Falls: Dark Life
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Kat Falls, Dark Life. New York : Scholastic Press, 2010. 297 pages. Fiction.
Sea level has risen even more than scientists predicted. The Rocky Mountains are now just a string of islands. People are packed into skyscraper cities and space is a coveted commodity. But beneath the sea surface, life flourishes....
Ty was born on the Atlantic seafloor, in Benthic Territory. His parents were trailblazers in this new frontier -- his engineer dad helped design and construct the jelly-like homes that pulse in the underwater currents and his scientist mom helped perfect aquaculture techniques for fish and kelps. Together with the other families of the Benthic Territory, they grow the food that feeds the Topsiders now that intense ultra-violent light destroys life. Gemma is a topsider who has ventured to the Dark Life in order to find her missing brother, she desperately wants to reunite her family. Gemma and Ty set out to find Gemma's brother but come into contact with dangerous Outlaws, corrupt government officials, and mysterious occurrences among the teenagers of the Dark Life. Can they find the brother, save the Benthic Territory, and manage not to get killed in the process?
The marine biology aspect of this book had me instantly requesting it from the library -- Falls describes a fantastic undersea world that mixes cool and unusual marine facts (bioluminescent anglerfish) with futuristic fantasy elements (liquigen for underwater breathing) that has me ready to don my dive suit and hope to find a secret underwater society to join! In addition to that, I found the story itself to be action-packed, heartfelt, and in-tune with young teenagers. The plot wasn't overly complex (as is common with YA books) but I found it more complex that most and a couple of twists took me a while to figure out. I truly hope this is only the first of several books about Dark Life.
When global climate change causes the East Coast to slide into the Atlantic Ocean, I want to permanently move into the Dark Life!
-- Notes by NR
