I never thought I liked books about the end of the world, otherwise known as dystopian fiction.  Generally I shy away from Science Fiction, although Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my favourite books of all time.

Then, I read The Passage by Justin Cronin.  And I loved it.  Next came  The Hunger Games Trilogy, which I devoured in four days.  And, now I’ve read White Horse, the first in a trilogy by freshman author Alex Adams.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Thanks to Simon Schuster, I have the opportunity to read books I might never pick up.  Mostly I like them.  The odd time, I don’t.  When I started White Horse, I wasn’t sure.  It was a bit confusing, and it took me a while to get into the rhythm of the book.

White Horse is written across two period of time:  Then and Now.  Then is before the end of the world, and Now is after.  The main character, Zoe is a smart young woman recovering from the death of her husband when she becomes deeply embroiled in the spread of a strange virus she believes originates from the pharmaceutical company she works at.  Humankind is destroyed by this virus, which is called White Horse by the Christian right, and a world war erupts as a result of the ensuing panic.   Zoe embarks on a journey of survival as she attempts to travel across the world to find the something or someone that she will save her.

The novel is about the human condition. It explores the ages old question of nature versus nurture, and just what it is that makes us human .  Just like all books in the genre, it picks up on possibilities and eventualities.  As my son says, dystopian fiction is interesting because it tells stories of what could actually happen if we keep on our current path.

What I liked:

• The main character was a strong and determined woman.  She overcame odds. She was complicated and frustrated and interesting.
• Once I was engrossed, I was in for the long haul.  I was sad when it ended.
• The story was interesting and the storytelling unique.   It didn’t have vampires, which was refreshing.
• The writing was generally excellent (see what I didn’t like)

What I didn’t like:

• The beginning was confusing.  There were references to characters and occurrences that hadn’t been introduced yet, which while fitting to the structure of the book was frustrating.
• It’s a trilogy and the second book won’t be released for a year

Recommend Factor:

7/10  Dystopian fiction is not for everyone.

Unputdownable Factor:

8/10  If you can get through the first 100 pages, you’re sucked in for the long haul