Fiction Addict

Genre: YA

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: May 2010

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

The America we know lies in tatters; earthquakes have caused whole coasts to slide into the ocean, global warming has caused the oceans to flood the land and people live stacked practically on top of each other. But below the sea in Benthic Territory, life thrives and the resident farmers move, live and work freely there.

This Dark Life, far below the surface, is the only life teenager Ty has ever known. But outlaws threaten to destroy his family’s subsea existence with their marauding and pillaging. While his new Topside friend, Gemma, seeks her long-lost brother, the outlaws attack Ty’s home. As he tries to help Gemma and preserve his way of life, Ty confronts not only the outlaws, but secrets as deep and dark as the canyons that swallowed the States.
Kat Falls’ first novel, Dark Life, offers a mesmerizing account of a futuristic life on the ocean floor with a nod to the past—the Wild West and frontier life are clearly represented in the book. But the story is as much about survival in a harsh political climate as it is about life in an aquatic one. The new colony faces over-taxation and abuse from the Commonwealth, the governing system after the earthquake.

The book feels a little raw in some scenes—as though something deeply emotional is missing from its straightforward prose—but the fast-paced plotting and the wonder of the ocean engage readers so thoroughly that this sensation quickly passes. Abundant twists pepper this exciting tale, propelling the reader from one chapter to another.

Dark Life is an enjoyable read for teen and tween lovers of science fiction and adventure.

Review copy provided by Scholastic.