Partials (Partials Sequence Book 1)

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out. Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there. Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer , takes readers on a pulsepounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival. Amazon.com Review Robison Wells Interviews His Brother, Dan Wells Dan Wells is the acclaimed author of the John Cleaver series: I Am Not a Serial Killer , Mr. Monster , and I DonвЂTMt Want to Kill You . He has been nominated for both the Hugo and the Campbell Award and has won two Parsec Awards for his podcast Writing Excuses . Robison Wells, DanвЂTMs younger brother, is the author of Variant , which Publishers Weekly called “a chilling, masterful debut” in a starred review, and its sequel, Feedback (available Fall 2012). Here, Robison interviews his brother about Partials , DanвЂTMs pulse-pounding first book in his post-apocalyptic series that questions the very concept of what it means to be human. Robison: Dan is my brother, exactly 13 months older than me. He and I shared a room our entire childhood, took the same classes, even dated the same girls. Dan got me into writing about twelve years ago, and ever since weвЂTMve critiqued each otherвЂTMs work, brainstormed new ideas, and told each other how terrible he is. So, with such a long background together, IвЂTMm particularly interested to see if I can learn anything new in this interview. IвЂTMve read so much of your writing over the years, from your poem about turkeys in the fifth grade to your first epic fantasy to your literary farce to your horror, and now your YA post-apocalyptic Partials. Is there anything youвЂTMve written that IвЂTMd be surprised to hear about? Dan: I wrote some Rifts fan fiction in high school—I donвЂTMt know if you knew about that. I actually reused a part of it for Partials . Robison: What part? Dan: I wonвЂTMt say, but itвЂTMs in the first third. Robison: YouвЂTMve written in all these different genres: Is it because youвЂTMre still looking for the perfect fit? Or are you just interested in writing lots of different things? Dan: Almost every book I write is a new genre, or a weird combination of genres, because I like to branch out and try new things. I never would have imagined that IвЂTMd write a horror series, but that was the first book I published. I never would have found that character, or the audience that loves him, if IвЂTMd forced myself to stick to one thing. Robison: How was the transition from supernatural to sci-fi? Dan: Not too bad, since I see them as very connected—the only real difference between fantasy and SF is the explanation of where the weird stuff comes from. SF ended up being a lot harder, in some ways, because I had to make those explanations scientifically sound. In my horror series I could just say, “ItвЂTMs a monster!” With SF I had to do a ton of research into genetics, biology, and the science of decay. Robison: How did you do your research? Dan: A lot of my research started online, including Wikipedia—people make fun of it as a research tool, and I admit that itвЂTMs a terrible place to end your research, but itвЂTMs a fantastic place to start. From there I found more detailed websites, and eventually some great connections to books. One of the most useful books I read was The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, about what would happen to the things we leave behind if we suddenly werenвЂTMt there to take care of them. ItвЂTMs a very detailed combination of scientific research and thought experiment. In Partials , the apocalypse wasnвЂTMt a bomb or a war or anything physically destructive, just a disease: We died, but all our stuff is still just sitting there. It was a fun situation to study, and a blast to depict in a book. Robison: So, having done all that research, what tips would you give for surviving an apocalyptic pandemic? LetвЂTMs assume youвЂTMre immune to the virus. Dan: I donвЂTMt know how youвЂTMre going to work that out, but there you go. Once you have that taken care of, you live in a combination of paradise and medieval squalor. You will have no electricity or running water, but almost everything else will be free. Canned food can last for a decade or more before going bad, so you can live at a subsistence level just by scavenging the local stores. Robison: Why do you think your society of survivors ended up being organized and civil and less Mad Max-ish? Dan: A big part of it is the scarcity issue. Mad Max and similar apocalyptic scenarios start with the premise that everything is destroyed. The survivors have to fight tooth and nail for what little resources are left. In Partials , everything you could ever want is just there for the taking. Robison: What books/movies/music/TV influenced Partials ? Dan: Some of the influences are obvious, like Battlestar Galactica and Children of Men . Others are harder to spot. I listened to a steady diet of protest songs and revolutionary music while writing, stuff like “Uprising” by Muse, because they got my blood going and helped me get into the main characterвЂTMs fiery personality. And some of my influences didnвЂTMt really end up in the book, though I still count them—things like Mad Max and A Canticle for Leibowitz that inspired my love of post-apocalyptic stories, but which didnвЂTMt really apply in this case. The biggest influence may have been our own history and current events. Partials is, at times, a very angry book, and thatвЂTMs a reflection of my own feelings about a lot of the stuff I see going on in the world. Robison: LetвЂTMs talk about that. YouвЂTMve said before that you think one of the reasons dystopia is so popular right now is because our world is becoming more dystopian. What current events influenced you in Partials ? Dan: For example, the story is set eleven years after a devastating catastrophe—and in 2012, my readers are also eleven years after their own devastating catastrophe. The events of 9/11 changed the way we do almost everything in this country, and to a lesser extent the rest of the world. One of the things I tried to do in the book was show that the adults, who remember what life was like before the end of the world, have a very different attitude about it than the kids whoвЂTMve never really known any other life. I also tried to throw in a lot of the extreme measures our government and our culture in general have taken in response to terrorism—reduced privacy, indefinite detention, torture, and so on. I think there are arguments on both sides of all these issues, and I tried to give each side a fair shake. Kira, the main character, has very strong ideas about whatвЂTMs justifiable and whatвЂTMs not, and just because sheвЂTMs the main character doesnвЂTMt mean sheвЂTMs always right. If anyoneвЂTMs actually “right” at all. Robison: So, on a happier note, why do you think IвЂTMm so awesome? Dan: Because you take after your brother. Review “A thrilling sci-fi adrenaline rush, with one of the most compelling and frightening visions of EarthвЂTMs future IвЂTMve seen yet. I couldnвЂTMt put it down.” (Pittacus Lore, #1 New York Times bestselling author of I Am Number Four ) “Wells creates a compelling, fantastically complex post-apocalyptic landscape, adding thought-provoking twists to a classic story of humanity creating its own doom...With broad cross-genre appeal and an engaging balance of thematic depth and rip-roaring action, this winner will leave readers clamoring for sequels.” (Bulletin of the Center for ChildrenвЂTMs Books ) “A dark, wild ride.” (Kirkus Reviews ) “Readers who enjoy headstrong feminist leads making their way . . . in the not-too-distant future will find plenty to like in Partials.” (Los Angeles Times ) “Mr. Wells has recombined familiar dystopian elements, added original ones and thrown in dashes of dry wit to create a sprawling, action-packed medical thriller full of big ideas and exciting reversals.” (Wall Street Journal ) For fans of The Hunger Games, Battlestar Galactica, and Blade Runner comes the first book in the Partials Sequence, a fast-paced, action-packed, and riveting sci-fi teen series, by acclaimed author Dan Wells. Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. But sixteen-year-old Kira is determined to find a solution. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that that the survival of both humans and Partials rests in her attempts to answer questions about the war's origin that she never knew to ask. Playing on our curiosity of and fascination with the complete collapse of civilization, Partials is, at its heart, a story of survival, one that explores the individual narratives and complex relationships of those left behind, both humans and Partials alike—and of the way in which the concept of what is right and wrong in this world is greatly dependent on one's own point of view. Supports the Common Core State Standards Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out. When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask. Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival. The word gifted has never been applied to a kid like Donovan Curtis. It's usually more like Don't try this at home. So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction (ASD), a special program for gifted and talented students. It wasn't exactly what Donovan had intended, but there couldn't be a more perfect hideout for someone like him. That is, if he can manage to fool people whose IQs are above genius level. And that becomes harder and harder as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything). But after an ongoing experiment with a live human (sister), an unforgettably dramatic middle-school dance, and the most astonishing come-from-behind robot victory ever, Donovan shows that his gifts might be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed. (Book Cover)