ASCENSION

A woman in a mid-22nd-century dystopian world has mere days to live in this SF prequel.

When the devastating FossilFlu pandemic hit, humanity responded by building walled cities. Liza Lee lives in the Sanctuary of Asia, a relatively safe, heavily guarded city until the virus forced its way inside. Now the government has the Ascension Program. Elderly citizens whose bodies resist a synthetic immunity gene must agree to “ascend”—or, basically, kill themselves. When the required age for gene immunity testing drops from 70 to 40, Liza suddenly becomes an Ascension candidate. Despite the government’s claims, the Sanctuary’s citizens know the program isn’t voluntary. Liza has roughly one week before her life ends, during which time authorities closely monitor her and anyone she interacts with. For Liza, that’s only Henry Ford; they’re both orphans who lost their families to FossilFlu years ago. The two have fallen in love, though they’re afraid to share their feelings with one another. Weisbeck’s novella, which takes place before the series’ second installment, Oasis One (2020), is a sublime love story. The previously established dystopia provides a vivid backdrop to romance and drama. A flashback to the couple’s blossoming relationship, though bittersweet, helps alleviate the grim present-day narrative. Henry, too, is likable; he has a stutter that vanishes when he’s with Liza but returns when he’s upset. The plot unspools leisurely and often focuses on quiet, dramatic moments. For example, Liza struggles to stay calm when meeting the young “Arranger” who apathetically relays Ascension details: “Liza hated her already. Not for her beauty….She hated her for the currency of her youth.”

This quiet, romantic tale of the future enriches an appealing series.