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The Killables
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Product Description
Review
'Chillingly well-imagined.' (Daily Mail )
'Malley creates a harrowing dystopian world that keeps you turning the pages.' (We Love This Book )
'I love Gemma Malley . . . Somehow, she manages to produce books that are at once intellectual, challenging, sophisticated, exciting, romantic and accessible.' (Thebookbag.co.uk )
'At times I felt I couldn't put this down, there were times where the action was riveting and others I just wanted to read on to find out the truth about the system . . . Malley has done an excellent job and it is well worth a read.' (Passionfornovels.co.uk )
'A great deal of thought and planning has clearly gone into the world building. I believed it, could see it happening and found it disturbing and fascinating at the same time . . . The denouement was particularly satisfying. The System is organised on a computer and I loved the part that this took in the plot and its ending. Although this is the first in the series I was happy with the conclusion of book one, it satisfied my need for revenge although there are plenty of untied ends and interesting threads for the rest of the series.' (Myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk )
'The Declaration is a chilling, dystopian view of how life may be in the not too far off future, reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and PD James's The Children of Men, but written for a young teenage audience . . . ground-breaking, mesmerizing and compelling novel.' (www.lovereading.co.uk )
'Stunning, thought-provoking and a book that genuinely stays with you.' (The Bookseller )
'Malley creates a harrowing dystopian world that keeps you turning the pages.' (We Love This Book )
'I love Gemma Malley . . . Somehow, she manages to produce books that are at once intellectual, challenging, sophisticated, exciting, romantic and accessible.' (Thebookbag.co.uk )
'At times I felt I couldn't put this down, there were times where the action was riveting and others I just wanted to read on to find out the truth about the system . . . Malley has done an excellent job and it is well worth a read.' (Passionfornovels.co.uk )
'A great deal of thought and planning has clearly gone into the world building. I believed it, could see it happening and found it disturbing and fascinating at the same time . . . The denouement was particularly satisfying. The System is organised on a computer and I loved the part that this took in the plot and its ending. Although this is the first in the series I was happy with the conclusion of book one, it satisfied my need for revenge although there are plenty of untied ends and interesting threads for the rest of the series.' (Myfavouritebooks.blogspot.co.uk )
Praise for Gemma Malley's previous books
(: )'The Declaration is a chilling, dystopian view of how life may be in the not too far off future, reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and PD James's The Children of Men, but written for a young teenage audience . . . ground-breaking, mesmerizing and compelling novel.' (www.lovereading.co.uk )
'Stunning, thought-provoking and a book that genuinely stays with you.' (The Bookseller )
Product Description
Everyone accepted that people were different physically. But inside? Inside, they were different too. You just had to know how to tell, what to look for.
Evil has been eradicated. The City has been established. And citizens may only enter after having the 'evil' part of their brain removed. They are labelled on the System according to how 'good' they are. If they show signs of the evil emerging, they are labelled a K . . . But no one knows quite what that means. Only that they disappear, never to be seen again . . .
Evil has been eradicated. The City has been established. And citizens may only enter after having the 'evil' part of their brain removed. They are labelled on the System according to how 'good' they are. If they show signs of the evil emerging, they are labelled a K . . . But no one knows quite what that means. Only that they disappear, never to be seen again . . .
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
After the world's ravaged by The Horrors, a neurological surgical procedure is developed to abolish evil. The procedure is mandatory for all who live in the City, its citizens then being labelled according to their level of goodness. The A's are the best, the Ds the worst. The most deviant are labelled K, who are taken away for a procedure called the New Baptism and are never heard from again.
16-year-old Evie works for the government, changing people's labels according to what the System dictates. She's engaged to Lucas, an A label, high ranking civil servant 12 years older than her who keeps the System running. But Evie loves his brother, Raffy, who's known to have deviant tendencies. When she discovers that Raffy will be redesignated as a K, they have to escape but doing so uncovers secrets that the City will kill to protect ...
Gemma Malley's YA dystopia, the first in a trilogy, is a disappointing tale that does little new with the genre and revolves around two unlikeable characters.
Evie's a passive character who needs to be told what to do - even her escape from the City is engineered for her. Though explainable in the context of the world she lives in, it made for frustrating reading, as she persistently refuses to stand up for herself. The potentially interesting relationship with her mother - particularly Evie's guilt at being such a disappointment - doesn't really go anywhere, with her mother's hostility getting a trite explanation.
The love triangle is dull and a little icky given the age difference between Evie and Lucas and the fact that Raffy behaves like a petulant, possessive toddler. I didn't understand what any of them saw in each other and the idea of the brothers being opposites (Lucas - blond and emotionless; Raffy dark and brooding) felt cliche. I wish Evie had stood up for herself with them rather than being a victim.
Exposition is heavily used to world build, which didn't hold my attention. There's genuine horror in the scenes where Evie discovers what happens to those who undertake the New Baptism, but the moral discussion on how to treat the victims is superficial and I was uncomfortable at the idea that they were prone to homicidal violence.
Ultimately although I've really enjoyed Gemma Malley's other work, this left me very disappointed and I won't be reading on.
16-year-old Evie works for the government, changing people's labels according to what the System dictates. She's engaged to Lucas, an A label, high ranking civil servant 12 years older than her who keeps the System running. But Evie loves his brother, Raffy, who's known to have deviant tendencies. When she discovers that Raffy will be redesignated as a K, they have to escape but doing so uncovers secrets that the City will kill to protect ...
Gemma Malley's YA dystopia, the first in a trilogy, is a disappointing tale that does little new with the genre and revolves around two unlikeable characters.
Evie's a passive character who needs to be told what to do - even her escape from the City is engineered for her. Though explainable in the context of the world she lives in, it made for frustrating reading, as she persistently refuses to stand up for herself. The potentially interesting relationship with her mother - particularly Evie's guilt at being such a disappointment - doesn't really go anywhere, with her mother's hostility getting a trite explanation.
The love triangle is dull and a little icky given the age difference between Evie and Lucas and the fact that Raffy behaves like a petulant, possessive toddler. I didn't understand what any of them saw in each other and the idea of the brothers being opposites (Lucas - blond and emotionless; Raffy dark and brooding) felt cliche. I wish Evie had stood up for herself with them rather than being a victim.
Exposition is heavily used to world build, which didn't hold my attention. There's genuine horror in the scenes where Evie discovers what happens to those who undertake the New Baptism, but the moral discussion on how to treat the victims is superficial and I was uncomfortable at the idea that they were prone to homicidal violence.
Ultimately although I've really enjoyed Gemma Malley's other work, this left me very disappointed and I won't be reading on.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
A young adult dystopian science fiction novel. It runs for three hundred and seventy two pages, and is divided into twenty four chapters plus an epilogue. And a short piece at the beginning.
It's the start of a trilogy.
Recommended reading age would be thirteen and up, thanks to some mild violence and some adult themes and references.
It's good enough to be enjoyed by older readers as well, though.
The piece at the front tells us about the Amygdala. A part of the brain that some claim can have an effect on mental states.
The book then introduces us to Evie. Teenage girl and viewpoint character for nearly all the chapters. She has strange dreams about being brought to a place of safety by a man. She lives in the city. A place where humanity flourishes in a post disaster world. Where the great leader of the city and his assistant the brother claim that's because they deal with the amygdala. And by doing that they stop people being as evil as those who brought about the fall of civilisation were.
Citizens are graded from A to D, depending on how good a citizen they are. Anyone who falls lower than that is a K. But people don't talk about them.
A grade A citizen is Lucas, whom Evie is betrothed to. Evie has a job in government and has been brought up to be a model citizen and not to question anything about her society.
But she's torn between what is expected of her and what she wants for herself. As a result of which, she's caught up in events that will lead to the secrets of the city coming to light...
This takes it's time to set up the scenario and the world in which Evie lives. And once you get used to it, which happens very quickly, it becomes a pretty intriguing read. Throwing in a few good surprises and reveals along the way. There's lots to be learnt about certain characters and all of the plot does arise out of their actions. Many of which will genuinely surprise you.
Evie is a very believable character and you can relate to her easily, and the book is an interesting portrayal of someone being forced to confront and change their beliefs.
It also offers a lot of moral food for thought for the reader, and never lectures, just lets you make up your own mind in regards to the issues raised.
The one minor flaw is that once you get into the final third and all the truth has been revealed about this world what comes next isn't quite as compelling. Although it's still very readable. And it rounds this volume off nicely enough whilst leaving the door open for the story to continue.
A good start to a trilogy, though, and I shall be back to find what happens next.
It's the start of a trilogy.
Recommended reading age would be thirteen and up, thanks to some mild violence and some adult themes and references.
It's good enough to be enjoyed by older readers as well, though.
The piece at the front tells us about the Amygdala. A part of the brain that some claim can have an effect on mental states.
The book then introduces us to Evie. Teenage girl and viewpoint character for nearly all the chapters. She has strange dreams about being brought to a place of safety by a man. She lives in the city. A place where humanity flourishes in a post disaster world. Where the great leader of the city and his assistant the brother claim that's because they deal with the amygdala. And by doing that they stop people being as evil as those who brought about the fall of civilisation were.
Citizens are graded from A to D, depending on how good a citizen they are. Anyone who falls lower than that is a K. But people don't talk about them.
A grade A citizen is Lucas, whom Evie is betrothed to. Evie has a job in government and has been brought up to be a model citizen and not to question anything about her society.
But she's torn between what is expected of her and what she wants for herself. As a result of which, she's caught up in events that will lead to the secrets of the city coming to light...
This takes it's time to set up the scenario and the world in which Evie lives. And once you get used to it, which happens very quickly, it becomes a pretty intriguing read. Throwing in a few good surprises and reveals along the way. There's lots to be learnt about certain characters and all of the plot does arise out of their actions. Many of which will genuinely surprise you.
Evie is a very believable character and you can relate to her easily, and the book is an interesting portrayal of someone being forced to confront and change their beliefs.
It also offers a lot of moral food for thought for the reader, and never lectures, just lets you make up your own mind in regards to the issues raised.
The one minor flaw is that once you get into the final third and all the truth has been revealed about this world what comes next isn't quite as compelling. Although it's still very readable. And it rounds this volume off nicely enough whilst leaving the door open for the story to continue.
A good start to a trilogy, though, and I shall be back to find what happens next.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
One could be forgiven for thinking that a dystopian setting is compulsory for all YA novels being published at the moment and with the huge success of The Hunger Games both in print and on screen, this is one trend which is staying put. Gemma Malley has already proven her worth in this genre with her excellent Declaration trilogy and she continues to demonstrate her impressive storytelling skills in this, the first of a new trilogy.
I must admit that I was quite worried that this new series would seem too samey and fail to stand out amongst the plethora of other dystopian reads on the market but what makes it shine is its quiet, understated nature - thank goodness there are writers who realise it doesn't have to be all singing, all dancing, all flailing limbs to attract the reader's attention, sometimes less is more.
Our "new world" is The City whose citizens are graded from A to D and (shock, horror!) sometimes K depending on their good citizenship and obedience of the rules established by the System. The head honcho is the omniscient, omnipresent Brother who seems to have your best interests at heart - you really don't want to end up outside the City gates at the mercy of the Evils, an allegedly subhuman species.
There is an intriguing love triangle involving our three main protagonists, Evie, Raffy and his "much" older brother, Lucas. I liked the fact that none of these characters are particularly likeable and you feel like shaking some sense into them most of the time - it's a trilogy after all, they have time to evolve and change, hopefully for the better! I also loved the semi-scientific slant on the new Society where all the good citizens have had their amygdala, the "evil" part of their brain, removed - all done to deliver themselves from evil of course.
Like all first books in a series, a large portion of the novel has to be devoted to world-building but the author has succeeded in also building characters and a plot which engage the reader and will make you want to read on. If you're aged over 13 and you like your dystopian fiction restrained, intelligent and thought-provoking then this is your next stop.
I must admit that I was quite worried that this new series would seem too samey and fail to stand out amongst the plethora of other dystopian reads on the market but what makes it shine is its quiet, understated nature - thank goodness there are writers who realise it doesn't have to be all singing, all dancing, all flailing limbs to attract the reader's attention, sometimes less is more.
Our "new world" is The City whose citizens are graded from A to D and (shock, horror!) sometimes K depending on their good citizenship and obedience of the rules established by the System. The head honcho is the omniscient, omnipresent Brother who seems to have your best interests at heart - you really don't want to end up outside the City gates at the mercy of the Evils, an allegedly subhuman species.
There is an intriguing love triangle involving our three main protagonists, Evie, Raffy and his "much" older brother, Lucas. I liked the fact that none of these characters are particularly likeable and you feel like shaking some sense into them most of the time - it's a trilogy after all, they have time to evolve and change, hopefully for the better! I also loved the semi-scientific slant on the new Society where all the good citizens have had their amygdala, the "evil" part of their brain, removed - all done to deliver themselves from evil of course.
Like all first books in a series, a large portion of the novel has to be devoted to world-building but the author has succeeded in also building characters and a plot which engage the reader and will make you want to read on. If you're aged over 13 and you like your dystopian fiction restrained, intelligent and thought-provoking then this is your next stop.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Stunning dystopian novel. powerful and frightening
'The Killables' is a powerful and frightening vision of a dsytopian future. A future brought about not by a single apocalyptic event but by man's inhumanity to man. Read more
Published 13 days ago by I Readalot
Interesting concept but disappointing execution
At the heart of this dystopian teen novel is an interesting concept: is human evil biologically-sited and, if so, can it be physically cut out of the human brain? Read more
Published 22 days ago by Roman Clodia
"The Killables Trilogy" book 1
In the future, London has become a fortified city in which lives only pure citizens. They may have eradicated evil from their own lives; however the creatures that live outside... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Book Addict
Good Read
In a world recovering from unimaginable wars, the city is considered to be a safe haven. People are categorised as A, B, C, or a shameful D. Everyone works, and emotion is excised. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A John
An OK book but nothing special
I bought this book with high hopes, as I've read the author's previous trilogy and I enjoy the young adult dystopian genre. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Katelyn
Slow start, but a good read
The Killables tells the story of a dystopian future where citizens live under the protection of 'The Brother' and a system which believes that removing the amygdala from the brain... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fiona Mccaw
Could have been better, but perfectly readable.
So. The Killables. The concept goes that all the citizens of The City have their amyglada removed - the 'evil' part present in every human brain. Read more
Published 2 months ago by H. Whitehead
A World Without Tears?
Another week, another Young Adult fiction dystopia. This is a genre that I have always enjoyed reading, but now it has burst into the mainstream, is quality going to decline? Read more
Published 2 months ago by Quicksilver
Average
I really wanted to like this book, but it is a touch simplistically written, and I wasn't racing through it by any means. Read more
Published 2 months ago by V. Nicholl
"Being a good citizen meant thinking very little"
"Being a good citizen meant thinking very little. The System and the Great Leader did the thinking for them": in this novel, Gemma Mallory does what she does best - creates a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Debs
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