Title: Year One
Author: Nora Roberts
Genre(s): Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction
Summary: It began on New Year’s Eve. The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed–and more than half of the world’s population was decimated. In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain. The end has come. The beginning comes next.
My Review:
“Schools closed, countless businesses locked their doors as people were urged to limit contact with others. The sale of surgical masks, gloves, over-the-counter and prescription flu remedies, bleach, and disinfectants soared. It wouldn’t help…” They called it the Doom. Within days, the mysterious and deadly virus blanketed the globe like an invisible wildfire. Billions perished in its wake, and those who survived, deemed immune, grappled with grief and chaos as a strange awakening of magic emerged.
From the first page, Year One entranced me. While I’ve read a few apocalyptic books and watched many movies with similar themes, Roberts found a way to masterfully blend apocalyptic fiction with elements of fantasy in this opening story to her trilogy, Chronicles of the One. This narrative is a gripping tale of survival and community, and I am here for it.
As the characters strive to survive in this new world, word spread of governmental “round ups.” No one was safe. The survivors—those immune to the Doom and those gifted with dark or light magic—had to flee New York in search of refuge. Roberts excels in her cast of diverse and compelling characters. Her vivid descriptions made me feel as though I was in the room with them, trying to survive. The way Year One delves into the descent into chaos was so realistic that I wondered if this could really happen. My only mild complaint about the characters was that I wanted a little more. Due to the large cast, there wasn’t much room for me to really get into the head of each individual character. It didn’t take away from my reading experience, but I did desire more in that regard.
Another stellar aspect was the world-building. I felt as though I were a character in the story with them. The crafting of the story made me feel turmoil when the characters were in peril and made my heart pound when I couldn’t guess the story’s direction. Roberts even detailed how governmental infrastructure would be affected, making the story more believable. A slight drawback was that I wanted more from the magic system. While there was an undertone of light and dark, I wanted to understand why the gifted received their specific gifts. This didn’t deter me from enjoying the story, but I looked forward to another book potentially providing more detail in that aspect.
I highly recommend Year One for readers who enjoy disaster reads. Once I finished the book the first time, there were scenes that I would go back to simply because of how much I enjoyed the storyline.