a review by Nalini Haynes
Fuse is the second book in a trilogy by Julianna Baggott. If you haven’t read the first novel in this trilogy, read my review of Pure or better yet READ THE DAMN BOOK. If you want quality SF, go no further – this is a must-read.
At the end of Pure, the protagonists realise they need to go their separate ways to accomplish necessary tasks. Pressia hunts for clues to the cure for being fused, accompanied by Bradwell and El Capitan. Partridge returns to the dome to ‘lead from the inside’ or so he hopes. Lyda refuses to return to the dome with Partridge, staying with the Mothers outside.
Pure has been optioned for a movie; I expect Pure to be bigger and better than the Hunger Games. Pure‘s world-building is more original and expansive, the plot is more complex and the characters have more depth. No Cheesy Royale jokes here.
In Pure, while on the run our protagonists entered different zones, encountering different kinds of fusings caused by the nanotechnology bombs that bound humans to each other and to whatever was close to them when the bombs went off. In Fuse, we revisit some of these people groups and monsters while the wretches outside the safety of the Dome gather together. I expect these fusings will be a feature of the movie, capitalising on special effects to create a post-apocalyptic human/inhuman dichotomy.
I really can’t say much more about Fuse without giving away huge spoilers. This is definitely a book for book discussion groups; I really want to talk with other people who’ve read the book! My best hope at the moment: I know this trilogy is on Dan’s reading list, so once he’s finished we’ll bore everyone who hasn’t read the trilogy by discussing it over dinner one evening.
Did I mention this is a must-read?
