From the Bookshelf of Apocalypse Whenever…

Blood Red Road (Dust Lands, #1)

Moira Young

Why we're reading this: Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wre…more
[close] Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

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What Members Thought

Sep 07, 2015 Gertie rated it it was amazing

I won't talk about the story - just a quick note about format.

Here's the thing about this book. I listened to the audiobook. When I first tried a sample, I was intrigued by the story, but the "accent" added a level to the language that would slow down my comprehension, and diminish my enjoyment. At least, that has been my experience in the past - after a while you can somewhat get used to a language style in a book, but it still can have the effect of removing you from the story a little.

So, aud ...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Amy rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, amazon-vine, post-apocalyptic, dystopia, 2011-books-read

While I didn't personally like this book, I think others will. The book has its weaknesses as well as its strengths. My feelings about this book mainly come from certain prejudices I've developed in the consumption of fiction:

1. If an author uses alternative grammar and spelling, it should be done well enough to be barely noticeable.
2. Following the hero's journey structure exactly makes a story's outcome eye-rollingly predictable.
3. The characters should be likeable.
4. Copying themes of curren While I didn't personally like this book, I think others will. The book has its weaknesses as well as its strengths. My feelings about this book mainly come from certain prejudices I've developed in the consumption of fiction:

1. If an author uses alternative grammar and spelling, it should be done well enough to be barely noticeable.
2. Following the hero's journey structure exactly makes a story's outcome eye-rollingly predictable.
3. The characters should be likeable.
4. Copying themes of current popular fiction is annoying.
5. Constant action and peril is tiresome.

The story is set in a far future post-apocalyptic world. Fraternal twins Saba and Lugh and their sister Emmi live in a secluded desert area. Lugh is kidnapped, and a constantly perilous journey ensues to rescue him. Of course, friends and enemies are gathered along the way, and the journey is far from easy.

Immediately, the reader will notice the author's alternative spelling and grammar. Someone once said to me that the only authors they'd ever read who do this well are Mark Twain and Elmore Leonard. I'd also say that Cormac McCarthy succeeds at this. However, it didn't work here. I assume that the reason for the lack of quotation marks, shortening of words, and misspelling of words is to punctuate the narrator's illiteracy and colloquial speech. However, I kept questioning why it is, if she eventually became literate enough to write a book with complicated words that are spelled correctly, that she misspells easy words like "been" as "bin". It's certainly not to convey the way that the character is pronouncing the word since both versions are pronounced the same. There's also no reason for the author to drop the "g" from words ending in "ing" since I would be reading it that way anyway based on the way the character is talking. I think the alternative grammar and spelling could have worked with a little tweaking, but I was, unfortunately, still noticing it until the very end.

One thing that I do like about the story is that the author deviates somewhat from the hero's journey model. You quickly realize at the beginning that it will be impossible for them to ever return home, so there's no definite idea of where their journey will finally end. Also, rescues from enemies never really seem final. Who lives and who dies isn't sure. There's not a clear determination of what the final "prize" will be at the end of the book. Sure, Saba will *find* Lugh. Otherwise, what's the point of the journey? But will they reach him in time to save his life? Will the rescue ultimately be a successful one? Will there be some other "prize" that she takes home? And where is home? Will Saba really change at all?

And, yes, Saba really does need to change. She only seems to care about her twin brother. Otherwise, she's horrible and hateful to everyone around her. I didn't find it very believable that such a hateful person could ultimately manage to gather a group of 7 people willing to risk their lives to attempt her brother's rescue. The author attempts to explain it by showing that the
various party members felt that they owed her (or someone else in the group) their life. I'm still not convinced.

One component of this book which will probably attract readers is the death games that Saba finds herself forced to compete in to stay alive. With the popularity of The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, I'm sure we'll be seeing more fight-to-the-death survival games in YA fiction. However, it feels to me like cheating to piggyback off of popular fiction themes in order to secure the popularity of your own book, but I suppose it works, so authors will continue to do it until everyone's sick of the genre.

From the beginning of this book, there seems to be nearly non-stop action. If you enjoy non-stop action and constant peril with outcomes that aren't as easy as initially expected, then this is the book for you. Of course, the characters can't slow down if they've got a rescue deadline looming over their heads. Of course, there's going to be non-stop action. Of course, getting from point A to point B with no hardships whatsoever would make for a very short and boring book. However, I personally find non-stop action and peril to be stressful and eventually boring. But that's just me.

Most readers will probably like this book more than I did. I tend to find myself not liking most perilous journey stories. I would say that most people would give this book 4 stars while I give it only 3 because of my own silly little prejudices. It is a book that could potentially be unputdownable for people who don't grow as weary of constant action as I do. I don't really see why this would be a successful series with such an unlikeable main character. I suppose that, for a prequel or sequel, the supposedly handsome Jack or Lugh might make likeable characters. Perhaps they'll bring some female readers back to endure more of Saba's tongue lashings. ...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Angie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011-books

This book excites me. As much as I can be put off by colloquial language (ie., " Whadja do that fer?") listening to the audiobook changed the experience. I didn't actually realize it was written out like that until after I finished the audio. I loved the pace, the tension, the characters were sympathetic when they were supposed to be, creepy when needed too.

This book is being compared to Hunger Games - I think in terms of having the female protagonist being so tough, so independent that -- where ...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Stacie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror-apocalyptic, ya-teen

This is a truly enchanting book. Fans of the apocalyptic genre will find Young's vision of the future familiar, including the scarcity of water, shanytowns filled with criminals and violence, and rare friendships that thrive despite the isolationist tendencies of its citizens. What makes it different from the other stories with similar settings is the language and the emotional journey of the main character Saba. The language is a wonderful blend of dialect and slang and as the reader 'learns' t ...more

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Sep 06, 2012 ☼Bookish in Virginia☼ rated it really liked it

Shelves: where-is-the-next-book

It's true, BLOOD RED ROAD is a great fast-paced adventure story. But it's one of those books where you are going to have to throw the 'suspension of disbelief' (SoDB) into high gear. There are just too many amazing circumstances and chance happenings to accept this book as anything other than high camp adventure. [[If you liked the Snake Plissken character from John Carpenter's Escape from New York then you'll probably like this book.]]

*With one possible exception. The book is told in dialect an ...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2012

Enjoyed this a lot more than the first couple of chapters made me think I would. The cage-fighting / Hopetown sections were definitely the strongest - I think my Patrick Ness binge earlier in the year has tired me out as far as venturing across dusty plains is concerned.
If I had one negative, I'd say that the ending felt like a bit of an anti-climax - but I suppose this is the side effect of a novel that's part of a series rather than a stand-alone. Certainly not as infuriating as some endings, ...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Stephanie Denison rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2011, post-apocalyptic

I love the language of this book. And I love Saba, her fierceness and her innocence. I can't wait for the next book. ...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Terri rated it liked it

Shelves: apocalyptic-dystopian-fiction

Saba and Lugh's quiet life on the farm changes and she is thrust into a violent society. Interesting evolution of her character and lots of adventure ...more

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Mar 24, 2014 Cindywho rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy-sf, ya

Neat cover, but the story never really worked for me - too many ingredients (little sister, cage fighting, pet crow, etc...) that made it seem formulaic.

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