Heather Lisowski (KLIATT Review, January 2005 (Vol. 39, No. 1))
A devastating respiratory illness, known as Strain 7, has killed over half of the world’s inhabitants and the survivors live in terror. Even though two years have passed since the plague, the threat of Strain 7 still looms over the population. People wear surgical masks and shave their hair to ward off the spread of disease. There are posters declaring “kissing kills.” No one shakes hands anymore. Ditching class is no longer an option (military police patrol the high schools). A person caught skipping school is arrested and generally never seen again. If someone steals something, that person can be executed. Because of all the deaths, there are places in America referred to as “the Big Empty” that are now restricted to all civilians. Somewhere in this emptiness exists “Novo Mundum,” a utopia-like community free from military control. The members of this secret city grow their own fruits and vegetables, raise their own livestock, and celebrate the arts, believing that the soul needs nourishment as much as the body. The Big Empty follows seven teenagers as they search for Novo Mundum. Some have stumbled upon this society’s existence by accident, some are searching for it because they have no friends or family left, and some are recruited to join. Regardless of their different backgrounds and characters, the seven must work together to find this secret society. The obstacles they face include limited supplies, military patrols, and a violent group of renegades known as the Slash. The Big Empty is a pleasant piece of brain candy perfect for those folks who watch disaster movies. Beyond that it doesn’t have a great deal of substance. The book could have benefited from being much longer. The seven teenagers are each main characters, and yet their individual stories are barely addressed. This is the first in a series, and it is hoped that the sequel will continue to flesh out the characters. However, that disappointing feature aside, this is a fun book. Teens living alone, struggling to survive against the elements and against the government, is not a tough premise to sell to a teenage reader. Category: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Razorbill, 204p., $6.99. Ages 12 to 18.

Krista Hutley (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 4))
In the two years since the respiratory virus Strain 7 appeared, over half of the human population has died. The United States is under martial law, schools are thinly disguised holding pens, execution awaits even petty criminals, and the Central States (called the Big Empty) have been forcibly evacuated to conserve resources. Rumors about the Big Empty are plentiful, but few are aware that a quasi-utopian community (named Novo Mundum, for I make the world anew) also exists there. Seven teenagers journey, some accidentally, some deliberately, to join this community. Their stories are told in alternating chapters, starting separately and gradually coming together. The technique works for a few characters, but because Stephens shifts ultimately between seven storylines, none of them has time to develop much depth or distinctiveness, and any narrative tension built up in one section is lost by the time readers return to it. Nonetheless, apocalyptic diseases and their aftermath are always interesting fodder for social and political commentary; the military dictatorship, the reorganization of the country, the appearance of new social conventions (revealing clothes are out, and the handshake has been replaced by a non-contact greeting) are all compelling developments that will have no trouble generating interest. Readers who aren't quite ready for The Stand or the social commentary found in Brave New World and 1984 (Stephens gives both a nod) could find this first entry in a new series infectious. Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Razorbill/Penguin, 208p, $6.99. Grades 7-10.

Matthew Weaver (VOYA, October 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 4))
Stephens's novel comes across as an attempt to cash in on the rising popularity of apocalyptic thrillers-such as the films 28 Days Later and The Day After Tomorrow and even the Left Behind series-and little more. There is nothing atypical here. A number of unconnected survivors of a viral pandemic that has the remaining world terrified of illness slowly make their way to a promising new underground society. Of course, the society, Novo Mundum (New World) can only give hints via clues and anonymous e-mails. Heroine Keely, Michael-who ends up on the lam with a girlfriend he was about to dump-and punky street tough Amber eventually end up crossing each other's paths in odd and at times convoluted ways. Thinly drawn characters in an otherwise lifeless setting does not make for gripping reading. The beginning holds a little promise, but that vanishes as readers begin to see what a cardboard cutout, been-there-done-that scenario is going to play out through the pages. Even Maggie, Michael's shrew of a girlfriend, does not get much of a comeuppance when the reader would find it so desperately welcome. At best this novel would serve as brainless, popcorn-lite reading before an Armageddon flick. At worst, it lives up to its title. VOYA CODES: 2Q 3P J S (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Razorbill/Penguin Putnam, 208p., $6.99 pb. Ages 12 to 18.