Dark Life

Dark Life
by Kat Falls
juvenile science fiction
297 pages
New York : Scholastic Press, 2010

Earthquakes have destroyed much of the land on the Earth's surface. Rising water levels have made much of the remainder unable to support human life. To survive people are crammed into ridiculously tall stacked apartment buildings with no personal space whatsoever. A few have become pioneers and moved to the ocean floor, creating farms and raising fish as livestock. Ty was born deep-sea to a pair of scientist pioneers. He and his younger sister are among the only children thriving in the ocean depths. Ty thinks of nothing more than exploring his environment, doing his chores and looking forward to when he turns eighteen and can stake his own claim on a piece of oceanic real-estate. Then Gemma literally drops into his life. A stubborn Topsider who is searching for her older brother, Gemma yearns for her own space and independence. She just happens to pick a terrible time to visit the deep-sea colony. A group of outlaws is spreading chaos and disorder in their wake as they capture and destroy supply subs and attack helpless homesteaders on the ocean floor. The Topside government is no help and it is up to the pioneers to capture and punish the criminals themselves. Add to all this action the rumors (or are they rumors?) that children born deep-sea have mutant abilities and you have one exciting story! Definitely recommended for kids ten and up, there is some slight violence but nothing graphic. This was a book I could not put down. I was also happy that it actually had an ending. The author could definitely write more, but it is not necessary.