The Resistance

by Gemma Malley

Overview

The year is 2140. Having escaped the horrors of Grange Hall, Peter and Anna are living freely on the Outside, trying hard to lead normal lives, but unable to leave the terror of the Declaration—and their experiences as surpluses—completely behind them. Peter is determined to infiltrate Pharma Corporation, which claims to have a new drug in the works; "Longevity+" will not just stop the ravages of old age, it is rumored to reverse the aging process. But what Peter and Anna discover behind the walls of Pharma is so nightmarish it makes the prison of their childhood seem like a sanctuary: for in order to supply Pharma with the building blocks for Longevity+, scientists will need to harvest it from the young. Shocking, controversial, and frighteningly topical, this sequel to Gemma Malley's stellar debut novel, The Declaration, will take the conversation about ethics and science to the next level.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781408836903
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Publication date:	11/28/2012
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Gemma Malley studied philosophy at Reading University before working as a journalist. The Declaration was her first book for young readers. She lives in London with her family.

Editorial Reviews

In Anna and Peter's world, medically created immortality has made most childbirth illegal, according to this unsubtle but worthwhile and tension-packed sequel. After their escape from the hellish Surplus Halls of illegal children in The Declaration (2007), they'd hoped for a comfortable life raising children and fighting the government-but it's not that simple. The resistance wants Peter to spy on the company that makes longevity drugs, but the company's owner, Peter's overwhelmingly evil grandfather, hopes to convert Peter to his own side. The story makes abortive attempts to treat complex ethical questions with depth, asking if science used for evil ends could be good in different contexts, or whether a Resistance leader who has chosen immortality for himself can be trusted. But ultimately, the text finds these questions fairly easy to answer. Peter's story takes a clear moral position-it is the responsibility of the old to die to make way for the young-and portrays any dissenters as either despicable or willfully naive. Here's hoping the nicely set-up sequel has a more delicate touch. (Science fiction. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews