Salvation Day

by Kali Wallace

A lethal virus is awoken on an abandoned spaceship in this incredibly fast-paced, claustrophobic thriller.

They thought the ship would be their salvation.
 
Zahra knew every detail of the plan. House of Wisdom, a massive exploration vessel, had been abandoned by the government of Earth a decade earlier, when a deadly virus broke out and killed everyone on board in a matter of hours. But now it could belong to her people if they were bold enough to take it. All they needed to do was kidnap Jaswinder Bhattacharya—the sole survivor of the tragedy, and the last person whose genetic signature would allow entry to the spaceship.
 
But what Zahra and her crew could not know was what waited for them on the ship—a terrifying secret buried by the government. A threat to all of humanity that lay sleeping alongside the orbiting dead.
 
And then they woke it up.

• ISBN10: 1984803719
• ISBN13: 9781984803719
• Publish Date: 16 June 2020 (first published 9 July 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781984803719

Reviews

[kalventure]

Narrative Style: first person | Pespective(s): dual (Zahra, Jas)

My favorite thing about science fiction is it is a lens through which to view possible futures and explore potential solutions. Salvation Day is an ambitious look toward the future after the Collapse forces humanity into space to find a new home. But beneath the surface, there is so much more to this story.

The world-building is vast; Wallace crafted a fully-realized future for humanity which touches on a refugee crisis, a government corrupted by power and secrets, and a group of people looking for a new home among the stars at any cost. There are multiple layers and motivations to this story, and it was exciting to see how everything connected.

The story is told in the alternating perspectives of Zahra and Jas, giving the reader insight into both sides of the governmental debate. I enjoyed watching the characters grow through the course of the book from enemies to meet somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, I didn't really connect with any of the characters (not to mention that Adam annoyed me to no end the entire time) and was most invested in the plot. What kept me reading was the creepy atmosphere and claustraophic feeling on the Homestead.

The book's synopsis is not joking with the "claustrophobic thriller" promise. Right when the characters set foot on the Homestead, Wallace set the mood, sense of danger, and mystery of what happened immediately with hundreds of dead bodies floating around the ship. As the group makes their way to the center of the ship, the virus is awakened and it's obvious that the story the world was told was not the truth. They are trapped on a ship in the middle of space with a deadly virus, and as a reader, you feel the walls closing in. There's some moments in the book that are legit nightmare fuel.

The narrative is heavy on exposition because there is so much going on in this world, but Wallace managed to balance it well with the action so I never felt too overwhelmed. The story is plotted well and all rising action, the stakes constantly being raised so I was on the edge of my seat while reading! I loved the way that multiple threads came together at the end.

I found this to be a satisfying science fiction story that looks at inequality and the refugee crisis set across the backdrop of space. I'd recommend this to fans of dystopian science fiction.

Representation: lgbtiap+, racially diverse
Content Warnings: blood, death, loss of parents, refugee crisis and inequality

Many thanks to Berkley Pub for sending me an ARC for my honest review. Quotations are taken from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change in final publication.

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[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight .

This was such a high energy, eerie adventure through space. Our main characters, Zahra and Jaswinder, had incredibly differing motivations for everything that happened, and it was easy to relate to both of their stances, though as the reader, it's clear to see that Zahra is being manipulated. Zahra is a member of what basically amounts to a cult which operates under the guise of "helping/saving" (don't they all?) Jas has absolutely no plans to throw himself into any sort of conflict, but when your ship is taken hostage... well, we do what we must to survive.

And that is the crux of it: these people are all trying to survive, but there is so much that they don't know. Obviously a good portion of the book is devoted to uncovering the myriad of things that have been shoved under the rug, things that neither character was ever aware of. And ultimately, there are a lot of questions about who they can and can't trust.

It's such an action-packed book (it would make an incredible movie, by the way, someone should get on that) that you definitely won't be bored as you try to figure out what our main characters will discover next. The entire vibe of the book really nails an eerie, creepy ambiance that fits perfectly with the world the author created. My one qualm was that I didn't feel as much of a connection with the characters as I would have liked too. The side characters especially felt a bit disposable. But overall, the plot and the unfurling secrets and discoveries were intense enough to keep me well entertained!

Bottom Line: Definitely a plot driven novel, the action and mystery kept me on the edge of my seat.