This proved to be a great Thanksgiving escape! Aslan's book has a little bit of everything--take an apocalyptic collapse of civilized society; add an an epic journey for teen Leilani and her Dad, who are two islands removed from their home on the Big Island of Hawaii when disaster strikes; and season with large doses of Hawaiian culture, the mysteries of space, nuclear radiation, and epilepsy. The novel starts out slowly as we follow Lei and her dad to Oahu, where she is a subject of research on the effectiveness of a new seizure medication. As the city gradually shuts down due to a mysterious loss of power and the resulting panic, the Miltons realize they need to get home while they still can. This means stashing food and their gear in their backpacks and trying to find a way across two islands in the absence of air travel and cruise ships. The series of adventures includes forced incarceration in a military camp and close escapes from crazed and desperate people struggling for their own survival.
At first this looked like another version of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. There is the same desperation, the same conflict between doing what seems right and what is necessary, and the deep love of family. Aslan adds more hope and a more defined goal that keep Lei and her father going. There are two problems and two journeys--one, how to get home and find the rest of the family, and the other, to try and figure out why their world is crumbling around them. Aslan ties it all together in a fast-paced story that also leaves one with lots to chew on, along with leftovers.
The second volume takes up where the first leaves off. The Miltons struggle to grow enough food and manage scarce resources to survive until order returns to the islands. Leilani has managed to communicate with an alien presence but life is full of danger--from the warring tribes on the big island and from powers that seek to steal her power. More Hawaiian culture and a love interest or two add to Leilani's story.
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