Heather’s Bookshelf: No Man’s Land
Author: Ben Magid
Released: 10/30/20
Genre: Dystopian SciFi
“He could feel the music,” Rebel tried to explain. “And in the end, that’s all that matters. It’s about how it makes you feel.” “Music makes me feel…flummoxed,” he confessed.
“It’s a start,” guessed Rebel. “Humankind. Feelings are what we do. Like the music, we put our soul out in the ether for the world to see.”
“No Man’s Land” introduces Rebel Anne Rae as a nineteen year old girl who is struggling to survive as the sole human survivor in a Mech run Earth. She was left behind seven years ago and has managed to make it this far, but an unfortunate accident puts everything at risk.
The concept is an intriguing take on a common dystopian trend— what if the Earth was taken over by a manmade technology resulting in the evacuation of every human? What if every human left behind was killed- all but a twelve year old girl. Rebel’s father was an expert in the technology, leaving behind manuals and videos about the Mechs. She uses these to both survive in the world and to disguise herself from being found out as a human.
An accident leads her to fix and then interact with a Mech, Thomas Jefferson, who discovers that he is able to feel much more than he ever could before. Rebel and Thomas set out to find themselves and must rely on each other as they adapt and change to the world around them.
Trigger Warning: Violence, death, sexual situations, hunting/animal violence
Overall, I absolutely loved the way that this story was written. The “voice” of the author and of Rebel was so believable and well paced that I found myself wanting to read more than I intended to at that time. Rebel is a great protagonist. She’s endearing, funny (in a sad kind of way) and driven. Her relationship with Thomas develops in an interesting and organic way that sets the stage for complex situations that arise throughout the book. The story telling is so clear and well written that I could almost see myself on a Mech run Earth alongside Rebel. I also really enjoyed the ending. It’s a finale, but a beginning of sorts as well.
(The background for this book art post is a closeup of the Unicorn Gundam in Tokyo which I was got to check out a couple of years ago- there’s plenty of awesome footage on it from the Olympics- check it out!)
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A well written take on a familiar dystopian tale.
Want to learn more about the author? Check out my interview with Ben Magid:
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Find it for purchase here or on Kindle Unlimited
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