There’s a chance that many
readers will pass over The Fire Sermon, thinking that their appetites for
post-apocalyptic YA novels with kick-ass female protagonists has been satiated.
Yet it would truly be a mistake to miss out on this particular specimen of the
genre.
The novel is set in a world
rebuilt four-hundred years after a nuclear destruction of some sort rendered
the entire landscape of the planet barren. The ecological hardships have, of
course, also brought with them social turmoil. If it weren’t difficult enough
to rebuild society after such a wipe-out, the blast has also altered human DNA,
so that all humans are now born as part of a pair, twins, who are labelled
Alfas and Omegas, and segregated accordingly. One twin, the Omega, often has a
physical defect, while their Alpha twin is perfectly formed. They may be
separated in early childhood, but they are forever connected in death – for if
one dies, the other dies as well. This creates obvious complications in a
society that seeks to segregate the two groups.
This premise was enough to pique
my interest, but what Haig does with it, kept me going with the book. Beneath the post-apocalyptic adventure there is a persistent vein of psychological
exploration – Zach, one of the main antagonists, is especially probed to discover
what drives his actions. This renders him much more interesting than the often
two-dimensional villains who cherish simple grievances and often don’t have
consistent or clear motivations for their actions. The novel also extensively
explores the effects of solitude and solitary confinement on the psyche,
through the characters Cass and Kip, which also results in interesting
revelations.
Through the character of Piper,
the novel also examines the difficulties of leadership and sacrifice for the
greater good. Piper sheds light on the very real issues with an idealistic view of
this fractured world; Cass may harbor hopes of protecting all the innocents of
her world, but it seems she has a difficult lesson coming her way. Many novels would
paint the pragmatic strategist character as ultimately lacking in moral fiber,
but at the end of the book, it seems that Haig wants to remind us that nothing is quite so
black and white.
Although I greatly enjoyed it, all the philosophical and psychological exploration in the
novel does detract somewhat from the action. The plotting of the story
is quite simple: continual pursuit and travel through this destructed world in
the first half, and little respite until the second part, in which our heroes
take off on a quest of their own. It’s not the twists and turns of the plot, or
the revelations (which most readers I’m sure could see a mile off even before
Cass used her seer powers), or the fast-paced adventure that renders this book
a great read, but rather the very real emotional, psychological, and moral
explorations demanded in such a world.
You may feel that the market is over-saturated with
post-apocalyptic YA novels with strong female leads, but Francesca Haig’s The
Fire Sermon is still worth a read, as it offers a completely different world
with its own set of rules, and a different style and perspective than that of
others in this genre.
You can buy the book here.
Check out other reviews of the book on Good Reads.
