An intriguing Sci-Fi steeped in mystery, The Journing Plague transports readers to the world of Pedora, where the wardlanders live under quarantine restrictions since the Pedorate government declared a plague claimed the lives of the entire crew of the Nether Supercontinental docked in Ularon City. Among the dead was the father of protagonist Kai Astada.
The story unfolds from his perspective of Kai, now a young adult and a member of the Journer caste still living in quarantine in Ularon City under the umbrella of the Pedoran governing caste system. He graduates from the pilot training academy and is relegated to the job of Urban Pilot even though he is gifted enough to pilot a T-Class Continental. Two years into his job, he receives a message from one of his childhood friends to meet at the mythical Duck Down Club. The clandestine club is real and entering it turns his life upside-down when he is tricked into joining the Resistance. Those responsible have changed his birth-pid identity. His official record says he’s dead, and his new identity takes him way out of his comfort zone in more than one way with a task to accomplish. What he experiences opens his eyes to a trail of clues he would never have otherwise recognized.
Book review: The Journing by Shaune Lafferty Webb
Shaune Lafferty Webb’s worldbuilding creates a unique believable sci-fi/fantasy backdrop infused with the need to explore the unknown to unravel a mystery in search of the truth. Pedora’s history, geography, culture, and characters raise a host of questions and keep you guessing. Did the crew of the Nether die of plague? Is the threat of the plague still real? Was it ever real? It’s a gripping unpredictable plot that unfolds a layer at a time drawing the reader deeper into the intrigue as Kai and a group of rag-tag cohorts take on the impossible task of disproving the destructive allegations made by the Pedoran government.
The Journing Plague works as a standalone read worthy of re-reading but leaves the door open to a continuation of the story of Journer Kai Astada. I didn’t want it to end and I’m happy to give it four out of five stars and recommend it to fans of young adult dystopian fiction like There Once Were Stars (Dome 1618) by Melanie McFarlane.
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