The Garden of Darkness

May 19, 2014
Children are faced with the unenviable task of rebuilding civilization after a disease known as the Pest wipes out most of humanity. Left behind are infected teens and preteens, who will die as they mature, and the Cured, adults whose attempts to stay alive turned them into insane monsters. A small group navigates the post-apocalyptic ruins of society: 15-year-old Clare, 13-year-old Jem, nine-year-old Sarai, and seven-year-old Mirri. As they forage and form a new family together, they slowly drift north, in search of the safe haven promised by the so-called Master, an adult who claims to have a cure and a refuge from the Cured. As they travel, they witness how other survivors have adapted to their new circumstances. Kendall tells the story from an emotional distance and at a leisurely pace, helping to strengthen the bleak, horrifying nature of the setting and premise. The narrative, while sometimes prone to meandering and digression, is strong and occasionally haunting, and the ending leaves much open for future exploration. Ages 12–up. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Associates.

May 1, 2014
Another adult-killing pandemic rages....Fifteen-year-old cheerleader Clare is a delayed-onset sufferer of Pest, meaning she is one of the adolescents who, while infected, won't die from it until later in puberty. Orphaned, Clare briefly survives solo before encountering and joining a schoolmate, 13-year-old chess prodigy Jem, and the two little girls he's protecting. Jem has no personality flaws and is conveniently supplied with plenty of survival savvy, so Clare frequently defers to his leadership and judgment. Besides surviving without modern amenities, the heroes are threatened by the Cured, people who received an early treatment that failed most patients and drove the survivors into violent insanity. Both the disease itself and the Cured are underdeveloped as concepts, but the story shines in detailing the minutiae of everyday life in a post-apocalyptic world. It highlights the less-than-glamorous complications that other stories overlook, such as figuring out where to defecate and coping with survivors' stench. The heroes follow broadcasts by a surviving adult who calls himself the Master and promises a cure. The third-person omniscient narration switches occasionally to the Master or his child followers, letting the readers know so much more than the protagonists that all mystery is lost. The Master's creepiness is drawn in such broad strokes as to make him a caricature rather than an effective villain. The ending concludes the story instead of teasing a sequel.A stand-alone option for die-hard post-apocalyptic fans. (Post-apocalyptic adventure. 11-16)

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