I have not been a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction since reading The Road (which still gives me occasional nightmares) so I was surprised to find myself engrossed in ‘Bannerless (Bannerless Saga #1)’, by Carrie Vaughn, from the very first page.
After finishing Bannerless I decided if I survive some world-altering event I hope to end up in a Coast Road-like society, where conservation is king, tolerance rules, and government is low-key and localized. Individuals must earn the right to breed and crimes are primarily crop surplus or ‘bannerless’ pregnancy related. That is until a murder occurs, and Enid of Haven (our protagonist) is charged with figuring out what happened and by whose hand. Bannerless alternates between a coming of age love story and whodunit tale while exploring the meaning of family, responsibility, and shared history.
Ms. Vaughn is categorized as a YA fiction writer. Is it wrong that this Grey Goddess still enjoyed her tale? I hope not, because there are more Bannerless books to come and I want to read them all.
How about you? Do you like post-apocalyptic fiction? What are you reading now? I just began The Driver (by Hart Hanson, which I am also enjoying) and would love to know what books are keeping you up and reading late into the night…
The Grey Goddess 