Spoilers and Speculation for Book 3 in the Safe Lands Series - CSFF Blog Tour

Usually when books end with a cliffhanger (especially when the next book hasn't released yet), I get so angry at the marketing ploy that it makes me not want to read the next book. At the least, I'm more angry with the author than I am excited to read what happens next.

Not this time. I'm still not a fan of cliffhangers, but in Outcasts (The Safe Lands Book 2), Jill Williamson caught me, because I still care what happens. What will become of our heroes?!  What is Liberation, anyway???

Well, if you're extremely impatient (like I am, as evidenced by the over use of punctuation), Goodreads already has a page for Rebels, book 3 in the Safe Lands Series!

If you don't want to read the summary of Book 3 (or you don't want to speculate about what's to come), go ahead and navigate away now, and I'll see you next time!

But if you do...

In this third book in the series of fantasy/dystopian novels from award-winning author Jill Williamson, three teens must try to hold on to their values amidst the subjugation and lies of the government.

In this final novel of the Safe Lands series by Jill Williamson, Mason and Omar discover the true meaning of Liberation-a secret the Safe Lands have long kept from their people-but find they are trapped in the low lands with this crucial information. Meanwhile, Levi is forced to turn his attention elsewhere when his new wife, Jemma, is captured and becomes the Safe Land's new queen. His only choice to save her may be to take up the role of undercover vigilante that Omar began, leading the rebels in their quest to overthrow the government. But will that be enough to expose the Safe Land's lies and bring freedom to the people? And will they even want it if it comes?

Interesting stuff there.  First, we see that no, (spoiler alert!) Williamson was NOT intending to kill off two of her point-of-view characters. :) 

And now I am going to engage in truly wild speculation.

Really, if you don't want a mix of some combination of red herrings and spoilers (and I don't know which is which) stop reading.

I wonder if Liberation is more like a labor camp, especially given the cover and the fact that it would make sense.  (Why else would you reduce the Liberation age when the population is shrinking? Unless you needed more slaves...)  As to Jemma being kidnapped, I guess I'm a bad person to be excited to see some torture for Levi; oh dear. If I had to guess, I'd say she'll be having Levi's baby. (Even though she's ridiculously cheerful and I don't know what she sees in Levi, I don't wish her harm; I actually found her fairly likable.  Hopefully she won't spend this book simply insisting that her Westley will come, though.)

I find the talk of "freedom" particularly interesting, because it seems like a good deal of the Safe Lands' appeal is the promise of freedom. And in many ways, the Safe Landers have more freedom than the people of Glenrock ever had--they're not going to be pressured into unwanted marriages, for instance. I guess the Safe Lands "femmes" don't have the freedom the menfolk have, but then again, their plight wasn't awesome in Glenrock, either.  Sure, in the Safe Lands your life ends at 40, but besides that looming deadline, and besides holding down a job, the men seem to be free to do almost anything they like.

I would guess our heroes will find some measure of success in freeing the Safe Landers from their sinful ways. It will be interesting to see if any of the technological trappings make it through.  It's hard to imagine going back to the old-fashioned farming ways of the very small villages around the Safe Lands...but if the Liberated people are laboring over-hard for the sake of the rest, it might be necessary.  Of course, modern technology has made it possible for most people in the industrialized world to live without performing any farm work, contrary to much of history.  Actually, that raises more questions, as to why the Safe Landers would need many menial laborers at all, given their technology level. So maybe I'm on the wrong track after all. Or maybe technology could actually help solve their problems.

I don't believe technology is inherently evil, and as much as many Christians rail against "science," technological developments have saved countless lives. Some people (Christians and others) long for a simpler time, but the reality is that without so many of our technological advances, many people I know (including my father!) would no doubt be dead.

I know there is a bias against Christians in much of academia, but it sure would be wonderful if young Christians could get interested in bettering our world through science.

Anyway, I'm excited to read the conclusion of the Safe Lands series! (And as excited as I am to read what happens, part of me wishes the series would continue more than just one more book.)

Here are the other CSFF Blog Tour bloggers:

Red Bissell
Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Pauline Creeden
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Jalynn Patterson
Writer Rani
Chawna Schroeder
Jacque Stengl
Jojo Sutis
Steve Trower
Phyllis Wheeler
Deborah Wilson


*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free Advance Readers Copy of this book.

Dystopian Disney - Disney's SimTag--er--MagicBand - Outcasts by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog Tour

Julie again, still writing about Outcasts (The Safe Lands Book 2) by Jill Williamson

No, really, I am. Bear with me.

So I'm planning a trip to Disney World and lucky me, Disney sent me my very own SimTag to use on my trip!

OK, they call it a MagicBand (which, like "SimTag, is a one run-together nonsense word). And it's not implantable (yet, anyway). It doesn't give you the ability to add virtual tattoos to your body.

But it contains short-range RFID technology and a small battery that broadcasts your location while you're on Disney World property. You have the option to link it to your credit card and use it to make purchases. It also serves as your room key (and stores Fastpasses you book in advance), so you can't easily leave it behind in your room and enjoy your day. And technically you are supposed to be permitted to get a room key and maybe a hard copy ticket instead of a MagicBand, but I hear some people have been denied that opportunity.

YES! Finally! End of the world fiction and Disney come together at last!

Actually, I'm not personally upset by the idea of using a MagicBand on a one-time vacation. And almost everyone in the Disney communities I've been following is more annoyed by the idea of being restricted to just three Fastpasses per day, than any idea of Disney tracking your movements. I figure between cell phones, voluntary information provided on Facebook, and other interaction, most people, including me, could probably be tracked fairly easily if the right people wanted to.

It's kind of scary to think of how little privacy people have today...although a couple hundred years ago, if you lived in a small town, the folks in your town probably knew everything about you anyway. I'm so introverted, I'd rather it were strangers looking at my data in aggregate, than people I know finding out things about me.

The SimTags reminded me a bit of the Mark of the Beast, though I don't know how allegorical the Safe Lands series is. 

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. - Revelation 13:16-18 (NASB)

At least it doesn't matter which wrist you wear your MagicBand is on, and Disney will be happy to take your cash, credit cards, Disney Dollars, or gift cards. So that's a happy thought, I guess!

One thing Williamson got right in the Safe Lands series is people's inherent desire to customize things. I'm not at the level of wanting tattoos on my body a la SimArt, but I'm not above using a bit of glitter nail polish. Even if it doesn't photograph well.

Here are the other CSFF Blog Tour bloggers:

Red Bissell
Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Pauline Creeden
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Jalynn Patterson
Writer Rani
Chawna Schroeder
Jacque Stengl
Jojo Sutis
Steve Trower
Phyllis Wheeler
Deborah Wilson


*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free Advance Readers Copy of this book.

Review - Outcasts (The Safe Lands Book 2) by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog Tour

Another book review by Julie! For 2014, I've updated the rating system.

Book: Outcasts (The Safe Lands Book 2) by Jill Williamson

Ridiculously simplified summary: Second in a series. Levi, Omar, and Mason are brothers whose entire village, Glenrock, was captured by the Safelanders. The Safelanders live for pleasure, force women into pregnancy, and are "liberated" at forty to be born into their next life. Previously, Levi and the other male survivors of Glenrock managed to free their women from the Safelanders' "harem," a place where the pregnant women are imprisoned/pampered.  But their children remain imprisoned in boarding schools. With a group of rebels, the people of Glenrock make a daring rescue plan. Meanwhile, Omar and Mason--who are still "on the grid"--try their best to navigate the Safelands, hiding their rebel identities. Mason has doubts about Ciddah, the doctor he loves, while Omar has doubts about his own self-worth.

Content: Not very heavy on Christian content, though one character uses Bible references as encouragement--these would probably go over the heads of those who aren't familiar with the Bible. Overall, the religious content is probably on the borderline of what might make a vehement non-believer squirm.

As to other content, there is reference to sex and forced pregnancy and drug use, and not a small amount of violence. I'm sure it's nothing teens haven't been exposed to--certainly nothing as bad as the first couple chapters of a more famous dystopian book, 1984, which I found shelved in Young Adult at my library--but if I were a parent, I'm still not sure how I would feel if my young teen wanted to read it.

Rating:

Characters - 9 out of 10. This gets a high rating because I actually really like Mason, Shaylinn, and even Omar, as well as the rebel Zane--so much that I actually very much care what happens to them, something I don't feel at all in maybe half the books I read. (Although about halfway through I felt like Mason was channeling Sheldon Cooper a bit--was he that robotic in the first book? I still love him anyway.) Even Levi serves a place in the story, though he's still patronizing and controlling and rather sexist, and I still don't care for him at all as a person. This gets dinged just a little because there are just so many characters brought in that not every personality can be clear. For every well-visualized character there's another minor character that Williamson may have had clearly in her head, but that doesn't stand out for me.

I'm not particularly fond of the fact that by my count, every single female who does anything remotely interesting in the book (aside from one child) is a wife, mother, and/or love interest. That's not to say that there aren't memorable female characters, and some of the problem is the society of the Safelands altogether. But even in the rebel group--a group of which one member hints that Levi is being too patriarchal--there's not a woman of consequence to be seen. I'd love to see that remedied in Book 3.

Suspense/stakes - 4 out of 5. Much of the book was suspenseful and I read it over the course of several nights, without any lengthy pauses like I sometimes have for books that don't grab me. I did feel there were too many scenes of explaining plans (and that was generally in a council of men because yes, Levi thinks the women are too emotional for such discussions). In a couple of the rescue adventures, I felt like the action slowed to a crawl in places--I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but I would've preferred if it had been just a bit faster-paced throughout. But overall I very much cared what happened.

World building - 5 out of 5. I think this is the series' greatest strength. I still don't get a true sense of Glenrock's society, but I don't think that's even necessary or helpful at this point. I found the slang and new words in the Safe Lands to be incredibly immersive--almost instantly I was pulled back into the world I remembered from the first book. "Hey-o, valentine. I've got to stop at the GIN, but then maybe we can vape and trade some paint. I'll tap you" is a semi-plausible paragraph that I concocted from memory. (Note that it is not my fault that some of the most memorable words had to do with illicit activity.) The technology is again very interesting, and I love reading about other societies.

Writing/editing - 5 out of 5*. This is tentative; I had an advance reader copy and actually spotted about 4 typos. I'm assuming that at least half of those will be weeded out for the final copy. Given it was an advance copy, I was a bit surprised those were the only problems I saw.

Clarity - 3 out of 5. First off, I have no idea how anyone who didn't read Book 1 would be able to keep track of the people here. I did read Book 1, not even six months ago, but I was still a bit lost at certain points. I didn't notice any concessions to the reader who didn't start at Book 1, though of course some information repeated from Book 1 would have made its way into this book. And even having read Book 1, I got confused with who some of the bad guys were and what their motivations were. Adding to the trouble is that two male characters have either a son or a father--everyone uses first names as far as I can see, except Zane once says something like his dad would kill him. So while these characters' personalities aren't the same, it takes some thinking to remember the familial relationships. (In fact, I forgot about a character being Bender's son for a very long stretch.)

Likewise, there is some confusion because the Safelander culture is to act young and yet to grow up quickly, so you certainly can't take cues from how people are acting to figure out if they're young, old, or what. Ciddah seemed to generally act like maybe a 25-year-old (and much older when it came to two people close to her).  With his gender biases, I feel like Glenrock elder Levi could at times be mistaken for someone much older. Mason, the youngest in the family we focus on, is arguably the most mature of the brothers. Omar is the only one who stands out to me as acting "like" a teenager/young adult.

Plausibility/believability - 3 out of 5. I thought there were some aspects that could be considered either plot holes or mysteries, mostly concerning the tracking "Sim" chips that every Safelander has in his or her hand, but which the rebels take out (and apparently they can get away with wearing gloves containing "ghoulie"/dummy chips). If I were a Safelander, I'd give special scrutiny to anyone who wore gloves, personally...  But there could be an explanation for all that which we haven't been shown yet. I just plain don't understand some of the bad guys' motivations; as far as I could tell, one's main motivation was that he's snapped and wants something that isn't at all normal in the Safe Lands.

Positive - 3 out of 5. One word. CLIFFHANGER! I really don't like cliffhangers, and this one ends on a pretty big one. But that said, I'm not sure how it could've ended any other way. There are still some potential doubts as to loyalties by the end, and characters with problems haven't magically recovered by the end. But that's pretty common for Book 2 in a series, and probably what should happen anyway.

Gut reaction - 5 out of 5. This book had kind of sexist undertones (yes, Levi is gently called to task for his sexism a couple times, but I still feel there's a distinct gender imbalance in both raw numbers and the significance and power of women versus men). And I felt like the second half or so was basically a series of rescue attempts, which got a bit old. But all that said...I still really enjoyed this book. Some engaging characters and a detailed world drew me in. I'm eager to read the conclusion.

Free points: 5 out of 5.

Recommended for: Fans of edgy dystopian science fiction who read Book 1.

Total Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars

Here are the other participants on the tour!

Red Bissell
Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Pauline Creeden
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Jalynn Patterson
Writer Rani
Chawna Schroeder
Jacque Stengl
Jojo Sutis
Steve Trower
Phyllis Wheeler
Deborah Wilson

*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free Advance Readers Copy of this book.