The 100

This book takes what would seem–on the surface–to be an incredibly grim and morally gray story and frames it such that it can be read by younger audiences. I read this book when I was eleven years old, and it truly laid the groundwork for my current love of dystopian sci-fi.

The premise is unique, the characters have complex motivations, and the stakes are endlessly high–after all, humanity was in a bad enough position that it was willing to drop a hundred teenagers on an irradiated planet. In my opinion, such a difficult decision casts a very realistic light on… show more.

Clarke is a natural leader who wants to take care of everyone but herself, and she will sacrifice her safety for others all in a world that defies the logic of the one she’d always known. She is frail and emotional, but tough when she needs to be, and she develops close bonds with just a few special people, while caring about all, even the ones she wants to shoot with a rifle or hang by a rope.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war made their home uninhabitable, humanity has lived on ships far above the Earth’s surface. That is, until 100 juvenile prisoners are sent down on a dangerous mission – to recolonize the planet. It will either be their second chance at life, or a short-lived suicide mission. Clarke is among the 100, and faces not only the challenges of an abandoned planet but also the ghosts of her past. 

It has been a long time since I read something that I simply couldn’t put down, but this is a series of books that had me… show more.