THE EXEMPLAR
by live audiences and those spectating from their heat\u002Dresistant dwellings. Will (the only Black competitor) is one such enhanced clone of a long\u002Dago original. As Will studies for the Crucible, he is disturbed by strange dreams, unanswered questions, and the gaps in his knowledge. Why do some Crucible faculty react emotionally to Will Herndon’s name? Why is his aged grandfather still alive, and being very evasive? (“Will’s heart was beating fast...could it be that everyone—from his grandpa to Amy—were trying to protect others from him? He knew himself. Or he thought he knew who he was at his core.”) The dilemmas and identity questions posed by the author are compelling ones, if somewhat familiar (and yes, The Hunger Games (2008)gets name\u002Dchecked). YA SF readers might also note resemblances to the Maze Runner series by James Dashner—this novel’s climax is literally a maze run—and a cold\u002Dcase mystery at the hot\u002Dclimate narrative’s heart is resolved off\u002Dpage. But at least this cli\u002Dfi dystopian thriller wraps up in one relatively compact volume."
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The Exemplar drops readers into a climate-ravaged future where enhanced clones compete in a deadly tournament called the Crucible, following Will, the only Black competitor, as he trains while haunte...
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The Exemplar drops readers into a climate-ravaged future where enhanced clones compete in a deadly tournament called the Crucible, following Will, the only Black competitor, as he trains while haunted by strange dreams and gaps in his own memory. The tension isn't only physical: Will slowly realizes that people around him, including his own evasive grandfather and members of the Crucible faculty, are reacting to his name in ways that don't add up, and the mystery of why becomes as central as the competition itself, in a novel aimed at readers 12 to 18.
Readers who've been through The Hunger Games or the Maze Runner books will recognize the shape of this one, right down to a climactic sequence built around running a maze, and the novel doesn't pretend otherwise. What it does differently is fold in climate fiction and wrap the whole story up in a single volume rather than stretching it across multiple installments, which gives a teen the dystopian-competition premise as a lower-commitment entry point.
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