ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

When a supervirus decimates half of the population e male half manity averts extinction by creating sterilized Sanctuaries for men. Outside of the Sanctuaries, matriarchies rise, bound by radical, new global agreements (we reject all forms of violence; we will all help each other). River, born to the second postvirus generation, knows nothing about boys. When she meets Mason, a boy who can survive on the outside, she begins questioning the very foundations of gender, as well as the ethics of the quarantine that places reproduction above free will. Bergin's matriarchal world building is fascinating, especially the delightful dynamics of River's three-generational household. However, the logistics of the all-male Sanctuaries receive none of the same treatment, leaving readers frustratingly in the dark as to how they function. River's jarring encounter with another escapee further muddles the narrative. Yet the intimate female relationships that evolve in the absence of men are inspiring and rich, not deficient, and the story thankfully forgoes the typical, predictable romance between River and Mason. Hand to teens thirsting for an original tale.

Kirkus Reviews

A veteran science journalist builds a fascinating narrative based on his exclusive access to a group of astronomers bent on photographing a black hole, a near-impossible feat of Nobel Prize proportions.For more than five years, Scientific American features editor Fletcher (Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy, 2011, etc.) followed astronomer Shep Doeleman and his team of intrepid scientists as they assembled the largest array of radio telescopes in the world, the Event Horizon Telescope, in the hope of imaging a black hole. The author excels at bringing to life not just the researchers and experimentalists, whose quirks and passions add much to the story, but the cutting-edge science driving their epic quest. Despite their ubiquity in popular culture, black holes have never been directly observed. A mountain of theoretical evidence posits that they exist in abundance in the universe. Most intriguing is that scientists are almost positive that a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A2000181812Kirkus Reviews2018-09-01LXXXVI172018-08-202018-08-20PRINTFiction2018-11-01Sourcebooks Fire352In a future United Kingdom, a male-specific virus forces survivors into Sanctuaries, creating Planet Girl; let the battle of the gender stereotypes begin.In a future United Kingdom, a male-specific virus forces survivors into Sanctuaries, creating Planet Girl; let the battle of the gender stereotypes begin.In a future United Kingdom, a male-specific virus forces survivors into Sanctuaries, creating Planet Girl; let the battle of the gender stereotypes begin.Bergin (Who Runs the World?, 2017, etc.) wrestles with complicated issues in a gender-segregated future of all-female communities where everyone listens and agrees while the unfortunate males are imprisoned in Sanctuaries, valued only for their sperm count. XYs learn about life from sex vids and video games, passing their time running on literal and figurative treadmills. Mason, who speaks like a prospector from the Wild West ("Wimmin ain't supposed to be like this!") is rescued after nearly perishing during his escape from a Sanctuary by River, a future engineer who displays a puzzling lack of curiosity about anything except airplanes. Foiling Help and Rescue, the granmummas of the community, known for their grim memories and pot-growing, insist that Mason be saved. When River breaks one of the Seven Global Agreements, Mason relies on his Code of Honor to save her, launching their search for personal and political truths. Coarse language cobbles together a world with scarce electricity and few personal comforts that somehow manages the technological skills necessary for IVF, genetic modification, and world trade. Ironic character names and skillful foreshadowing earn literary nods in a story with more unanswered questions than a timed math test. Ethnicities are not specified.A flood plain of a novel: all breadth and no depth. (Science fiction. 14-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This near-future novel from Bergin (H2O) is set in southwest Britain, 60 years after a virus killed most of Earth-s biologically born men. Women run the world, and boys and men now spend their lives in sterilized Sanctuaries, valued only for their reproductive contributions. Teenage River has never even seen an -XY- until she stumbles across a sick, fearful boy lying in the road and saves him in accordance with the Global Agreements, which require citizens to help one another. According to River-s Mumma, their region-s National Council representative, protocol dictates that Mason receive no treatment other than painkillers. But the village-s remaining granmummas, who lost loved ones to the pandemic, are determined to save him. The mystery behind Mason-s provenance and apparent immunity power the plot, while the potential ramifications of his survival create tension. Bergin uses a clever premise and vividly sketched characters to illustrate the importance of compassion and inclusion, but stereotypically gendered world building (video games and organized sports don-t exist without men), together with reductivist reflections on the social construction of gender, lessen the story-s impact. Ages 14-up. (Nov.)

School Library Journal (Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Gr 9 Up-A virus wiped out almost all of the men on Earth. Those not infected were taken to "sanctuaries." Women survived and live in the normal world. The remaining men are used for their sperm to keep the species thriving. Male babies are taken to the sanctuaries after birth. When River stumbles across an XY named Mason, she is shocked but also fearful. He is obviously sick. Should River save him or report him? Although the writing is slow at first, the narrative quickly becomes engaging; the world-building will pull readers in. It is an intriguing premisewhat the world would be like run solely by women. There are some disconnects, such as why the men who are being held in pseudo-prisons seem to have access to advanced technology while women see baths and electricity as extravagances. The plot is compelling until the very end, when the story line veers off course and the world-building falls apart. VERDICT An enjoyable quick read for those who love dystopian fiction and won't mind that the internal logic doesn't always pan out. Jessica Perovich, US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Library