Partials by Dan Wells

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials, engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.

Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question, one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival

They estimate that the youngest person left on the planet is fourteen years old, with only forty thousand people left on earth. Eleven years ago, the race known as The Partials tried to destroy the population. Built by man to be faster, stronger, to fight for humankind in the Isolation war. When a blood born virus known simply as RM was released, the world crumbled, and The Partials turned on those who created them. 

Kira is a plague baby. She has just completed her medic training, and works within the confines of the island hospital. The post apocalyptic civilization had been driven to settle on Long Island, under the dictation of an authoritative government. The RM targets unborn children, ending their lives within days of being brought into the world. Kira sees the wailing mothers, yearning to hold their children, the monitoring, the testing, and still the children continue to die. 

The vigilante group known as The Voice, have infiltrated their community. The Voice plunder the earth, stealing, killing and taking the citizens of Long Island, so the council tells them. They stand against the control of the government and the Hope legislation, that all girls over legal age are required to perform their duty to the community, become pregnant, so they can break the cycle of the fated children. They are humanities last hope. 

Kira has a plan, to essentially snatch a Partial from the wilderness, to test their immunity that may be the key to a cure. In theory it should have been simple, one Partial soldier taken alive, until the salvage group find Samm. Lethal, this soldier won't go down without a fight. It isn't until he is taken back to the island for testing, that Kira sees that her community is built on lies, control and deception. Samm is nothing like she imagined, quiet with an intelligence and striking good looks. When Samm saves her life amidst the rioting and insurgence, Kira and the small group of self made visionaries and revolutionists flea into Samm's world.

Everything they know and have been taught about the Partials doesn't quite add up. Will Kira find the cure, or a lot more than she bargained for?

Partials wasn't at all what I expected and was surprisingly good, but not great. There is far too much to the storyline all at once, and I felt bombarded, it was just too busy.. It short, it's a post apocalyptic world, where super soldiers were created, essentially artificial humans. A deadly virus was released upon the world, and the only known settlements are the community on the island, and a rebel group called The Voice. Mix that in with a killer virus, forced pregnancies on eighteen year old girls, and lengthy speeches regarding genetics, scientific research, and the story ends up busier than an ice cream truck at a Weight Watchers meeting.

It's not all bad, it was actually more often entertaining and thrilling... In places. Since Partials took care of all the explanations, I'd be interested to read the next in the series, I have a suspicion I may in fact enjoy the next one far more.

Partials

(Partials: Book One)

Written By Dan Wells

Published 28 / 02 / 2012
438 Pages