The Loop
by Ben Oliver
Synopsis:
It’s Luka Kane’s sixteenth birthday and he’s been inside The Loop for over two years. Every inmate is serving a death sentence with the option to push back their execution date by six months if they opt into “Delays”, scientific and medical experiments for the benefit of the elite in the outside world.
But rumors of a war on the outside are spreading amongst the inmates, and before they know it, their tortuous routine becomes disrupted. The government issued rain stops falling. Strange things are happening to the guards. And it’s not long until the inmates are left alone inside the prison.
Were the chains that shackled Luka to his cell the only instruments left to keep him safe? In a thrilling shift, he must overcome fellow prisoners hell-bent on killing him, the warden losing her mind, the rabid rats in the train tunnels, and a population turned into murderous monsters to try and break out of The Loop, save his family, and discover who is responsible for the chaos that has been inflicted upon the world.
Review:
Dystopian scifi is really popular, especially in YA media. And this debut is very impressive. It’s been a long time since I’ve read such an engaging and suspenseful novel. There is a sense of panic and fear that makes this book impossible to put down. Luka is a sympathetic character. And the rest of the kids Luka meets, we learn along with him what their true characters are when they’re put to the test. This story is original and exciting. And I’ve read that it’s already been optioned for a TV series.
This is the first in a planned trilogy. And I can’t wait for the next installment.