Calm

Calm

By Author / Illustrator

S. J. Baker

Genre

Dystopian

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Neem Tree Press

ISBN

9781911107934

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

19-09-2024

Synopsis

In this enthralling dystopian YA thriller where emotions become weapons, the fight for humanity's true essence takes centre stage.


In a near-future Britain, society's calm facade conceals a sinister truth: the state maintains its control by meddling with the nation's water supply. The result? A population lulled into apathy. Lulled, apart from a courageous few known as the Resistors.


New Resistor Owyn joins lifelong Resistor Tiegan in a fierce quest for freedom. Spurred on by the promise of a mass Resistance, they ignite a chain of events that shakes the foundations of Britain's oppressive regime.  One thing is clear: the price of freedom is higher than they ever imagined.


Author SJ Baker introduces Calm, telling us what inspired the book and giving a short reading:


Reviews

Clare

An intriguing and disturbingly credible premise sees a nation lulled into a state-controlled state of apathy.  Tampering with the water supplies has led to a population of passive conformists, with anger, fear and dissent mere memories.  But it is a world of supposed calm that simmers with tension and pockets of resistance exist - those unaffected by the water and those who choose not to drink it.


Marshalled by 'peace-keeping' servants, the contaminated calm has an interesting side-effect - people are sluggish, less alert and the resistance uses this to their advantage. Taking to the abandoned countryside, two teenagers, Tiegan and Owyn, find fragile networks of resistors planning to head north where a supposed defense is being mounted. It's a brutal, feral world where informers are commonplace and life-changing decisions are made in an instant.


Calm has shades of William Sutcliffe's Concentr8 - a state-controlled programme of pacification and control - but also the worlds of Narnia and His Dark Materials and all those other wonderful novels where there exists underground networks of resistance, good people thrown together, biding their time until they can attack the pervading evil. However, this is also nicely balanced with some challenging ideas - a becalmed nation is one without hate and certain prejudices. There are lots of good discussion points around this.


There are some wonderful characters, a great pace and a dual narrative that gradually dovetails as the book nears its conclusion. It's left very (frustratingly?) open-ended, so expect a sequel very soon!


384 pages / Reviewed by Clare Wilkins, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 11+

 

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