Under the Never Sky
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Fighting to survive in a ravaged world, a Dweller and a Savage form an unlikely alliance in New York Times bestselling author Veronica Rossi's "unforgettable dystopian masterpiece" (Examiner.com).
Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption.
In alternating chapters told in Aria's and Perry's voices, Under the Never Sky subtly and powerfully captures the evolving relationship between these characters and sweeps readers away to a harsh but often beautiful world. Continuing with Through the Ever Night and concluding with Into the Still Blue, the Under the Never Sky trilogy has already been embraced by readers in twenty-six countries and been optioned for film by Warner Bros.
Supports the Common Core State Standards
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Savage" tribesman Perry rescues the effete Pod-dweller Aria in Rossi's dystopian debut about an ecological apocalypse. Earth is now ravaged by Aether storms, from which the Dwellers are insulated at the cost of all freedoms. Aria is cast out of this refuge after a venture into a forbidden greenhouse, where she first meets Perry. The Outsider tribes live exposed to the horrifically magnified elements and suffer from mutations as well as the privations of their Stone Age culture. Predictable culture clashes ensue as Perry introduces Aria to his primitive lifestyle, though Rossi does have some interesting ideas. The Dwellers are kept passive by an elaborate virtual construct called "the Realms," but aside from a few brief scenes, the Realms are merely referred to, not depicted. The focus is on Aria's response to life in "the real" (and, of course, to Perry), and it's hard to warm up to either. Violent death is endemic to both cultures, and in the tradition of H.G. Wells, neither the Eloi-like Dwellers nor the Morlock-like Outsider tribes are terribly appealing.
Customer Reviews
Great Debut!
Great first novel! Definitely a must read in 2012 for any fan of this genre - it's refreshing to find a novel with actual character development and a quick moving plot. I can't wait for the sequel!
Love
One of the best series I've ever read. Veronica Rossi is so poetic in the way she writes.
Cool Premise But Not Dystopian: Barely Post-Apocalyptic
#1 Issue- It’s supposed to be the future after a big unexplained catastrophic event, but 90% of the setting takes place in tribal huts in the woods, and then migrates to a weird castle fortress, which really messed up my perception of the time period. There’s no real mention of pollution or abandoned cities to make it feel post-apocalyptic. If you’re into that kind of thing, this is the book for you, but I went into this expecting sci-fi elements, and all I got were VR contacts and an evil councilman. Most definitely NOT dystopian. Also, what the heck is Aether?
#2) Plot: It’s got some action, but I feel the second book is better.
#3) While the characters themselves weren’t groundbreaking in their uniqueness, I found their relationships to be the best part of the book because they were more layered than I expected. I enjoyed the romance: Aria and Perry were both flawed, but I think they (Aria especially) developed nicely throughout the story, and their relationship was sweet.
•Overall, not what I expected, but I’m invested enough in their relationships to keep reading.