Book Review and GIveaway: Expiration Day by William Campbell Powell
It is the year 2049, and humanity is on the brink of extinction….. Tania Deeley has always been told that she’s a rarity: a human when most “children” are androids created and loaned out by the Oxted Corporation. When a decline in global fertility ensued, it was the creation of these near-perfect human copies called teknoids that helped to prevent the utter collapse of society- the “children” helped calm the population by giving the adults surrogates and a way to calm their emotions. Yet, how can Tania tell who is an teknoid and who is human? And who else in her life isn’t real?
I was told I absolutely HAD to have this book by a bunch of teens I met at the Texas Library Association- they were raving about it after we discovered that we all loved dystopias and science fiction. And they were right- Tania is a completely believable narrator, and her voice haunts you throughout the book as you follow her journey from age 11 through 18. While it is an unusual YA book that covers that long of a time span, Tania’s voice ages along with her, and her viewpoint and her writing age right along with her. Told in diary format (with brief intersperses that can be annoying to the reader until you come to the end of the book), you are breathing in Tania’s world, her thoughts and her feelings.
It’s a complicated world that Powell creates, for telkoids walk and age along-side their human counterparts, and the adults all fool themselves that everyone is human until something reminds them that no, things are not right in their world. The future that is shown here is a frighteningly plausible apocalypse of mankind (the complete loss of fertility), and will draw readers to question, “What does it mean to be human?”
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for readers who love science fiction books similar in vein to Noggin, Burn Out, and Little Brother, or pair with older dystopia titles such as I,Robot, 1984, or Brave New World. Would be excellent as a fictional tool to explore other social science topics, such as immigration and population control, as well as pairing alongside the science/neurobiology ideas found within.
Want to win an ARC copy of Expiration Day? Share in the comments your favorite dystopia and your contact information (email or twitter) so we can get ahold of you if you win. Contest will close Sunday, May 11.
Filed under: Book Reviews, Expiration Day, William Campbell Powell
About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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My first experience with dystopia was the Giver, and I still love it love it love it (so excited for the movie, they better not screw it up). Thus, all dystopian attempts are held to its standard. michaela_schied@yahoo.com
My favorite dystopia is Divergent! It is such a wonderful book and I love it to death. My email is silversnakes98@yahoo.com or my twitter is @RachelYafangirl
I don't have just one favorite – dystopia has always been one of my favorite genres! I love The Giver, Divergent, 1984, Fahrenheit 451. Typically, if it is dystopian, I will read it!
My favorite is The Handmaid's Tale, but I have a lot of close seconds!
killianweston@gmail.com
My absolute favorite is The Hunger Games! I love that whole series 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway, this sounds like a great book!
farmangel2@aol.com
I really enjoyed Legend. The Giver was my first dystopian novel so it is a sentimental fav :o)
jaallen@greenville.k12.sc.us
I really enjoyed Legend. The Giver was my first dystopian novel so it is a sentimental fav :o)
jaallen@greenville.k12.sc.us
Cline's “Ready Player One”, hands down!! Best dystopia of the past few years, and I keep crossing my fingers that a (good) movie is made from it!
eouvrardprettol@gmail.com
I love Kristen Simmons Article 5 series.
@tammygeo
Fave dystopia…I'd say…The Hunger Games since I haven't finished all the others yet!
@JediLibrarian42
My favorite is The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I listened to the audio, and Nick Podehl did an excellent job showing the “noise.” elizabethhoffman27@yahoo.com