cover image Highway

Highway

M.L. Banner. Toes in the Water, $2.99 e-book (271p) ASIN B01CK9WF8I

Banner’s latest dystopian novel is an imagining of the near-future U.S. after a massive nuclear attack. Headstrong Lexi and her precocious younger brother, Travis, must traverse the newly created wilderness after the horrific death of their father, who leaves them with a cryptic message sending them toward an unknown destination. Little do Lexi and Travis know that they are part of a plan to overthrow America. Banner’s postapocalyptic America is almost too familiar, taking cues from well-established authors such as Cormac McCarthy and Robert Kirkman, and the lawlessness of that world (kidnappings, rape) no longer shocks. Lexi and Travis are redeemable protagonists, and it is refreshing to see a focus on a young woman who must come to terms with responsibility. However, the story’s stakes don’t feel high until late in the novel, and there is little impetus to keep reading until then, even during the most intense moments. Fans of the dystopian genre have seen this all before. [em](BookLife) [/em]