The Not Yet

Robert Penn Warren Award-winner Crone (A Period of Confinement) makes her impressive genre debut, mixing standard dystopian tropes with social commentary and a strong literary voice. Malcolm de Lazarus is one of the titular "Not Yet" destined for inclusion in the immortality program run by the Heirs of New Orleans in the year 2121. On discovering a problem with his Trust%E2%80%94a fund partially fueled by his years as a teen actor%E2%80%94he sets off for the New Orleans Islands in search of some answers. Crone fills in Malcolm's%E2%80%94and the world's%E2%80%94story largely via flashback, introducing his mentor, Lazarus, his friend Ariel, and the scientist Lydia Greenmore, who is both connected to and conflicted about the process that has granted her eternal life. In addition to an engaging story line made all-the-more compelling by recent advances in bioengineering, readers will appreciate Malcolm's slightly off-kilter narrative voice. Crone ably mixes styles and does a nice job of creating a portrait of a dark future while remaining accessible. (Mar.)