CHILDREN OF THE MIRACLE

Weisbeck’s speculative series starter introduces a divided future world ravaged by a pandemic.

Mercy Perching is a leading scientist in the Sanctuary of Europe, studying the FossilFlu, a disease that’s wiped out much of the planet’s population. At Europe’s Council of Leaders, she’s surprised to find Europe isn’t the only Sanctuary; there’s also the Sanctuary of Asia and the Sanctuary of Americas. In the latter, scientists have encountered a mutation of the FossilFlu that’s dangerous to both humans and animals. Mercy is sent to work with their scientists on a cure. Once there, she finds a completely different world where science has solved many problems that Europe has yet to conquer. The Americas have built a shield to protect them from the harsh environment; and unlike Europe, they have live vegetation—and their people can go outside. They also have human/animal hybrids called Chimera and a tense political debate about how the hybrids fit into society—a rift their leader, the Prime, says she’s trying to heal. Mercy becomes involved with Chase, a fellow scientist and dog/human hybrid, and finds that the mutations have political origins. This puts her, her research, and her new relationship with Chase in the middle of a burgeoning civil war, which kicks off the rest of the series. In this first book, Weisbeck has created a colorful future and populated it with a variety of distinct creatures, and she ably expands and deepens the worldbuilding as the book goes on. Indeed, the vivid atmosphere is the book’s greatest asset and should please SF fans; it also gives Weisbeck a solid foundation for future installments. There are a few minor flaws, including plot elements that could have been better fleshed out; for instance, Sen. Arjun is an avatar of the Purists, an anti-Chimera political group, who’s apparently meant to be a foil for the Prime, but so little time is devoted to him and his group that they feel like afterthoughts. The story zips along, but there’s occasionally clumsy prose, as when a whale is said to move with “brevity.”

A brisk SF novel with a richly described setting that should be able to sustain a series.