20 Years Later

20 Years Later is a book that I was aware of long before it was picked up by fledgling US publisher Dystopia Press. The publishers very kindly sent me a copy to review many months ago, but even before then I already knew a great deal about the story as Emma Newman, the author of 20 Years Later, had been podcasting the story through her website for some time. Three quarters of the way through doing this she got that publishing deal for the book, but Dystopia Press allowed her to continue hosting the podcasts on her website.

I have mentioned previously in reviews that post-apocalyptic and dystopian stories seem to be all the rage in YA literature at the moment, although the genre is one that I only tend to dip in and out of. Focusing more on the post-apocalyptic rather than dystopian side of things, examples that spring to mind are Jonathan Maberry's Rot and Ruin (great zombie story) and Moira Young's Blood Red Road (Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome for the new millennium). Whilst I would suggest that 20 Years Later is not as polished as either of these two, it is still a hugely enjoyable read. This story refreshingly does not include any zombies, neither is it like Mad Max, and best of all, in comparison to the majority of post-apocalyptic stories published this year, it is not set in the USA, but in London.

The story starts off with a prologue, narrated by an as yet unnamed person. I'm not a big fan of prologues in post-apocalyptic stories, as they are sometimes used to give the reader a history of whichever apocalypse has occurred, be it mass-zombification of a population, nuclear war, climate change, etc. The prologue is written as if it were the introduction to a book, long lost and finally discovered many years later, with the narrator begging the reader to read on, rather than burn the book for a few more minutes of heat. Whilst it is used to divulge a little information, to set the scene, it does not give us any information regarding the nature of the apocalypse (referred to as It), but a description of London being a 'dusty, ghost-filled monument to the dead' with bone-littered streets, leaves us with no doubt at all that 'It' was pretty nasty indeed.

The London of 2032 is a pretty nasty place indeed. Areas have been taken over by various gangs, and these gangs are happy to fight to the death in order to prevent other encroaching on their territory. We have the Bloomsbury Boys, the Gardeners and the most organised and strongest group, The Red Lady's Gang. Main character Zane lives with his mother Miri in Bloomsbury. The pair are tolerated by the gang of boys that control that part of London as his Zane's mum has often been their first port of call when injured as a result of a fight with another gang. Miri has a small house, with a tidy garden, different to most of the overgrown areas in the city. Living so close to the Bloomsbury Boys is not easy for Zane; he wants to fit in with the crowd, but also feels obliged to follow the rules that his mother has laid down for him.

Zane's world is shaken to the core by several events near the beginning of the story. First off, he and his friend Dev observe a mysterious giant stalking the corridors of a long-abandoned hospital, an event that stirs up a good deal of speculation amongst the rest of the gang. Soon afterwards a small boy, dressed only in pyjamas, is discovered on the fringe of Russell Square, central in the Boys' territory. As soon as the boy sees Zane's face he becomes completely terrifed, yet Zane has never seen him before in his life. So begins a tale that sees Zane having to grow very quickly, as he comes under the influence of the Red Lady, discovers he has a strange power, and meets Erin and Titus, two other very special young people, who join him in his quest to discover what the giant is doing, and where Titus' kidnapped sister has been taken.

One of the things I really liked about 20 Years Later was main character Zane. In may post-apocalyptic stories we are given characters who are wise beyond their years, their personalities hardened by the difficult lives they have had to lead in order to survive. Zane is very different to these characters - he is one of life's innocents, and has a naivety rarely seen in books of this genre. If he had been a fully paid up member of a gang this would not have been at all believable, but unlike the other children in the book he has been brought up within the protective sphere of his mother's influence, having to work the garden and follow sensible rules. She has shielded him from the realities that have faced everyone else, and as such he is not as well equipped as others when it comes to survival. He therefore has to grow a great deal as the story progresses.

One of the things I find quite hard to believe in many post-apocalyptic stories with young characters is how every one of them so quickly acclimatise to their new situation, fast becoming great survivalists. As someone who works with children I know that this simply would not be the case - a small number might, but many would give up as soon as things got too tricky for them. Having a character who is not worldy-wise and a ready killer is, for me, a breath of fresh air in this genre. Zane has also had the finer details of the nature of 'It' kept from him; in fact, none of the Boys seem aware of the nature of the apocalypse that affected their world, and as readers we are kept guessing until very near the end of the story. Again, I quite liked this as it kept the story feeling fresh and different to many others that deal with similar themes.

As I said before, 20 Years Later does not seem as polished as other big name books in this genre. This is not the fault of the author, who I feel has created a well-paced, exciting story. The blame needs to be laid on the head of the publisher, but not too heavily. Like all small press publishers, Dystopia Press will have limited resources and less time to put into the editing process, and I think this book would have benefited from the more rigorous editing process it would have received in the hands of one of the major publishers.

20 Years Later is the first book in a planned trilogy, and as such there are many loose ends left untied come the final page. E.J Newman does end the story in a satisfactory manner, without leaving us dangling on a nasty cliffhanger, but leaves us with plenty to look forward to in future instalments. Flaws aside, this is a hugely enjoyable read and I will definitely be wanting to follow the rest of the story. ( )

In 20 Years Later most of London (maybe the world?) has perished. Now we see quite a bit of youth with no knowledge of life before this huge unexplained disaster. Gangs have formed and they’re extremely territorial about their claimed areas. Violence is common place as everyone fights to survive. Zane and his mom have managed to make a place for themselves without joining any of the local gangs. They grow food and help heal the injured. This has made them important and bought them much needed protection from two local gangs. Much more is going on in this world than anyone realizes. Zane discovers he has a hidden talent and meets up with two others who also seem to have something special about them.

20 Years Later turned out to be nothing like I’d expected. Initially I was so confused it really impacted my reading enjoyment. It took a good 50-75 pages to really grab my attention, but once it did I was hooked.

I think the main issue was being dropped into this complex dystopian London with zero clue as to why things are the way they are 20 years after “It” occurred. What is “It"? The main characters have no clue, so they can’t enlighten us readers. I’m so glad I trudged through my initial confusion because there was a really great story lurking on the pages. Once the characters began to question the state of the world and search for answers it was almost like the fog lifted for me. At last I felt like I was submerged in a totally screwed up world which for some bizarre reason entertains me to no end.

The characters were pretty cool, but I admit I wanted to shake Zane a few times. Actually I should probably have shook his mom since she raised him in a totally messed up world without ever explaining how messed up it was. His naivety tried my patience to no end, and I was thrilled to see a more jaded Zane at the book’s end. I really loved Titus and Erin. They felt more real to me. I also found the gang system very interesting. I hope the author will explore their secrets more in the next book.

I loved how this one ended and will pick up the next in the series to see what happens to Zane, Titus, Erin and the little known about Eve. Hopefully with the world building out of the way we can delve right into the action! ( )

I am going to give this book the benefit of the doubt and say I am not its target audience - yes, I am a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, and love me a good book set in London - in that this is squarely Young Adult fiction and I have moved beyond that description awhile ago. So perhaps a typical YA reader would have less problem with the plot holes and clunky dialogue. I am not sure even they would find the character of Zane particularly believable (as other reviewers have pointed out, he is ridiculously naive considering his age and the kind of situation he has grown up in) or the fact that only twenty years after the massive disaster much of what 'we' consider normal technology is forgotten (or is that because so many of the population are so young and have grown up without it).

While I admire a new publisher who takes on this kind of material, I wish they had put a bit more effort into editing, even back at the manuscript assessment stage. There IS a good story in here, but it really needs a little more work on the execution. That is not meant at as a dig at the author either - even very good authors often need quite a bit of editorial polish to shine, and there is nothing to say Newman won't do even better in the future with a stricter editor on board.

I am one of those that received an ARC thanks to the Library Thing Early Reviewers programme, and I really appreciated being sent a full publicity pack and a hand written not. I will be looking out for future titles from this publisher. ( )

In 2012, something happens that kills countless people, leaving London reduced to a graveyard littered with bones instead of a bustling city. Twenty years later, London is ruled by gangs that are constantly at war, pushing the boundaries on each other's territory and causing innocent people to get caught in the middle of their quarrels. Teenage Zane and his mother Miri have a garden in between two gangs, the Red Lady's Hunters and the Bloomsbury Boys. They treat the sick and wounded from both sides in return for being left alone, unaligned with either group. A new gang is introduced when a strange girl is kidnapped from the Bloomsbury Boys using lightning to stun them. Titus, the girl's brother, resolves to save her. He befriends Zane and a girl from the Red Lady's gang named Erin. Together, they discover their own unique powers and work together to save Titus' sister from the mysterious kidnappers.

20 Years Later is a good young adult post-apocalyptic story. The new world is dangerous and mysterious. The main characters in the novel are teens and they know very little about the event that destroyed the world as we know it. They don't know anything about life in the past. Electricity, makeup, and most modern amenities are alien to them. It seemed more like it should have been set a hundred years in the future. Somehow it made sense because most of the characters are teens who have only known this world. The adults are very close lipped about it and are more concerned about protecting the children instead of communicating or educating. I enjoyed the gang power struggle. This type of rule seems much more likely than one central government in the event of an apocalypse. Groups just carve out their own territory and fight to defend it until they lose and someone else takes over.

I really liked the main characters. Zane is an idealist with healing powers and a desire to become a doctor. He was a little too innocent for believability's sake, more like an eight year old than a fifteen year old. With all the blood and violence he sees on a fairly regular basis, I would think he would be more worldly and cynical. Titus fits worldly cynical very well. He doesn't hesitate to make hard decisions when they are necessary. His sister's safety is his first priority and he doesn't waver from his mission at all. Erin is also more experienced and hardened than Zane. Her father is the best Hunter in the Red Lady's army and she is training to become a warrior just like her dad. Despite her hard exterior, she opens up to Titus and Zane and considers them her best and only friends. She is fiercely loyal and, like Titus, not afraid of fighting for her own safety and the safety of her loved ones. All three characters are very different and pulled in different directions, but manage to keep their friendship.

Although I liked 20 Years Later, it kind of pales in comparison to other more gritty and dark dystopias in the genre, such as The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Hunger Games. The writing does need some work. The ending was a bit of a let down, there are a few plot holes, and the frame story tries too hard to incite interest in a sequel. I will be reading the second book and I hope the story gets even better. ( )

Positives: I really did enjoy this book inspite of myself. I am a huge fan of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, and the Hunger Games Trilogy, so I think I unconsciously compared 20 Years Later at times. There were so many moments and ideas in this book that were wonderful..... that being said, Negatives: I didn't feel like the author gave enough of a story with the 'event' that occurred. Also the dialog between characters didn't feel 'right' with something having occured so recently. Back to positives. :) I am definitely interested in reading the rest of this series. I thought the end was a near perfect set up for the next book. Hope you enjoy!