How to approach a review of a book, the second in a trilogy, which by its nature will have some spoiler leakage for the first volume, itself a novel which should be read with the least amount of plot information as possible? Funny you should ask, because that’s what I’d like to attempt here. It should also be clear at this point that reading Alive is practically a must as Alight picks up directly upon the conclusion of the first volume.
Unfortunately, much of the spoiler information is provided by the publisher themselves in their description of the book. So rather than me spoiling anything, I’ll provide exactly what the publisher provides, then launch into the review.
M. Savage—or Em, as she is called—has made a bewildering and ominous discovery. She and the other young people she was chosen to lead awoke in strange coffins with no memory of their names or their pasts. They faced an empty, unknown place of twisting tunnels and human bones. With only one another to depend on, they searched for answers and found the truth about their terrifying fate. Confronted by a monstrous enemy, they vowed never to surrender—and, by any means, to survive.
The planet Omeyocan may be the sanctuary Em and her comrades seek. But the planet for which they were created turns out not to be a pristine, virgin world. Vestiges of a lost civilization testify to a horrifying past that may yet repeat itself. And when a new enemy creeps from the jungle shadows, Em and her young refugees learn there’s nowhere left to run. They face a simple choice: fight or die.
In the midst of this desperate struggle, their unity is compromised from within—and a dangerous zealot devoted to a bloodthirsty god moves to usurp Em’s command, threatening to lead them all down a path to violent doom.
At the end of Alive, our heroine, Em, and her allies discovered the nature of their situation in a quite shocking fashion. Here in Alight, the ramifications of that reveal are explored, though Em’s situation is only marginally clearer by the end of Alight. Sure she has more answers to questions she had at the start of Alive, but as is often the case, those answers lead to more questions. If anything, despite the struggles Em and her allies underwent in Alive, the conflict here in Alight may be even more challenging and may have farther ranging consequences for the fate of the human race.
So what makes this such an enjoyable novel? First and foremost would be Sigler’s ability to keep the plot moving at a pace that both sates the desire for what comes next while also leaving enough hanging and unexplained that not going to the next chapter is an act of will.
The characters are also quite believable, given their situation. Em is on the cusp of true adulthood and Sigler manages to capture the self-doubt and frustration quite well. She finds herself attracted to two young men and even she wonders how smart it is to linger on such thoughts given the stressful (to say the least) situation in which she and her allies find themselves.
There’s also a well-handled argument in the character of Em with regard to being oneself with a will of your own while struggling against the shackles of a predestined life. Typically, such a character argument might be better suited to a story with more fantasy trappings, particularly with the hero struggling against her destiny. However, the nature of the tale Sigler is unfolding in the Generations trilogy allows for an equally robust exploration of the argument from a more scientific foundation. Another conflict is the religion/faith v. science conflict best embodied by the continued ideological battle (and battle for leadership) between Em and Aramousky. Through most of the novel, Aramousky is an insufferable jerk, who needles and prods Em every time she speaks in front of a group. However, if Em were give to into her baser instincts to “dispose” of him, she might go down a path of no return from a moral perspective, and it might shake the faith the people have in her as a leader.
The book is fairly short with 424 pages, but in a hardcover with slightly smaller dimensions meaning that less words are on the page than a standard sized hardcover. In that space, Sigler packs a great deal of punch, adding to an already anxiety-laden story and building towards what could be a truly epic conclusion to what has thus far been a stunning science fiction saga. If you like character driven stories, set in a future where the survival of the human race is in question, then go catch up with these books before Alone publishes next year (2017).
Highly, highly recommended.
© 2016 Rob H. Bedford
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Del Rey Books
Published April 2016 | Hardcover, 448 pages
http://scottsigler.com/book/alight/
