Way Down Dark

Gr 9 Up—Smythe writes an unforgiving science fiction novel where deaths are slow and one's basic human rights are hard-won. The spaceship Australia has long since gone from the refuge of people fleeing a dying Earth to a prison of those "lucky" enough to gain a spot on board. Generations have come and gone, trying to find a planet to populate, and all the while, an unfair socioeconomic system has developed aboard the spaceship. Seventeen-year-old Chan is not exempt from the atrocious realities of the Australia. Her mother played a major role in protecting many people from the gangs that were running loose. When she dies, Chan is forced to step into her mother's shoes. At first glance, it appears that the protagonist has no special qualities to enable her to fill a leadership role. However, it is the lack of obvious qualities that makes her so special. Her will to survive is a driving force throughout. Smythe brings the spacecraft Australia to life for readers, with rich descriptions and savage explanations of this sinister world in which Chan is forced to live. Although at times the story can seem straightforward, there are major plot twists that will leave teens feeling a sense of urgency to know more. The unpredictable narrative continually breaks the rules and presents a scary, twisted world in which no one can know what will come next. Although the work is comparable to recent dystopians, its mysteries are unique and the story is compelling.