The Electric Kingdom

The Electric Kingdom tells the story of a world in the near future ravaged by a pandemic that makes coronavirus look like a walk in the park. This pandemic is apocalyptic. Carnivorous flies, carrying a deadly Fly Flu, have devastated the world, leaving behind few survivors. The story is about a group of young survivors in New England whose parents have succumbed to the the flies or fly flu. Nico and her dog have lived in a remote farmhouse and are now on a quest assigned by her father to find a enigmatic portal in Manchester. Kit is a twelve year-old artist who has been raised in an abandoned cinema with his friends Lakie and Monty, who are trying to reach an island refuge. Loretta and Lennon were raised in the forest by two women they met in a campground, after their parents were taken by the flies. Then there is the mysterious Deliverer, who lives over and over again trying to save, or at least help, the world. These young survivors cross paths in the woods and small towns, attempting to evade the deadly swarms of flies, in their quest for safety, love and answers. The Electric Kingdom is beautifully written, mesmerizing, dark, sad, thought-provoking and strangely hopeful. The characters are wonderful and this book will haunt you.

Well, this was certainly mind twisting. It starts out just before the end of the world due to the flies (but not really flies) that eat people and bring the flu, killing off the majority of human life and ends with a new kind of life that was really cool. Certainly not what I expected and I will be thinking about this for a bit, trying to get my head around the concept. Told in three viewpoints, Nico (traveling with her dog Harry to fulfill her father's plan in the land of Manchester), the Deliverer (an enigmatic being clad in a space suit and has lived many lives), and Kit (a young lad who seems to know things). I like how it didn't immediately have tons of action so that you could get to know and care for the characters. The buildup was good too for the unraveling of all the mysteries. The flies were creepy though and I hope they never show up in this world. I really liked this book and I am glad it ended the way it did. It was full of hope.

Gripping and Hopeful The premise of this book as well as the cover were enough to request an ARC of this exciting novel. The characters felt so real to me and each had his or her strengths and dreams, despite their dire circumstances in which most of human life had been wiped out by a genetically altered bee. This is a tale of found family and first loves intricately woven together like a beautiful pattern in nature. It's a tale of survival and hope as the characters seek to find refuge and what they believe are their destinies. The writing is lyrical and often poetic and although at times this novel dragged a bit, I never wanted to stop reading and stayed up well past my bedtime to finish. I needed to know who was the Deliverer and to see if my guess was correct. This book brought out all the emotions--happiness, anger, fear, anxiety--and helped me have hope for our current pandemic situation that humanity will pull through this and come out stronger on the backside. The ending is spot on perfect for this timely novel.