The Vanishing Deep

January 1, 2020

Gr 7 Up-Recovering from the deaths of her parents and older sister Elysea and struggling to make ends meet in a world long submerged, 17-year-old Tempest has grown tough and self-sufficient. Trading grief for anger after hearing that Elysea caused their parents' deaths, Tempe is determined to gain answers by temporarily resurrecting her sister at the medical center on Palindromena. However, when Elysea reveals that their parents may still be alive, their time together becomes a race to evade capture and find their parents before Elysea's 24 hours of life run out. In the meantime, Elysea's warden Lor must chase the sisters across the Untied Sea, dodging storms and Remoran pirates while dealing with his own personal demons. If he doesn't catch up and convince the sisters to return to Palindromena in time, he risks losing his own life instead. Told in chapters alternately narrated by Tempe and Lor, this is an immersive, fast-paced story about survival, grief, guilt, and second chances. One strength of the novel is that it manages to keep Tempe and Lor's narrative voices distinct. The author also resists focusing solely on romance, instead letting Tempe's family bond take center stage. Unfortunately, a compelling world and quick pacing cannot save this book from reliance on scientific impossibilities (the mechanics of resurrection are hazy and convoluted) and an ending that is sure to be divisive. VERDICT Recommended for pre-teen and teen readers who are willing to ignore the story's logical short-comings for the sake of a fast-paced aquatic adventure.-Lara Goldstein, Orange County Public Libraries, NC

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2020
In a flooded post-apocalyptic world, a girl in search of answers about their parents' deaths revives her dead sister. Three years after her parents died at sea in a storm, Tempest lost her older sister, Elysea, to drowning--and four months after that, Elysea's best friend revealed that Elysea saw her parents the night they died and that she blamed herself for their deaths. To discover the truth, Tempest has saved and scrounged up enough money to use nearby high-tech island Palindromena's resurrection technology, which can bring the dead back for just one more day, on Elysea. Elysea's truth is more complicated than Tempest anticipated, and it leads to an escape from Palindromena and a desperate chase after dangerous, evasive truths. Co-narrator Lor is at odds with the escapees--he secretly filled in for a friend on Elysea's resurrection, and if the sisters aren't returned, the friend faces severe consequences. The countdown of Elysea's remaining time at the start of each chapter keeps tensions high as the characters explore a detailed, inventive, lovingly crafted world (though the technology requires large amounts of suspension of disbelief for the story to hold water). But despite the occasional plot element that falls flat, the narrative's sea legs come through deep, resonant characterizations and the characters' intense emotional inner lives. Lor is pale, the sisters are olive-skinned, and various shades of brown are common. An aromantic character receives positive representation. A seaworthy stand-alone. (Science fantasy. 12-adult)

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February 3, 2020
Five years before the start of this fast-paced ecological thriller, 17-year-old Tempest “Tempe” Alerin’s scientist parents were lost in a storm, and her beloved older sister, Elysea, drowned three years later. Tempe, who has survived by diving, scavenging her planet’s now-underwater Old World cities for goods to sell, believes that Elysea knew what really happened to their parents and may even have been responsible. After a lucky break, she can finally pay Palindromena scientists to resurrect Elysea for 24 hours. Doing a favor for a friend, Lor, 19, supervises Elysea during her revival, giving chase when Tempe smuggles Elysea off the island after revelations suggest that their parents might be alive. Though Lor races to catch them before the breach is discovered, he finds himself sympathizing with their plight. Scholte (Four Dead Queens) builds palpable suspense through Lor and Tempe’s alternating narratives while offering timely commentary on sustainability and responsible stewardship of land and sea. The sisters’ connection, especially with the shadow of Elysea’s impending second death hanging over them, adds a poignant urgency. Ages 12–up. Agent: Hillary Jacobson, ICM Partners.

January 1, 2020
Grades 8-12 In a postapocalyptic world, Tempest needs to get answers about her parents' death from her inconveniently dead sister, and she's finally raised the money it will take to resurrect Elysea for the strictly controlled 24-hour time period. Lor, caught in his own tangle of grief and guilt, is the Warden who will usher Elysea back to life and oversee her return to death. When the process is interrupted, the sisters escape to try to find their parents, who may still be alive. If Lor can't catch them in 24 hours, not only will Elysea die, but he will, too. Situating the action within a single day establishes certain tension that Scholte augments with the harsh realities of a world dominated by water, well-placed indicators that there is more to Lor's story, and plenty of opportunities for readers to ponder when?if ever?it's OK to play god. Tempest and Lor share narration duties, and each chapter prominently displays the date and time, as well as the amount of time remaining for Lor to make things right.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

February 6, 2020
Tempest ekes out a living scavenging the sunken cities of a future flooded world, alone now after the death of her sister Elysea. But death is no longer the end. The Palindromena facility can restore the dead to life, though only for 24 hours and only once. Tempest wants to get Elysea restored, not for the ‘closure’ that Palindromena offers but because only Elysea has the answers to the mystery of their parents’ disappearance and her own unexplained death. Lor, a quiet boy who lives inside Palindromena, is tasked with supervising Elysea’s revival. When Tempest snatches Elysea and escapes, all three of them end up in a desperate and dangerous race against the clock to uncover a terrible secret. The age recommendation for this book is 13–18, but it is probably best for the lower end of that range. Told in alternating first-person chapters by Tempest and Lor—Tempest is impulsive, Lor is introspective—the book moves smoothly between action-filled escape and chase scenes to more meditative reflections on death, loss and finally hope, all while keeping the reader emotionally invested. There are a couple of nice reveals in the last third and the novel ends on an appropriately bittersweet note. The Vanishing Deep is a solid treatment of some serious ideas that stays interesting and fun throughout.

Stefen Brazulaitis is the owner of Stefen’s Books in Perth