THE AWOKEN

A resurrected cancer patient must fight for her right to exist in this speculative fiction debut.

Shortly after Alabine Rivers falls in love with Max Green, she discovers she has lymphoma. Her oncologist is initially optimistic, but when it becomes clear that Alabine is going to die at age 23, she and Max start fundraising for her only remaining option: cryogenics. The plan is for CryoLabs to preserve and maintain Alabine’s body until science finds a way to cure her and bring her back—hopefully no more than a few decades from now. It comes as a surprise, then, when Alabine regains consciousness a century later in an abandoned cryo clinic swarming with armed soldiers. Rebels dubbed Resurrectionists spirit Alabine away and reveal that the eastern half of the former U.S. is now United America, a fiercely nationalistic, aggressively anti-technology country that forbids the revivification of cryogenically preserved humans despite the fact that there are millions. Upon arriving at a Chicago refugee camp full of fellow “Awoken,” Alabine learns that resurrection was actually legal for quite some time thanks to a campaign waged by Max and centered on her. The U.A.’s president intends to soon destroy a large Atlanta cryo facility and its contents, effectively committing genocide, so the Resurrectionists woke Alabine to help sway public opinion. Alabine protests—until the rebels disclose that Max is also frozen, and they plan to liberate and resuscitate him, as well. Howes thoughtfully extrapolates from current events to create a chilling, all-too-plausible future. Vividly sketched, deeply sympathetic characters and high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled plotting propel the tale to a cathartic close.

Intelligent, action-packed, and emotionally charged.