The Electric Kingdom

by David Arnold

New York Times bestseller David Arnold's most ambitious novel to date; Station Eleven meets The 5th Wave in a genre-smashing story of survival, hope, and love amid a ravaged earth.

When a deadly Fly Flu sweeps the globe, it leaves a shell of the world that once was. Among the survivors are eighteen-year-old Nico and her dog, on a voyage devised by Nico's father to find a mythical portal; a young artist named Kit, raised in an old abandoned cinema; and the enigmatic Deliverer, who lives Life after Life in an attempt to put the world back together. As swarms of infected Flies roam the earth, these few survivors navigate the woods of post-apocalyptic New England, meeting others along the way, each on their own quest to find life and love in a world gone dark. The Electric Kingdom is a sweeping exploration of art, storytelling, eternal life, and above all, a testament to the notion that even in an exterminated world, one person might find beauty in another.

• ISBN10: 0593352149
• ISBN13: 9780593352144
• Publish Date: 9 February 2021
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Viking Books for Young Readers
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Proceed With Caution:

This book contains death, suicide, murder, and grief.

The Basics:

The Electric Kingdom follows a group of teens (aged 12-18) as they trek across New Hampshire in search of safety, community, and promises eighteen years after a plague has overcome the planet. Nico is our main narrator as she goes in search of an "anomaly" her father told her about. Was this the rambling of a mad man or is there really something there?

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed The Electric Kingdom. Yes, I picked it up because plague. I'm one of those weirdos who likes reading about pandemics during a pandemic. This one wasn't just straight plague fiction though. There are some very interesting Science Fiction elements to this one.

The Electric Kingdom has three POVs. Nico who sets off with her dog to find this supposed portal, Kit who is a twelve-year-old artist who is heading to a settlement with his found family, and The Deliverer who has been dropping off supplies to Nico and her father, as well as helping the kids out on their journeys. They all sounded unique and were never confusing. Kit was a little harder to warm up to because he is very young and sounds it, but as I got to know him, I really liked him!

Most of The Electric Kingdom is a cross-state journey between a group of teens. Three groups hesitantly team up since they're heading in the same direction. Friendships (and more) are formed, lives are lost, lives are saved, adventures are had. There really isn't that much going on, just survival. I found myself completely invested though, since these kids are on their own and they're making this epic trip on their own.

The last third of The Electric Kingdom was a wild ride though! We meet some unsavory characters. We find out whether Nico's dad was right or not. We learn who The Deliverer is (I thought it was fairly obvious, but the what and why and how was awesome!). We get to the fun sci-fi stuff! I couldn't get through it fast enough to know what happens and why it happens and how it happens!

I just really enjoyed The Electric Kingdom. I read it straight through and definitely recommend it if you like post-pandemic fiction.