The Declaration

Malley, Gemma. 2007.The Declaration. New York: Bloomsbury USA.

It’s a familiar saying that the children are our future. That is why the role of parenting and educating our children is seen as important--as vital--for the health of our nation and the world. But what if it wasn’t true? What if the children weren’t our future? What if there was a way to live forever. To live forever without aging another day?

The Declaration by Gemma Malley envisions such a world...and such a future. The year is 2140. In this new world, to be young is a crime against Mother Nature. The cost of living forever comes with a heavy cost. To receive the drug--the Longevity drug--you must promise to never have any children. For some, this promise can be made and kept without a thought. But for others, it’s asking the impossible. And thus, surplus children continue to be born. But born into what? If a surplus is found--depending on the country--they are either a) killed or put down or b) taken to a place like Grange Hall where they are trained to be Useful servants to the Legal adults. The children--ranging from Small, Middle, to Pending--are indoctrinated to believe that they don’t have a right to exist. That the very fact that they’re alive and breathing is a crime, a sin. A sin that must be atoned for with obedience, hard work, and humility.

To read the rest of my review, visit September's issue of The Edge of the Forest. (Check the archives under "fantasy" after September.)