovem, pela sua temática e pelas questões que levanta, esta é uma obra que pode ser desfrutada pelo público mais adulto sem quaisquer problemas.

Partindo de uma permissa que nos é muito familiar - a vida actual com todas as suas doenças, problemas ambientais e sobretudo o medo da velhice e da morte - a autora faz um verdadeiro exercício de Filosofia que nos leva a um verdadeiro campo de concentração (Grange Hall) em 2140. O mundo tornou-se num lugar muito diferente, um local ainda menos simpático e mais egoísta e é esta nova realidade que dá que pensar ao leitor.

Como consequência da visão egocêntrica e egoísta que o Homem tem do planeta no início do século XXI, pensando sempre que reciclar chegava, que a crise ecológica vinha muito longe e que para a travar bastava não andar tanto de carro, a sociedade mundial assiste a um esgotamento quase total das reservas energéticas. Simultâneamente, os cientistas descobrem o modo de prolongar indefinidamente a vida, evitando doenças e a grande maioria das naturais consequências do envelhecimento humano. Estas novas realidades levam a que as autoridades invertam a ordem natural da vida, contrariando a natureza - para que os velhos possam viver para sempre é condenada a nova vida e os nascimentos são proibidos por lei pois cada novo ser humano põe em perigo toda a Humanidade sendo visto apenas como mais um que vem esgotar os parcos recursos disponíveis. Contudo, há quem resista a esta nova visão da vida e tudo faça para que um dia o Homem possa "regressar às origens".

Além de levantar questões sobre os avanços da ciência e da tecnologia na sociedade actual (e sobre as suas possíveis consequências), Gemma Malley apresenta-nos alguns personagens que se tornam interessantes sobretudo pelo modo como retratam o comportamento e o pensamento humanos em situações de grande adversidade. É uma boa leitura de praia ou de fim-de-semana pois, apesar da temática implícita nos deixar a pensar e de a história ser algo previsível, a escrita é ligeira, o livro é pequenino e a tradução pareceu-me bastante boa.(less)

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Aug 12, 2012 Fiona rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*this is going to be a short review*
I loved this book! the story follows Anna (or Surplus Anna as she refers to herself) who has grown up in a kind of orohanage for 'illegal' children. the laws in this new world are pretty simple: if you want a child, you have to 'hand over' your legal rights to be alive to your child. aka, only one of you can live. the reason for this rule is because a drug to make humans live forever has been created. But, as always there are law breakers who don't follow the...more

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