GENERATION RETALIATION

Months after their escape from the Blackthorn Peak Lunatic Asylum, Shaun and his friends find themselves once again threatened by the Agency in this sequel to Generation Annihilation (2023).

Their fear about which authorities may be partnered with the Agency in its goals of experimenting on and eliminating all teenagers has kept the group isolated in Shaun’s grandfather’s cabin. Hiding is especially critical, given Shaun’s and most of the others’ criminal backgrounds. Yet, despite their anxieties and Shaun’s growing hopelessness, they may be the only ones who can keep the Agency and its nefarious leader from wiping out their entire generation once operations start up again at the asylum. Lacking even the initial intrigue of the first book, this sequel struggles to find its motivation until the final quarter, wasting time juggling an unnecessarily large cast via the same jerky plot developments and over-reliance on repetition that plagued the previous volume. Shaun’s “swell of pride and justice” over murdering his abusive stepfather, as well as his violent fantasies, together undermine the baseless faith the others have in his supposed altruistic tendencies. Meanwhile, the exaggerated villainy displayed by the Agency’s head disrupts any suspension of disbelief. A last-minute monologue and tedious reveals add needless drama that fails to feed either plot or characterization before the soap opera–worthy epilogue. Central characters are cued white.

A poorly executed and dragging follow-up that further squanders the first book’s potential.