The Contaminants by Devin K. Smyth is a post-apocalyptic story centering around purification of Earth. Jessil and Soraj are among few survivors after the American government lets loose nuclear bombs across the globe. They orbit the planet in the last surviving cruiser built for rehabilitation once the air has cleared. But sooner than expected they get signs of life back on Earth, so they go to investigate.
This story had me sucked in from the very beginning, and I had trouble putting it down. The science was thorough and awesome. The characters were portrayed at different ages and through different stages of their journey with skill and a perfect arc. Though the chapters jumped around to different times, the characters’ voices always came across at the age and period of their personal stories perfectly. The only problem with the voice I found was that the two perspectives tended to blend. There were times I had to go back and make sure who was speaking as “I.”
I also found the characters’ depth of feeling toward their families and their world to be a bit shallow. Jessil was constantly fighting to find her dad, but her plight never gripped me the way I had hoped it would.
The action was fantastic as well as the pacing. Like I said, I couldn’t put it down and was completely engrossed right up until the end.
I received this book from the author for review.