Ark

by Veronica Roth

[Quirky Cat]

Veronica Roth’s Ark is the first novella in the Forward Collection – a project created by six different authors. The entire idea of the project was to showcase a far-flung future, all written with the hopes of getting the reader (or listener) to think.
Twenty years ago an asteroid was spotted heading directly towards earth. Now, earth’s scientists are rushing to complete their job before they’re forced to evacuate. Their job? To collect as many samples from earth as possible.
Samantha is part of the team of scientists focused on botany. They’re supposed to collect, catalog, and label as many plants as possible. But Samantha’s finding herself less and less certain about what her future will hold.

“Borders stopped mattering after the asteroid Finis was discovered twenty years ago. Everyone was just an Earthling now.”

Ark was a beautifully written and fascinating novella. I may be somewhat biased here, thanks to my personal love of plants. But I felt that this novella truly did resonate with me. Samantha’s struggle and uncertainty is something we can all understand.
The idea of an asteroid coming towards earth is not a new one. Yet I have never read a piece quite like this. This was not the tale of humanity struggling to survive. This was more about preservation, reflection, and evaluation. It was somber and beautiful, and very emotionally powerful. I honestly would love to get a chance to read more novels or novellas with this focus.
As mentioned above, Ark is part of a collection of novellas. I’ve already read the others, so I can safely say that they’re all quite different from one another. But they’re all worth the read – especially if you’re interested in some food for thought.

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