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Dark Life (Dark Life #1)

by Kat Falls (Goodreads Author)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 4,799 ratings · 909 reviews

Ty has lived under the ocean for his entire life. Following global warming and the rise of the seas, his family joined an underwater community in hopes of living in the new frontier of the ocean floor. But When Ty meets Gemma, a girl from "topside", who is searching the seas for her brother, she quickly makes his life very complicated. Together Ty and Gemma face dangerous...more

Paperback, 297 pages

Published August 5th 2010 by Simon & Schuster Children's (first published May 1st 2010)

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YA Dystopia Novels

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Aug 15, 2010 Bookwatcher ~Mary MooCow~ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YA and sci-fi readers

Recommended to Bookwatcher ~Mary MooCow~ by: Kika

Shelves: teen-ya, sci-fi, favorites

Marvelous book! My 5 stars and my applause

(no, I'm not a guy... I just like this animated gift

)

Well, without spoil the story I can say some things...

* All the story is Ty's POV. I enjoy this wise choice of the writer. It's so rare to read a YA book with a guy as narrator. I love Ty voice.

* Gemma, the main female character, is so brave! Looking for her brother she affront all her fears without second thoughts! SOOOO BRAVE! Love her!

* The adventure of this book never ends! True! My advice is: ta...more

16 likes · like · see review

Dec 25, 2010 Flannery rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: swords-and-lasers, kcls, read-in-2010, young-adult-teen

There is some seriously cool world-building going on up in here. I'm glad I squeezed finishing off this book in between watching Easy A with my family (pretty awesome) and trying NOT to watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (all music by Burt Bacharach...nuff said). Kat Falls' first novel is set underwater in a future where most of our land is under the ocean and the majority of people live in crowded tenement blocks. Ty, the teenage protagonist, is the first child born in the underwater colo...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 27, 2010 Abby Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blogged

In a future America where rising seas have claimed much of the land, leaving Topsiders to pack themselves in tiny stacked apartments, some people have taken to the ocean. These pioneers live on the ocean floor, farming the sea and sending crops to the government in exchange for their homesteads. This is where Ty Townsend has lived all his life. He was the first child to be born in the undersea community of Benthic Territory and he loves it there. But when outlaws threaten the safety of the settl...more

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 30, 2011 Christian Minor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In a world taking place undersea after the oceans rose and earthquakes caused whole regions to fall into the deep, deep path below, humans live packed into stack cities. They barely go outside because sunlight can cause 3rd degree burns all over. As a result, some pioneers staked out a living on the ocean floor. Ty was born and raised in the deep. He was the first to be born in subsea underwater. By the way he’s not pleasant to hear the whole experiment may fail due to a gang of outlaws that ha...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 30, 2011 Mitchel Broussard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalypse, dystopia, fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, series, ya-fiction, summer-2011

We've all had our fill of dystopia-infused YA literature in the past couple of years. From the trilogy that seemed to have sparked its massive popularity much like the books that sparked the vampire craze, it's been hard to distinguish the rest of the pack from poor imitators. Dark Life, the first novel by college professor Kat Falls, is no imitator: here is a true, original, fun and fascinating dystopic tale fueled with imagination, relatable characters and a beautifully realized undersea setti...more We've all had our fill of dystopia-infused YA literature in the past couple of years. From the trilogy that seemed to have sparked its massive popularity much like the books that sparked the vampire craze, it's been hard to distinguish the rest of the pack from poor imitators. Dark Life, the first novel by college professor Kat Falls, is no imitator: here is a true, original, fun and fascinating dystopic tale fueled with imagination, relatable characters and a beautifully realized undersea setting.

Falls nails that sense of location from the first paragraph, where we see Ty, born and raised subsea at his family's homestead, navigating the fallen ruins of New York City that fell into the ocean during "the Rising." No detail is given to this apocalyptic event, but that plays to the book's favor. This is very much a book about characters in a strange setting, which just happens to be a dystopic future; Falls never bangs over your head the rules of the government or makes them seem evil in any way. Their actions over the course of the book bring that to light all by its self; it's a beautiful way to ingratiate a reader into a new world.

But the setting had me sold from the get-go. Essentially a wild-west/frontier tale with a future/sci-fi twist superimposed over it, Falls nails everything that one would expect of living on the ocean floor in such a weirdly descriptive way I wonder how she came up with some of it. The Dark Life (people living on the ocean's floor) fled Topside's crowded living space, much like the brave pioneers who fled west.

Between the cool tech (subsea architecture, bubble fences, manta boards, liquigen) and the imaginative ways they were introduced and the silky-smooth writing, the book is ferociously readable. The only thing I would knock it for is its brevity: not even 300 pages. It really felt like half a book, despite a satisfying resolution to most of the hanging plot threads.

The sheer originality on display here warrants reading alone. I can NOT WAIT for Rip Tide.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Jul 25, 2011 Matti Karjalainen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nuoret-aikuiset, scifi, kotikirjasto, nuoret, 2000-luku, usa-kans

"Me tsimmattais, ja gimmat sais
korut koralleista syvyyden
joka boitsu, giltsi olis ihan et voi piltsi
kun hiffaisivat mestan hyvyyden [...]
Niin se on joo, ei kukaan oo
ees tursaan puutarhassa turvassa..."
(Freud, Marx, Engels & Jung: Tursaan puutarhassa)

Kat Fallsin "Veden alla" (Tammi, 2011) on kohtalaisen onnistunut nuorten scifi-romaani, jossa lähitulevaisuuden maailmaa on kohdannut pahemmanlaatuinen ekokatastrofi; jäävuoret ovat sulaneet ja melkoinen osa maailmaa on jäänyt veden alle. Niinpä...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Natalie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, thriller, dystopian, sci-fi, for-boys

Just read this for the second time! I think I loved it even more. The setting is so creepy - the ocean floor. Reminds me a bit of "Sphere" by Michael Crichton, except written for a younger audience. Even though I'd already read it once and mostly remembered everything, I still couldn't put it down. Falls writing is flowing and captivating. There are no pauses in the story. From the first sentence till the end, the story is enthralling.

I love this because it is written for such a wide audience....more

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Aug 26, 2010 Benjamin Thomas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, advanced-reading-copy

I've read a fair number of young adult titles but am ofen disappointed in one way or another. But in "Dark Life", Kat Falls has written a very good one. I won't rehash the plot beacuse others have done that well, but I will tell you that this has all the ingredients that make for a good read, YA or otherwise.

From the very beginning, it's obvious the author has put a great deal of time and thought into creating this unique setting. Living under the ocean can't be very easy and Ms Falls has put a...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Gabriella rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, deceeded-my-expectations, light-reads, series-i-didnt-finish, skimmed-slash-didnt-finish, why-do-so-many-people-like-this, apocalypse-now

Finally! It took Scholastic forever to get this book out to me. Anyway, once I read it I'll quickly write a review for it.

***

Well I've finished the book and now I must write a review.

To be quite frank I thought the book was boring. It takes place sometime in the future, after some terrible natural disaster I believe. The oceans have taken over most of the land, so many people have been forced to live under the sea. That sounds pretty good huh? I thought so! But this book is kinda like a Western,...more

5 likes · like · see review

Feb 11, 2010 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: 10 or 11 and up- a scifi type adventure

Shelves: 10-to-12-year-old-readers, a-7th-and-8th-grade-middle-school-t, guys-read, sci-fi

Post global warming- the new frontier is under the sea. Pioneering scientists and adventurers are using some amazing technology that makes use of physics and biology to farm fish, some livestock (!) and sea plants.
These farms have been in existence for almost 20 years now and children have been born under the surface and grown up underwater. These kids have extranormal abilities, all different, all wonderful and all a secret, the kids never tell or display their gifts. The oldest among them has...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Book Chick City rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction

Reviewed by Laura for Book Chick City. 7/10 on the blog.

This book is worth reading for the fantastically imaginative setting alone. Set in the future when the world has been consumed by the oceans. People live in cramped high rise blocks on the limited land available, lucky to have two rooms per family. But there are some that choose a very different life entirely and decide to live the 'darklife' and make their homes at the bottom of the sea.

Now, if you like me think that living at the bottom o...more Reviewed by Laura for Book Chick City. 7/10 on the blog.

This book is worth reading for the fantastically imaginative setting alone. Set in the future when the world has been consumed by the oceans. People live in cramped high rise blocks on the limited land available, lucky to have two rooms per family. But there are some that choose a very different life entirely and decide to live the 'darklife' and make their homes at the bottom of the sea.

Now, if you like me think that living at the bottom of the sea means a life in oppressive submarines, think again. Kat Wells' under sea world is magical and vividly drawn. With homes built from jellyfish style structures, liquid gel that means people can dive without the risk of decompression sickness, electricity and entire farms and rural wildlife surviving in this new world, as well as dangerous deep sea creatures. It really is fabulously clever.

Ty has lived on the ocean's floor all his life. At fifteen, he was the first child to be born and live his entire life under the sea. But there are rumours that this new life damages children, giving them a 'darkgift', a new supernatural ability. Which has made topsiders suspicious of darklifers and other people reticent to try this new life for themselves.

Then, during a dive Ty meets Gemma. Gemma is a gutsy topsider searching for her missing brother. But the more Ty and Gemma begin to investigate and look for Gemma's brother, the more they begin to realise things are really not what they seem in this new world.

This book has a nice element of drama to it. With an underwater outlaw group raiding homesteads and submarines, a small murder mystery, as well as the dangers of the deep. It's actually a really absorbing read.

As Ty is fifteen, I would say that this book is on the younger side of YA. But it's pitched really well, with just a small romantic element. Ty is grown up and brave for his age, and a really engaging main character. As this is slightly on the younger side, I probably would not have picked this book up ordinarily if it had not been sent to me for review, which would have been a real shame, because I really enjoyed it. But more than anything I just loved the deep sea world.

VERDICT:

A great book with a spectacular world setting that will appeal to adults both young and old. This is one of those books I would love to see translated into film, because of its cinematic quality.(less)

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May 08, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a book I won on the gieaways!
Would you be willing to live in a world underwater? After earthquakes made the earth less inhabitable, some people chose to live in the deep sea. Tensions increase as community leaders are threatened with witheld supplies unless they find group of outlaws set on destroying the sea frontier. Ty, a 15 year old, and his new friend from "Topside", Gemma (who is looking for her missing brother) confront the dangers of the sea as they discover the secrets the gover...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Martha Valasek rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Listening to this Rebeccah Cadill on Audio CD.

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Nov 29, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, teen, dystopia

This was a fantastic debut novel. Major parts of the Earth have been flooded, and so land is at a premium. Some brave pioneers have settled onto the ocean floor where land is plentiful, instead of living in extremely crowded cities. But there are rumors that children who grow up under the water develop Dark Gifts, paranormal abilities. Ty was the first child born in the ocean and he has spent the majority of his life underwater. It is more normal to him than being topside. Recently the colony ha...more

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May 14, 2013 Zoe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This book was very intriguing! The setting was well-described, the plot fast-paced, and the action and mystery always present.

Author Kat Falls describes a fantastic undersea world! The description she puts into how daily life "flows" undersea is phenomenal and so imaginative. I felt like I was living in the ocean with Ty and Gemma! Bravo to Kat Falls on that!

Dark Life starts off with a bang and doesn't ever stop! I appreciate the series of actions strung throughout the novel. There was never a d...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Emily rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was one of those rare books that I did not like at all. I thought that it was pretty boring and that there were some major details missing.

The book did have a few good things that I did like about it. I like how the world was set underwater and it was more on how life would be like living under the sea and, I loved Zoe and Gemma. Not that I didn't like Ty but I don't know for some reason I didn't love him. Zoe was a very spunky little girl who just loved to be her own person and I can rela...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Krista rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: caudill-2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 03, 2013 Tyler Shand rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-life

Is there a Dark Life?
I primarily enjoyed Dark Life because of two reasons, my first is that me and the main character, Ty have the same name and secondly, I like the fiction storyline in this book because of the imagery I saw when I read it and the way it made my imagination expand. One of the things I think Kat Falls (Author) did a good job of was making the underwater city that Ty lives in have similar qualities to a regular above water city by having details like Ty and Gemma using his submar...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Camdenb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

297 pages
Realistic fiction
By: Kat Falls
Dark Life is a story of the underwater life. Ty the main character comes accross a topsider name Gemma. There's a major problem though. There's a outlaw gang ruining everything. They're capturing supply shipe and raiding homes and ruining everything. The gangs is very powerful led by there leader Shade. Ty eccounters Shade plenty of times and always has to find a way to face the frightening outlaw. Will the people of the dark life find a way to stop Shade o...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Kendra Beewings rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, young-adult, speculative-fiction, read-2013

Fabulous world-building. Terrible, terrible character development and plot twists. The way everything is wrapped up at the end, ignoring the consequences of many of the BIG things that have happened... ugh. And the way the female love interest is absolutely the most stupid, careless human being, but she's funny and cute, and perpetually needs saving, so obviously she's worth giving up your life for. I wanted her to get eaten by a shark. Not to mention our "hero," who's taken the term too serious...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Futuristic Earth is in global warming. Those who live on land have to wear protective hats, shades and cover themselves with a paste that prevents sunburns and overheating. Everywhere, pieces of land have broken off and fallen into the ocean. The 'Topsiders' live crammed together, over twenty girls in one room is considered privacy. Those who live underwater (Dark Life) have a lot more room to live despite the hard life of the ocean, harvesting seaweed and fish. They have the technology and...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Darla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids

Bought for my youngest son (nine year old) who kinda liked it but also felt it was too high of a reading level to completely understand and maybe a bit too chilling.

Engaging and well written but, of course, for a younger crowd than myself. Still, it held my attention strong. Interesting enough to keep me reading it after he decided it was too grown-up. I bought the book online on the spur of the moment and didn't realize until reading that it includes a bit of lightweight romantic mind-play (no...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Shelf Talkers Anonymous rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dark Life is a fast-paced, thrilling adventures under the ocean. Ty was born under the ocean and doesn't want to leave; Gemma was born in the crowded space that's left of the US and goes to the ocean to find her lost brother. Neither expect to find each other, but in their adventures they may just change both their worlds.

This book sinks you immediately into the world. Kat Falls does a great job of world building by simply using new language. Ty speaks as someone who lives under the sea would, m...more Dark Life is a fast-paced, thrilling adventures under the ocean. Ty was born under the ocean and doesn't want to leave; Gemma was born in the crowded space that's left of the US and goes to the ocean to find her lost brother. Neither expect to find each other, but in their adventures they may just change both their worlds.

This book sinks you immediately into the world. Kat Falls does a great job of world building by simply using new language. Ty speaks as someone who lives under the sea would, making similes related to fish and whales and swearing on the ocean. Even Gemma's terminology is altered by the way the world has changed, now much smaller and more cramped as people compete for what space is left on the continent. Just these small hints of different words and terms creates a very large sense of the world around these two characters, and how different that world is from our own. We learn early on that global warming and melting of the glaciers caused massive changes in sea level: the ocean essentially devoured most of the US, taking even the east coast with it. Ty is part of a small group that colonized the ocean floor just off the coast, farming fish and underwater plants as resources to feed themselves and the people on the land above. Gemma is part of the masses on land who live crushed together like sardines in a world that is ruled by emergency government and elections only happen every 20 years. Neither of these places are perfectly ideal or completely safe, but there is something about the ocean that calls to both Ty and Gemma.

The story also starts with a bang. In the first chapter Ty is chased by sharks, discovers a scuttled submarine (with blood spattered inside of unknown origin), and meets Gemma. And the action does not stop after that. Each chapter pushes you faster and harder through the world, keeping the tension high and the mystery flowing. There's certainly a little room for introspection--Ty worries about secrets that he's been keeping from his family and whether his future livelihood under the ocean will ever come true; Gemma worries about her lost family, her lost brother, and what will become of her in the future--but this story is mostly compelled by action, adventure, and mystery, which is what makes it so entertaining.

Ty and Gemma were great characters to follow, real and well-written. They read a bit young for 15, but they have to be that age for the story to work, so I can forgive this. They are both courageous, but also frightened: they go out into the depths of the ocean searching for answers, and they don't back down even when the darkness rises up to meet them.

A really excellent start to a new middle grade dystopia series. I'm excited for book 2: Rip Tide.(less)

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Nov 02, 2012 Brenda Lower rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ty is a pioneer, but instead of going west, like the old days, his family went deep! As the water levels rise and space on land grows more and more precious, people have started going under the sea. Ty knows nothing but living underwater. He is much more familiar with the life that thrives in the darkness of the deep sea than he is with sunshine and stars.

One day, Gemma shows up from the world above and changes everything in his life. She seems so vulnerable alone, searching for her brother tha...more

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Oct 24, 2012 03BonnieZ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-reviews

Who is the intended audience? Teens. Simple as that.
What is the main issue? That you shouldn't hide anything about yourself.

The setting works because there is technology that there really isn't. And the geography of the world has changed. So, no, it wouldn't work in another time.

The Protagonists are Ty and Gemma. Antagonists are Shade and the Sea Blite gang.

Story Summary:

Ty goes off looking for fish, in an area he really shouldn't be in, and finds a submarine. Inside, he finds a topside girl nam...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Roberta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ty è un giovane adolescente che vive in un futuro in cui la Terra è per la maggior parte costituita dal mare e una parte dell'umanità si è adattata a vivere sott'acqua... Un pericolo è in agguato e la sua vita subirà molti cambiamenti in poco tempo...

Una trama nuova, originale e anche tristemente verosimile, ma soprattutto degna del genere fantascientifico.
Fin dall'inizio il lettore entra nel pieno della storia, non viene mai spiegato cosa è successo alla Terra, quale catastrofe l'abbia modific...more Ty è un giovane adolescente che vive in un futuro in cui la Terra è per la maggior parte costituita dal mare e una parte dell'umanità si è adattata a vivere sott'acqua... Un pericolo è in agguato e la sua vita subirà molti cambiamenti in poco tempo...

Una trama nuova, originale e anche tristemente verosimile, ma soprattutto degna del genere fantascientifico.
Fin dall'inizio il lettore entra nel pieno della storia, non viene mai spiegato cosa è successo alla Terra, quale catastrofe l'abbia modificata al punto che la vita in superficie è resa difficile sia per il sole troppo caldo sia per la mancanza di spazio e soprattutto come mai vi siano nuove specie marine... Nonostante ciò ci si ritrova da subito nel pieno del racconto e attraverso le descrizioni di Ty si ha un'immagine chiara dei cambiamenti avvenuti e si ha l'impressione di nuotare accanto a lui in fondo al mare.
Protagonista principale è senza dubbio Ty, a cui si affianca Gemma che dovrebbe esser la coprotagonista della storia, ma agli occhi del lettore appare più come una spalla di Ty.
Ty tra i vari personaggi presentati nel corso della storia è quello meglio caratterizzato: un giovane adolescente con la voglia di scoprire, esplorare, che non si vergogna ad ammettere di aver paura e che non ama far l'eroe e le cui azioni sono spesso guidate dall'incoscienza della sua età e dalla curiosità. Una cosa che ho apprezzato molto è che non viene mai fatta una descrizione fisica di Ty, non vi è il clichè tipico del protagonista bellissimo, affascinante, misterioso e magari ricco, anzi di lui si sa poco, giusto quello che vuol far scoprire di sé e tutte le informazioni che da su se stesso le fornisce poco per volta, senza mai svelare troppo.
Gemma ha in teoria l'età di Ty, ma per come si comporta sembra una bambina a cui bisognerebbe star sempre dietro, non attira la simpatia del lettore e spesso da l'idea di essere una sciocca egoista, incapace di guardare oltre le proprie esigenze.
Attorno a Ty e Gemma ruotano vari personaggi secondari, poco delineati e di cuinon si riesce ad avere un quadro completo, nonostante un paio di loro abbiano un ruolo chiave nella storia.
Il racconto è narrato in prima persona da Ty, che come già detto catapulta nel suo mondo il lettore, lo guida in fondo al mare e in superficie mostrando ogni cosa attraverso i suoi occhi, dando immagini vivide di ciò che lo circonda e coinvolgendo chi legge.
Lo stile è semplice e rende la lettura piacevole, affatto noiosa e soprattutto veloce. L'attenzione è mantenuta sempre alta, vengono fornite poche informazioni e sempre poco per volta, incuriosendo il lettore e portandolo anche a fare congetture, sorprendendolo e lasciandolo spesso a bocca aperta.
Pur trattandosi del primo volume di una serie il finale non è aperto, non lascia nulla in sospeso anche se in chi legge resta la curiosità di saperne di più di questo nuovo futuro e dei cambiamenti che vengono descritti.
Un libro questo che consiglio caldamente, una lettura diversa e che sarà capace di rapirvi trascinandovi con sé!
(less)

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Oct 14, 2012 La Stamberga dei Lettori rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sakura87

Per quanto non possa che essere sorpresa e compiaciuta da queste novità Fazi a soli 9,90 € (con copertina rigida – che nel caso di questo libro è particolarmente bella – e sovraccoperta), mi ritrovo sfortunatamente a constatare che il prezzo de La colonia sommersa è economico quanto la qualità del libro.
Il fondo del mare è un territorio ancora poco esplorato nell'ambito della letteratura fantasy: tradotto in Italia, su due piedi mi viene in mente solo La missione di Sennar di Licia Troisi. Ma fo...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sea level has risen even more than scientists predicted. The Rocky Mountains are now just a string of islands. People are packed into skyscraper cities and space is a coveted commodity. But beneath the sea surface, life flourishes....

Ty was born on the Atlantic seafloor, in Benthic Territory. His parents were trailblazers in this new frontier - his engineer dad helped design and construct the jelly-like homes that pulse in the underwater currents and his scientist mom helped perfect aquaculture...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Jacob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(Mentally adjust my 4-stars to 3.5--one of these days I hope GR implements the ability to rate half-stars.)

Kat Falls has one of those writing styles which keep the characters and action front-and-center. (If this was a bad review I'd utilize terms like "bland".) Her prose almost never gets in the way of enjoying the story being presented. This is notable because too many writers--both in YA literature and otherwise--try to do too much with their prose. They try to fluff their prose up with "styl...more

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May 31, 2012 Jenny rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

DARK LIFE isn't a worthwhile book for young adults when so many better ones are in print. I suspect that bookstore hype or school contract sales sold this one. Where's the character development, as in the "Harry Potter" novels and THE HOBBIT, which I just re-read? The characters in DARK LIFE are very poorly developed and, even worse, there's nothing but superficial lust between the two who are supposed to be attracted. (I thought of "'Valley Girl' meets Kevin Costner's 'Mariner'", but even they...more DARK LIFE isn't a worthwhile book for young adults when so many better ones are in print. I suspect that bookstore hype or school contract sales sold this one. Where's the character development, as in the "Harry Potter" novels and THE HOBBIT, which I just re-read? The characters in DARK LIFE are very poorly developed and, even worse, there's nothing but superficial lust between the two who are supposed to be attracted. (I thought of "'Valley Girl' meets Kevin Costner's 'Mariner'", but even they were more interesting than Ty and Gemma.) Where's any real menace? The cliff hanger chapter endings were predictable and grew boring. The good guys always survive (too easily), the real bad guy was an obvious Dr Frankenstein cliche, the bureaucrats predictably bumbling. Even the collapsed underwater house was quickly rebuilt and re-stocked. There is no real suspense. Ho-hum.

A reviewer wrote, correctly, that the book is not a dystopia. It should be taken off that genre list. It's not even good sci-fi, but rather a silly teenage romance novel between two highly forgettable characters we never get to know, with a grade B Western movie plot. To anyone looking for outstanding dystopias, read Octavia Butler's PARABLE OF THE SOWER and two other classics, George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD. The DARK LIFE societies may be cramped up on land, some folks may live underwater, but the two protagonists and many of the others act like dumb-bunny mall-hounds with petty rebellions and sulks. And look at their names and descriptions! The survivors are supposed to be from the East Coast of the U.S., from America's melting pot of urban ethnicity, yet most seem to be surfer types, blue-eyed Caucasians, with Anglo names. Unbelievable.

Finally, the author is a plot thief. It's not just Westerns and teen romances. Gemma's creche upbringing is from BRAVE NEW WORLD, pursuing her brother from innumerable B movies. The tavern scene is straight out of the original STAR WARS. The bad guy turned good guy is another STAR WARS cliche, good old formerly Mr. Evil Guy Darth Vader, who turns out to be related to Luke, and after that who cares how many people he menaced and killed? For shame! The rest of it's a combination of Max Allen Collins' WATERWORLD and Diane Duane's DEEP WIZARDRY. Both of those are fine fantasy novels, even if WATERWORLD made a terrible movie. Go read them instead and forget this imitation novel. Maybe Kat Falls will do better after she remembers she's writing novels and not lightweight screenplays (Diane Duane certainly did!) and she will get better. I hope so. Her writing couldn't get much worse. She is unbearably insensitive, apparently devoid of caring about the immense tragedy of all the millions of deaths that were mentioned briefly and should have been the heart of the story. I figure that Ms. Falls hopes to sell a screenplay of this to a cartoon-film studio, but the horror of climate change can't be turned into something this trite without inviting scorn.(less)

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About Kat Falls

Kat Falls lives in Evanston, Illinois with her husband, theater director Robert Falls, their three children and a whole slew of pets. She grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an undergrad and went on to receive an MFA in screenwriting from Northwestern University.

Kat came up with the idea for her debut novel, Dark Life (Scholastic Press, May 2010), durin...more

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