Title: The Ark
Author: Laura Liddell Nolen
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publication date: March 26th 2015
Publication date: March 26th 2015
BLURB supplied by Xpresso Book Tours
There’s a meteor headed for Earth, and there is only one way to survive.
With her criminal record, sixteen-year-old Char is never going to get a place on an Ark, one of the five massive bioships designed to protect Earth’s survivors. The Arks are reserved for the real goody-goodies, like Char’s mom, dad, and brother, all of whom have long since turned their backs on her.
With Earth on the brink of destruction, Char must use all her tricks of the trade to swindle her way into outer space, where she hopes to reunite with her family, regardless of whether they want to see her or not.
Once she arrives on the North American Ark, Char discovers that the remnants of humanity haven’t achieved the egalitarian utopia they’d planned for. For starters, the “Officers of the Peace” are anything but peaceful, especially since stealing a spot on an Ark is a crime punishable by death…
With her criminal record, sixteen-year-old Char is never going to get a place on an Ark, one of the five massive bioships designed to protect Earth’s survivors. The Arks are reserved for the real goody-goodies, like Char’s mom, dad, and brother, all of whom have long since turned their backs on her.
With Earth on the brink of destruction, Char must use all her tricks of the trade to swindle her way into outer space, where she hopes to reunite with her family, regardless of whether they want to see her or not.
Once she arrives on the North American Ark, Char discovers that the remnants of humanity haven’t achieved the egalitarian utopia they’d planned for. For starters, the “Officers of the Peace” are anything but peaceful, especially since stealing a spot on an Ark is a crime punishable by death…
PURCHASE LINKS
EXCERPT
On the last day of Earth, I couldn’t find my hairbrush.
That probably seems like a silly thing to worry about, what with the imminent
destruction of, well, everything, but my mom was always after me about
my usual ratty ponytail. Normally, I’d ignore her. Or, if I were having a
really bad day, I’d tell her what she could do with her hairbrush. But like I
said, it was the last day of Earth. And I figured, since it was the last time
she’d ever see me, I wanted it to go smoothly. I wanted her to remember me, if
not fondly, then at least without anger.
A girl can dream.
I slipped out of my cell as soon as the door swung open.
I’d done the same every day for the past month, and my family had yet to show
up. Their OPT—Off-Planet Transport—took off in eighteen hours, so they still
had time. Barely. I couldn’t blame them if they didn’t come. It wasn’t hard to
imagine that they’d rather escape to the stars without so much as a backward
glance at me, their big disappointment. Even my father’s influence couldn’t
persuade the government to give me a spot on an OPT.
Turns out, when humankind is deciding which of its
children to save, the last place it looks is in prison.
But I was pretty sure they’d come. West had said as much
in his last transmission. The thought of my younger brother actually halted me
mid-step, like one of those punches in the gut where you can’t breathe for a
few seconds.
“Looking for something?” The lazy drawl floated out of
the nearest cell.
Against my better instincts, I turned to see Cassa lying
on her bunk, her arm draped across Kip. My Kip. Or at least, my ex-Kip.
Whatever. In twenty-two hours, I wouldn’t have to think about him anymore.
See? Silver lining. And they called me a perpetual
pessimist at my last psych workup.
They barely fit next to each other on the flimsy
mattress, but that wasn’t the weird part. The guys’ ward was separated by a
substantial metal wall. We were kept apart during evening hours, for obvious
reasons. Not that anyone cared anymore. The med staff had been the first to go,
followed by the cleaning crew, followed by the kitchen crew. To show you where
girls like me fell on the government’s list of priorities, there was still a
skeleton crew of guards lurking around, despite the fact that I hadn’t had a
real meal for going on a week. The guards would be gone soon, too, and then
there’d be no one in here but us chickens.
I figured either Kip had a key, or the guards had left
already. A key could be useful. My curiosity got the best of me. “How’d he get
in here before the first bell?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “I got some tricks you ain’t seen,
babe. Why don’t you join us? End of the world and all.”
The guards were gone, then. I felt a small trill of
anxiety deep in my chest. If the guards were gone, my family was even less
likely to show. But it was never smart to show fear. “The Pinball could be
headed straight for this building, and I still wouldn’t be desperate
enough to touch you. Oh, wait. Guess you don’t have to take my word for it.”
I turned to leave, but he continued. “Now is that any way
to treat your dear ole partners? Be nice or I won’t give you back your stuff.”
“Ugh, you were in my room?” I flexed my shoulder
blades, making sure my gun was still tightly secured between them.
“Don’t worry, Char. I didn’t handle the merchandise.
Didn’t want to wake you up. Just lifted me a few keepsakes.” He pronounced my
name the way I like: Char, as in charred. Something that got
burned.
I wasn’t sure what Kip and Cassa were planning, but I
knew I wouldn’t like it. They were thieves and liars. I would know. I used to
be one of them. That was before the last job, when Cassa had attacked an
elderly man in the home we were robbing. She’d kicked him until he stopped
fighting back. Kip had called her off after a few licks, but I just stood
there, staring. The old man looked at me, like right at me, while we made our
getaway, and my stomach twisted into a knot so tight that I tasted bile. That
was the moment I knew I wanted out.
But by then, no one believed me. Or, if they did, no one
cared. Except for Kip and Cassa, of course. They’d taken the news pretty hard,
to put it lightly.
If I lunged for the box, I could probably grab my
hairbrush and get out of there. I wouldn’t have time for more than that. Then
again, I’d be doing exactly what they expected, and I didn’t have time for
delays. My family could be in the commissary any second now.
“Ahem. Seeing as it’s your last day of life, I might let
you have one thing back,” said Kip.
“In exchange for what?”
“I’m hurt. All our time together, and you still don’t
believe in my inherent generosity. But now that you mention it, I’ve got a
hankering for some peanut butter crackers.”
“Sorry, Kip. I’m fresh out of food. Kinda like everyone
else.”
“Nice try, Charrr.” He drew my name out, as though
tasting it. “I saw them yesterday. Figured you were hiding them under your
pillow when I couldn’t find them last night.”
“You figured wrong.”
All I could think about was my brother’s face. And how I
had this one last chance to apologize to my parents, for everything. I shrugged
and turned to leave.
That was probably a mistake.
.jpg)
Laura grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she spent an excellent childhood playing make-believe with her two younger brothers. The Ark is the direct result of those stories and a lifelong devotion to space-themed television. It received a Work in Progress Grant from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Laura has a degree in French and a license to practice law, but both are frozen in carbonite at present. She lives in Texas with her family.
AUTHOR LINKS
.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment