Review by Connor Woodard
1. Title: Inhuman by Kat Falls. ISBN 9780545371018, Publisher: Scholastic Press; Reprint edition (March 31, 2015)
2. Genre: Dystopian, Science-Fiction
3. Characters: Delaney “Lane” McEvoy-The protagonist of the novel, a 16 year old girl living within the safety of the wall. She is a germaphobe, and uses bedtime stories and skills taught to her by her father to survive in the Feral Zone. Everson-a young soldier stationed just east of the wall. Wants to help Lane, and is looking for ways to help cure the Farae virus. Rafe-A 17 year-old rogue who lives outside of the wall, hunting ferals. He is sarcastic and crude but with a kind heart, and agrees to help Lane due to a debt he owes her father. Cosmo-An 8 year-old feral offspring who they find hiding in a pantry. Chorda-A half-man half-tiger who rips out people’s hearts in an effort to become human again.
4. Plot: In an alternate-reality dystopian future of Earth, a virus has rendered all of the U.S. east of the Mississippi river a diseased-infested “Feral Zone,” where humans who catch the disease become sick and turn into wild beasts. A massive wall has been erected to keep any infected people out, and passage either way is very strictly regulated. Lane is a relatively normal girl who is unexpectedly arrested by a corrupt government official named Dr. Spurling, who reveals to Lane that her missing father is a “fetch,” someone who is paid to retrieve objects from the Feral Zone. Spurling tells Lane that she must go into the Feral Zone to find her father, and complete a special “fetch” for Spurling, in order to keep from being executed for crossing the wall. Lane crosses the wall and is almost immediately captured by Everson, who is stationed at a nearby outpost. Everson lets her go, and she continues on into the Feral Zone, where she teams up with Rafe, who knows her father. Her father is quite popular in various villages in the feral zone, where he frequently delivers medicine to people in various stages of animal mutation. Everson catches up with the pair, and after some arguing, joins the two on their journey to Chicago, where the item to be fetched is located. After some travelling, they come across Cosmo, hiding in a house, and Lane is captured by Chorda, who almost kills her before she escapes. The trio eventually make it to Chicago, but are captured by an insane Queen, who awaits the return of the King, who turns out to be Chorda. Rafe and Lane eventually set many caged “manimals” free, and kill Chorda, but not before he is bitten. Rafe runs away, and Lane and Everson are rescued by military helicopter. The novel ends with Lane reuniting with her missing father, who has been badly wounded.
5. Touchy Areas: There is some violence, but it’s generally not overly graphic, with the exception of a scene involving a room full of corpses. Some of the depictions of mutated animals/humans are mildly graphic. There is minor sexual content (“making out” at a party), and brief underaged drinking. Some romantic scenes, but it should all be appropriate for 8th grade+ aged children.
6. Related Series: Hunger Games, The Road, World War Z.
Movies: I am Legend, 28 Days Later. Music: Three Days Grace “Animal I Have Become.” Poem: “The Beast” Wandering Scarlet.
Classic Work: Heart of Darkness
Art: Belgian Ferdinand Pauwels- “The Plague.”
7. Evaluation: This story has a neat premise, but falls to a few really overdone YA dystopian tropes; A main character who has conveniently trained their whole life without them realizing it, and the dreaded love triangle. It has very rushed pacing, which I think really hurts what could have been good world-building and character
1. Title: Inhuman by Kat Falls. ISBN 9780545371018, Publisher: Scholastic Press; Reprint edition (March 31, 2015)
2. Genre: Dystopian, Science-Fiction
3. Characters: Delaney “Lane” McEvoy-The protagonist of the novel, a 16 year old girl living within the safety of the wall. She is a germaphobe, and uses bedtime stories and skills taught to her by her father to survive in the Feral Zone. Everson-a young soldier stationed just east of the wall. Wants to help Lane, and is looking for ways to help cure the Farae virus. Rafe-A 17 year-old rogue who lives outside of the wall, hunting ferals. He is sarcastic and crude but with a kind heart, and agrees to help Lane due to a debt he owes her father. Cosmo-An 8 year-old feral offspring who they find hiding in a pantry. Chorda-A half-man half-tiger who rips out people’s hearts in an effort to become human again.
4. Plot: In an alternate-reality dystopian future of Earth, a virus has rendered all of the U.S. east of the Mississippi river a diseased-infested “Feral Zone,” where humans who catch the disease become sick and turn into wild beasts. A massive wall has been erected to keep any infected people out, and passage either way is very strictly regulated. Lane is a relatively normal girl who is unexpectedly arrested by a corrupt government official named Dr. Spurling, who reveals to Lane that her missing father is a “fetch,” someone who is paid to retrieve objects from the Feral Zone. Spurling tells Lane that she must go into the Feral Zone to find her father, and complete a special “fetch” for Spurling, in order to keep from being executed for crossing the wall. Lane crosses the wall and is almost immediately captured by Everson, who is stationed at a nearby outpost. Everson lets her go, and she continues on into the Feral Zone, where she teams up with Rafe, who knows her father. Her father is quite popular in various villages in the feral zone, where he frequently delivers medicine to people in various stages of animal mutation. Everson catches up with the pair, and after some arguing, joins the two on their journey to Chicago, where the item to be fetched is located. After some travelling, they come across Cosmo, hiding in a house, and Lane is captured by Chorda, who almost kills her before she escapes. The trio eventually make it to Chicago, but are captured by an insane Queen, who awaits the return of the King, who turns out to be Chorda. Rafe and Lane eventually set many caged “manimals” free, and kill Chorda, but not before he is bitten. Rafe runs away, and Lane and Everson are rescued by military helicopter. The novel ends with Lane reuniting with her missing father, who has been badly wounded.
5. Touchy Areas: There is some violence, but it’s generally not overly graphic, with the exception of a scene involving a room full of corpses. Some of the depictions of mutated animals/humans are mildly graphic. There is minor sexual content (“making out” at a party), and brief underaged drinking. Some romantic scenes, but it should all be appropriate for 8th grade+ aged children.
6. Related Series: Hunger Games, The Road, World War Z.
Movies: I am Legend, 28 Days Later. Music: Three Days Grace “Animal I Have Become.” Poem: “The Beast” Wandering Scarlet.
Classic Work: Heart of Darkness
Art: Belgian Ferdinand Pauwels- “The Plague.”
7. Evaluation: This story has a neat premise, but falls to a few really overdone YA dystopian tropes; A main character who has conveniently trained their whole life without them realizing it, and the dreaded love triangle. It has very rushed pacing, which I think really hurts what could have been good world-building and character
