20 Years Later by Emma Newman

I first came across 20 Years Later almost two years ago, when I found Emma Newman's Post-Apocalyptic Publishing blog, and watched her posts about the travails of trying to get a publishing deal for her new book.  Luckily, I wasn't the only one paying attention, and she was able to get together with the folks at Dystopia Press in mid-2009.  I contacted them and offered my services as an early reviewer (or in other words, begged for the chance to read it as soon as possible) and they said they'd get me a copy when it was available.  It took a little longer than expected, but better late than never, as this one was definitely worth the wait.

20 Years Later is a young-adult post-apocalyptic novel set 20 years after a plague reduces London to a concrete wasteland populated by gangs like the Bloomsbury Boys, the Red Lady's Hunters, and the Gardeners; some vicious, others honorable, but all dangerous, and willing to die to protect their territories.

The book opens with one of my favorite plot devices; the idea of some future traveler stumbling across a written manuscript that turns out to be the book you're reading.  A nameless narrator hints at grand adventures which "everyone alive has heard of", and then tells the tale of how they all began.

In this case, those tales begin with Zane, a young man who has grown up under the protection of his mother, sheltered to the point of naivety as he is blissfully unaware of what lies more than a few blocks beyond the square he lives in.  All that changes when he meets Titus, and then Erin, and they discover they are linked by more than just their friendship and the special abilities that each seems to possess.

Circumstances force them together, and then out beyond the boundaries of Zane's world, as they work to rescue Titus' sister from a new enemy.  Their adventures begin to unravel the mysteries of Zane's past, and of the events that destroyed most of humanity.

As with most sub-categories of science-fiction, the post-apocalyptic genre is rife with young-adult stories, some of which rank among my favorites.  There's something freeing about being able to gloss over some of the details, and just concentrate on the characters and the story.  In the case of 20YL, I did find myself wondering about things like what some of the characters were eating, or where they were finding supplies, and some of the events at the end of the story seemed to happen a little too easily.  

But none of that detracted from my enjoyment of the book.  This isn't a story about the apocalypse itself, it's a story of three friends, their relationship and development as they explore their world and their past.  Thats not to say there's a lack of post-apocalyptic imagery, far from it.  This book would make a great movie, with scenes of the Red Lady's Hunters like medieval warriors in their leather armor, or the Bloomsbury Boys and the trophies of their defeated enemies that they wear proudly, all against a backdrop of London's streets, crumbling and littered with bones.

Overall, I can give 20 Years Later my hearty recommendation.  I've actually read it twice now, and still look forward to being able to delve back into the world of Zane and his friends.  We've only scratched the surface of what was promised in the prologue so I can only hope that we'll get to see all of those adventures in the two sequels that are planned, 20 Years Later: Legacy and 20 Years Later: Revelation. According to Ms Newman's blog, she's already getting close to finishing Revelation, so hopefully we won't have to wait long for at least Legacy to be available.

But first of all, you're going to want to get your hands on 20 Years Later. It's set to release as an ebook on the usual platforms on May 1, 2011, with the hardback coming out in July, which you can pre-order now.  Ms Newman has also recorded an audiobook version which you can download for free from her site.

But no matter which format you prefer, add this one to your "to buy" list.  I'm fairly certain you won't be disappointed.