20 Years Later [Kindle Edition]

As someone who is not naturally drawn to Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic books or films I was somewhat surprised, bordering on shocked, to find E.J. Newman's, '20 Years Later', in my hands. I tentatively opened the first page to find the word 'Prologue' in front of me. Grooooaaaaaan.... I hate prologues! I contemplated skipping it, but I slapped my hand, steadied my eyes and started to read, and much to my surprise I was instantly hooked. The way she introduces the new world and the four, Zane, Titus, Erin and Eve, who saved it, drew me deeper and deeper in. I answered yes to all of the questions she posed. I wanted, no needed, to find out what happened and who these amazing four were.

And so, here we are, it's 2032, 20 years after It happened, and there is no room for pathos here. Set in London, E. J Newman presents her world in a gritty, very matter of fact way. This is how it is. There are gangs who will fight to the death and places you wouldn't dare to go. The teens don't question the fact that no one goes out after dark or that the chaos of abandoned artifacts that surround them once had a use beyond just lying about the place. I love that none of this is questioned because this is, in truth, how most of us relate to our reality. It's just happening, so what? At the beginning no one even bothers about what the It, that killed off most of the population in 2012, even was. It happened way before they were born, it was history that held no interest for them, until the disappearance of Lyssa, that is, which galvanised the four into action. And if you love fast paced, gruesome and sometimes very bloody action, then here it is.

I loved the dream room and watching the four discover their talents was an absolute treat. I loved, once again, the very real drawing of teen characteristics where stuff changes and happens all the time and you quickly get used to it. No big deal!

This is a brilliant book that will draw YA's in and have them begging, like me, for the next book in the trilogy to be released.

But, above and beyond all that, what touched me most about this amazing tale, is the embedded truth that sits like a pulsing red heart at the centre. The truth that It (of course I'm not going to give the game away and tell you what It was) is a very real and treacherous possibility. That there are some people in the world whose insidious need for power may well lead us to this. To It. So heed well YA's, drink deep of this tale, and keep your future beautiful. It's all in your hands. You are Zane and Erin and Titus and Eve - your gifts are plenty. x

In E.J. Newman's 20 Years Later (2011), the author writes teenagers not wisely but too well. The setting isn't breaking new ground - London, one generation after some sort of mysterious apocalypse. Nor is the plot - a group of seemingly unrelated teens develop mysteeeeerious powers.

However, Ms. Newman's characters are possibly the most accurately "teen" of all the teenagers I've recently encountered. This is very much a mixed blessing. They're stubborn, annoying and thick - but they're also intuitive, passionate and brave. The result? Characters easy to appreciate but often hard to connect with (at least for this [ostensibly] adult reader). Their behaviour can be frustratingly impulsive, but it is never out of character.

On the subject of bravery, Ms. Newman adds her own gutsy twist to the genre by keeping the world tantalisingly enigmatic. Even the defining apocalypse stays a mystery until the final chapters. The story is bookended by a cryptic framing device, but, for the bulk of the novel, the character-focused, day-to-day experience strikes the right balance between gritty realism and hyper-real parable. The characters start small, but grow into the epic in a jerky, but natural, progression. There are also some imaginative ideas about future London gangs. Ms. Newman's style isn't as relentlessly grim, but she does capture the futuristic danger of her ruined city.

Overall, a strong effort that has an intriguing world and a lot of heart.

Twenty years after a devastating event, which killed most of the world's people, four teens meet in post-apocalyptic London. Trying to keep the safety of the places they are born into and at the same time facing the horrors of a world, where the fight for survival is played out daily between gangs of different backgrounds, the four main characters of the book stumble upon the secret that nearly destroyed the world and have to stand against forces that are more evil than anything they've known before.
The books story is set in 2022 - which isn't really that far away, but the London we are about to enter is a very different one. IT, something unspeakable and unknown to the children of that world, has decimated the planet's population and here survival is the main thing that rules your day. No electricity, no internet, none of all the wonderful things we have - just the fight to stay alive. Gangs have formed, pockets of fragile peace kept by either the strict rulers of said gangs or people like Miri, who is a healer and as such enjoys the freedom of independence from any gang. She is Zane's mother, one of our four teens who will meet under strange and stressful circumstances to find the lost sister of one of them - but really to discover the evil that destroyed our world and stand against it.
The novel is gripping and takes you firmly with it - you only will be able to leave it after you read the last page of the book. The story of the children's growth from innocence to maturity is told so sensitively that you only near the end realise how the children have changed, how the ignorance about the real world has evolved into rather too much knowledge. I enjoyed that a lot, how changes creep rather than explode into one's life. The book is marketed as a Young Adult novel - but apart from the fact that the main characters are about 15 there is no reason why older adults can't read it. It is a thrilling story, well written, flowing with ease and the author shows a good understanding of the young teens in this story. Zane grows up rather protected, his mother believing that knowing the facts won't do him any good. So when he discovers (not telling you what, don't want to spoil) he has to mature fast. When he meets the other three kids he finds that even friends can have totally different opinions and thoughts about things, can sometimes act totally against his own beliefs without destroying the friendship. And although the discovery of (not saying) hardens the children somewhat, there is still enough feeling left to deepen the friendship. The relationship between the two boys and two girls evolves from the first careful, tentative steps to a solid group who will go on to probably even greater adventures in future (I hope). The book has an ending of sorts, but it is the first of a trilogy, so there are many questions still unanswered, a lot left open. So come on, Emma (the author), get the next one out fast!