Shattered Roads

In this overly familiar near-future tale, one woman struggles with the threat of impending doom while her society ignores the approaching catastrophe. In this gloomy setting, most humans have forgotten the joys of living and are literally plugged into a vast entertainment network of reality shows. A few have escaped being plugged in, one being corpse disposal worker H124. On a cleanup job, she uncovers ancient information showing that Earth is in the path of an asteroid. Banding together with a group of people, the Rovers, who have secret scientific knowledge, H124 is determined to prevent humankind’s seemingly inevitable extinction. While Henderson aims at an inventive take on humanity’s future, this is nothing readers haven’t seen before, with a young, spunky heroine, unsurprising twists, and a plethora of emotional moments that seem stilted. Although Henderson’s writing has an energetic tone, the predictability of the plot bogs down the rest of the work. (Apr.)