Apocalypse Gene by Suki Michelle & Carlyle Clark

Synopsis:

Global pandemic is raging. Olivya Wright-Ono's once loving home has been converted to a hospice for the dying.  Her ability to see auras forces her to witness, with agonizing detail, the vibrant colors of life consumed by malignancy.  The beautiful and troubled, Mikah, is an elite Empath in the ancient Kindred clan, led by the brooding, ever-morphing, monster named Prime. Mikah has learned a terrible truth . . . the plague is linked to Kindred origins.  When Olivya sees evidence of disease creeping into her mother's aura, she has no one to turn to but Mikah. Can he unearth the Kindred secrets and find a cure?  Can she trust this boy whose power allows him to  manipulate her very emotions? With her mother's life, and that of the world, in the balance, Olivya and Mikah embark on a quest to stop the Pandemic, only to discover it is far, far more than a mere disease . . .

Review:

I mentioned earlier today that I was excited about reading this book because there is a lot in media and in movies particularly about the idea of a pandemic occurring and essentially crippling our way of life. It's really hard to imagine what our lives would be like in the event of a pandemic hitting and how we would end up. Would we all be barricading ourselves inside our houses with gas masks, or would it get so bad that it would just become an everyday part of life. 

I think what makes this book interesting right off the bat you get a serious glimpse of how life would be and honestly I am seriously impressed with the amount of forethought put into building a world where geographically it might be the same world we live in today, but everything is so different. Olivya's first chapter of the book exemplifies the differences. What was once a family home for Olivya has now become essentially a hospice, where people come to die. I for one can not imagine being in a position like she is in, to wake up every morning and have to check on and be surrounded by people who have no hope, all of these people are going to die. To make matters worse she sees their auras and that makes it all the more harder for her, because she has to see a visual manifestation of the pain and despair these people are in. Now I don't know about you, but I did start to wonder if she ever had a life outside of this hospice that her home had turned into, and she does, she goes to a virtual school and really that is her only interaction with the outside world. 

Thankfully Mikah uses the V-School as a way to interact with others as well and that is how he ends up meeting Olivya. And if you were impressed with the world building for a world being affected by a pandemic, you have to be even more impressed that there is the creation of a world within a world, Mikah's world. Mikah is basically a part of a cult led by a demon, governed by their own set of standards and morals. In fact it really is not permitted for Mikah to even interact with Olivya. 

There is a lot going on within this book as a whole, and a lot of things I don't want to say in a review because I don't want to ruin the enjoyment for those of you who read this book. That being said the book is easy to follow, very well written, and super easy to like and want to pull for the characters. I have to say one of the things I appreciated the most was that both of the main characters are strong in their own rights, there is nothing more annoying for me when there is a weak main characters who is essentially carried throughout the entire book, so I really like this book because of that. 

I have to say that over all I really enjoyed reading this book. And I would also recommend it to a lot of different types of readers. I think it would work not only for YA and for urban fantasy lovers, but maybe also people who are curious about what a world riddled with sickness would look like. More than anything it's well written so I don't think it's going to have a hard time finding an audience. 

Suki Michelle Interview

Today we have Suki Michelle joining us on today on Urban Fantasy Reviews. And I have to admit I was pretty excited about this book because I enjoyed the movie Contagion way to much, and Suki Michelle's book Apocalypse Gene sounds like a fantastic paranormal twist on a great concept. I hope you enjoy reading the interview as I did! Stay tuned for review of her book later on today! 

UFR: If you were picking a theme song for this book what would it be and why?

SM: First Kate, thanks so much for interviewing me. I'll answer on behalf of Carlyle as well.

The best theme song for our book would be Knights of Cydonia by Muse. Because our book has a sort of electronic Rock & Roll feel since it is set in the near-future and mid-apocalyptic and it also it has the long steady build, with some ups and downs,  and finished with a powerful crescendo.

UFR: If Olivya was in a book club what book would she be reading and why?

SM: She would be reading Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series: characters you can root for, long and complex adventure spanning thirteen books that she could spend in a world other than her own dystopic one,  and a sense that everything will ultimately be all right in the end.

UFR: Are there any characters in the book (and if so who and how so) that share personality traits with you?

SM: Olivya would be the one I have something in common with. Lack of impulse control and a mouth that, under pressure, tends to have a will of its own . . .

UFR: What was the hardest scene for you to write and why?

SM: The first scene with Olivya in the ward with her patients was a tough one. It’s very challenging to portray a character in an empathetic way while still showing the emotional “calluses” they would have had to develop to handle such an ongoing and tragic situation.

UFR: Part of what I found so interesting about your book is the parallels between a disease with supernatural origins and how similar themes are showing up in today's real world (think movies like Contagion), was this an intentional parallel/did you draw some of your inspiration from that?

SM: Sort of, in that I was doing medical transcription for Sloan-Kettering, which is a huge cancer treatment center so as I was doing report after report, it began to seep into my subconscious just how insidious the disease was and how it was far more horrifying then “horror” stories, so it seemed a natural fit for a mid-apocalyptic story.

UFR: Both Mikah and Olivya are under a lot of pressure to find a cure for a disease (both for different reasons), was it difficult to keep the book from being too heavy/intense?

SM: In a way it was. Fortunately, Carlyle and I both tend to find humor even in the worst of situations.  As we were writing, when it really got dark, we unintentionally, started to write bits of funny in and we felt that kept reader from want to slit their wrists before they finished.

UFR: What are some of your favorite authors to read? Do you stick with the paranormal/urban fantasy genre or do you read a wider mix of books?

SM: We both read all kinds of books though my favorite author is Stephen King, I enjoy Dean Koontz, and my favorite novel was Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible. Carlyle is a huge fan of Epic Fantasy, particularly Joe Abercrombie and Erikson and Esslemont’s Malazan saga, but he also reads crime novels, literary fiction, and historical fiction.

UFR: Is there any advice that you would give to aspiring writers?

SM: You have to write even when you don’t feel like, even when you can’t stand the thought of it. Becoming a writer is like going to night school to become a lawyer or a doctor. It takes a long time and you can’t just go to class, study, and take test and write papers only when you're in the mood. Also, be happy with all your great reviews, but still - you have to toughen up.  Not everyone will love what you write.  Deal with it and move on.

UFR: Do you have any new books in the works? And if so would you like to tell our readers a little bit about it?

SM: Yes, we’re very excited about a new project. We will be releasing the first two books of in the coming months called The Redemption Revelations. The novels will center around a the magical town of Redemption Arkansas circa the Great Depression, a town at the nexus of never and forever, and the crossroads of science-fiction, horror, fantasy, and magical realism.

UFR: Finally, is there anything you want your potential readers to know about you or the book?

SM: Well, what I would like to tell them is this is not a de-activate your brain type of read like some of the angsty teen types of books out there. It’s complex, but we think, ultimately, that makes for a fuller experience. Hopefully, you’ll decide for yourself and let us know.

Once again I want to thank Suki Michelle for joining us here today and don't forget to stay tuned for the review later on today!