Didn’t think I was going to like this book because it is an after the apocalypse setting which I don’t really care for. But, let me tell you, this IS a good story! It is exciting with a lot of fighting and it could lead to more.
Water is the most scarce resource that the Earth now doesn’t have. If you have water, then you control who lives and who dies. There are eight separate “Houses” that have managed to secure all the known water sources or they own a water facility, distilling and purifying water from many sources. If you are either part of one of these families or you’re about dead. Most of the families have built great cities with walls to keep out those they deem unworthy. If you live outside the walls, your life is very exciting and often very short. The Houses rule with iron fists. If you’re not directly involved in water production, then you’re probably a guard. Being a guard is a pretty nice job, but it can cost you your life and you’re really not paid that much, of course your life isn’t worth much to the House.
Some outside the walls have banded together to form small communities. What they have gets ripped apart by biker gangs who constantly terrorize those who can’t fight back. You can get killed very easily if you run afoul of a biker gang or you break one of the House rules about water.
Able is the young son of a family just barley existing. He hunts with his friends or his Dad to bring enough food to the table to survive, barely, and life for him is really just about his family. His mother is very ill and his father has been really concerned about her. The only think keeping her alive now is that Able’s family has a very, very secret water well for their very own use.
How long do you think that secret’s going to last? Able comes to have a serious problem with the House Vancrew and specifically its head, First Xonox (don’t ask me to pronounce that name!). He needs to take revenge, but probably can’t do it himself. Then he meets Warden.
There is a lot of action and some romance in the story. Characters are pretty much explained but nobody really has a background they want to discuss. I don’t know how old Able is, but he certainly grows up in a hurry. He can take care of himself which he does quite often.
The writing is very good. I didn’t find hardly any editing errors except for a curious large blank space between some words every so often. I think you’ll enjoy this book; not real violent, but a lot of fighting.