3. The Oarsmen: Chasing Embers. Glenn Beck with Mikayla G. Hedrick. 2024. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, mg speculative fiction, mg dystopia, mg fiction]
First sentence: It was the night the scales tipped decisively in the Administrator's direction. A young couple was sitting in their unit in the half-built utopian city known as "Oasis." The city was flush with the sounds of mechanical construction--crash, whizz, pop, smash. These sounds were normal in Oasis. The Tenants were hardly bothered by it anymore.
Premise/plot: Chasing Embers is a middle grade [or perhaps young young adult] dystopian novel set in a future America. Like all dystopias it features a bleak, dismal, unsettling, disturbing reality. Some are more subtle than others--think Twilight Zone. Others are more obviously harsh.
What should you know? There are two main characters who alternate narration. Sky and Ember. Both have grown up in Oasis--I believe--and both will have to make a tough decision--or two or three--before the close of the novel.
Ember "inherited" a forbidden book, a handwritten book I believe, that capture in bits, pieces, and spurts the past. It's a past that is purposefully forgotten and/or revised by the current powers that be. The current powers that be determine what is true and what isn't true--and mostly they err on the side of everything from the past being lies, lies, and more lies. There are a few "holdouts" who live apart, and some that live within just super cautiously. There are also fabled Oarsmen.
Sky has left Oasis and is visiting one such holdout community and is learning things in "the sticking place." All the "lies" are being taught as truth and the community is being nurtured by morals and values--being taught right from wrong, truth from lie, etc. But Sky has his doubts and cannot believe what he is seeing and hearing. Or perhaps he wants to believe but struggles to incorporate his new realizations with everything he's ever known.
Though much of the book is world-building, plenty is left mysterious--for better or worse. There will be costs to pay for "holding out" and not conforming to the powers that be, and many characters will be forced to decide if it's a cost worth paying.
My thoughts: My biggest issue with this book is the lack of understanding of HOW IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL character motivations are within a book--any book really, but especially a supposedly action packed dystopia. IF hard work is put into character motivation--knowing WHY characters do what they do, say what they say, choose what they choose, etc--then much can be forgiven such as info-dumping for world-building sake. Also being premise-driven. A book can be premise-driven, plot-driven and be far from character driven....and still be a compelling read IF some amount of attention is given to showing WHY.
I feel that both Sky and Ember lack ANY development when it comes to character motivation. It's a big guessing game with extremely shaky foundations as to WHY they say or do ANYTHING at any given time. Yes, it keeps readers guessing but for all the wrong reasons. I think *a little* more focus on building the characters inner worlds would help sell this one as a compelling read.
© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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