139. Dark Life by Kat Falls

Dark Life by Kat Falls (Canada) - (USA)

Pages: 297
Ages: 11+
Finished: July 20, 2010
First Published: May 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: YA, science fiction
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

I peered into the deep-sea canyon,hoping to spot a toppled skyscraper. Maybe even the Statue of Liberty.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: I've read a couple of other books about permanent settlements on the sea floor and find the concept quite interesting.

It is the future and an experimental colony on the sea bottom is flourishing. Ty was the first child born sub-sea and it's the only life he knows. When Gemma comes from Topside looking for her brother she joins him in a journey to safe the colony from a force that seems to be out to get the pioneers. A band of Outlaws are attacking pioneer homes, killing their livestock, invading their homes and deflating them, plus Ty and Gemma have evidence they might have killed someone. Things are taken to such a point that Ty and other sub-sea children must reveal a dark secret they have been keeping.

This was a fun read. I read the book in a day and carried it with me everywhere. The descriptions of underwater life sound plausible to this layman. The way the community is set up is very intriguing and makes one want to visit such a place. I've always thought that underwater living would make a much more sensible next step than colonization of another planet. Ty has a whole family who play a part in the book's plot but Gemma is the one who brings the popular orphan theme into play. I found Ty to be a bit of a whiner, disrespectful to his parents and authority so I never particularly liked him but, nevertheless, the book did have an easy to read, pleasant narrative with a sense of humour. The plot becomes quite involved as we have Ty and Gemma searching for the Outlaws, the Outlaws running amok with the pioneers and the government eventually gets involved leaving the colonists in a worse situation than before. Be prepared as the secrets are revealed make this a compelling read.