August 24, 2017

YA Sci-Fi Arthouse Fodder: Macky Reads Zero Repeat Forever

Zero Repeat Forever book cover
Alien invasion? Check. Gritty modern late-teen drama set against the backdrop of a post invasion-hell scenario? Got 'em in spades. But not in the I Am Number Four finale kind of way. Zero Repeat Forever was heavy and bordering the darker side of science fiction. 

The whole time I was reading it, I felt like I was watching an art house film with some good indie actors. I mean, the emotion in this book was raw… if you took it seriously. Take humans and put them in impossible places and see what they do, which again is science fiction.

Cue Raven, our tough survivor girl on one side. And on the other, Eighth, our not-so-friendly, but certainly conflicted alien oppressor foot soldier of a sort. Both of their POV's are played with such care and detail that you really can't help but get a clear picture of their exact emotional state.

That said, I think you have to be a certain kind of YA/science fiction hybrid sort of fan to really appreciate Zero Repeat Forever. There is enough YA drama here, set against an alien invasion with one of the main characters being a member of said alien race. It's got some pretty decent, albeit semi-predictable twists though, both on the drama and sci-fi side of the lore. It's unique, fast-paced and tastefully done.

Lastly, there is poetry to this story, hence my comparison of this novel to an arthouse film in book form. Jarring, raw shots of scenes, each one a window into the hearts of two sentient creatures who find themselves on opposing sides of a planetary invasion. In the words of the great Rupert Giles, it's rather poetic in a maudlin sort of way. Zero Repeat Forever comes out on August 29, 2017, if you're interested in snagging a copy to read.



Zero Repeat Forever by G.S. Prendergast Series: The Nahx Invasions #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | Publication Date: August 29, 2017
Source: ARC received at BEA 2017 (Thanks!)

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