The Darwin Elevator
Date
2013
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Del Rey Books
Abstract
Set in the future (23rd century), The Darwin Elevator introduces Darwin, the only surviving city (located in Australia) in a world ravaged by an alien plague that turns humans into mindless creatures (“subhumans”) driven by anger and a murderous rage. Darwin is protected due to an elevator that goes into space and is built by the aliens, nicknamed “the Builders”. The elevator itself emits an aura around the city that protects it from the plague; however, it starts malfunctioning, and cases of infection are detected within Darwin. Skyler, the protagonist, one of the few people immune to the plague, is then sent outside the city with a scientist, Dr. Tania, to recover information on the aliens. The novel explores the gathering of scientific knowledge in order to understand and research a foreign threat, as well as the class division that may arise due to a scientific and technological novelty, with the new upper classes living in orbit, away from the plague, the middle and lower classes occupying Darwin and trading old world materials, and the outsiders trying to get into the city and escape the affliction.
Description
Keywords
alien , class , plague
Citation
Hough, Jason M. The Darwin Elevator. Del Rey Books, 2013.