Wasteland

Fans of the Divergent and Hunger Games series will love Wasteland, the first installment of the Wasteland trilogy, by five-time Emmy Award—nominated writer Susan Kim and Edgar Award—winning Laurence Klavan. With heart-pounding thrills, this harrowing dystopian survival story is alive with action and intrigue. Welcome to the Wasteland, a post-apocalyptic U.S. where no one lives past the age of 19. But an early death isn’t the only doom waiting around the corner: Everyone is forced to live under the looming threat of rampant disease and brutal attacks by the variants—hermaphroditic outcasts that live on the outskirts of Prin.

Esther doesn’t care that her best friend, a variant, is considered “the enemy.” She doesn’t care that Levi, the town's corrupt ruler who controls the Source, is the real enemy and might send his Taser boys after her if she makes one wrong move. Then she meets Caleb, and just possibly, she might have a chance at salvation.

• Post-Apocalyptic World: In the ravaged town of Prin, rampant disease means no one survives past nineteen, and every drop of rainwater is a death sentence.
• Outcasts and Rebels: Esther risks everything for her best friend Skar, a “variant” outcast, defying the iron-fisted rule of the town’s secret leader.
• Forbidden Romance: When the mysterious stranger Caleb arrives, he offers more than just a chance at survival—he offers a connection that could save her soul or cost her everything.
• Heart-Pounding Survival: Packed with thrilling chases, brutal fights, and shocking betrayals, this is a story of survival where the real monsters might be human.

Population over age 19: 0

Welcome to the wasteland.

At fifteen, the citizens of Prin marry.
At seventeen, they reproduce.
And at nineteen, they die.

Esther thinks there's more to life than toiling at the assignments, harvesting, gleaning, excavating, day after day under the relentless sun, just hoping to make it to the next day.

She doesn't care that her best friend, a Variant, is considered "the enemy." She doesn't care that Levi, who controls the Source, is the real enemy and might send his Taser boys after her if she makes one wrong move.

Then Caleb shows up. Could there be another way to fight for survival?

Kim and Klavan’s world building enticingly trickles through the brutal, fast-paced, multilayered plot, which is fueled by a sweet romance...and plenty of mysteries. Wasteland raises plenty of captivating questions and doesn’t shortchange readers on satisfying answers. - Booklist