Set in a flooded future world, Kara and Joe spend their days in a floating slum between the edge of a ruined London, now protected by a wall built to home the privileged, and the vast ocean where ruthless Mariners, who are deemed as murderous terrorists, spend their lives entirely at sea. But when fearless Kara and determined yet naïve Joe find themselves in possession of a mysterious map, they suddenly find themselves treading water in a dangerous world of gangsters, pirates, corruption and power struggles. What unravels is a vivid dystopian thriller about the repercussions of power and greed, the morals of political activism and protecting the community and the planet.
From perilous waterways of a sunken city, to the ruins of a floating London, from high-tech submarines to deserted underground stations, Huddleston has skilfully created a thrilling yet scarily unsettling world, in which I found myself utterly immersed in. Huddleston’s startlingly cinematic take on the devastating consequences of a world ravaged by a changing climate, rising sea levels and a society in turmoil felt as fictitious as it did foreseeable. With our own planet's current cry against climate change, the environmental edge to FloodWorld made this a thought-provoking and timely tale. Yet in amongst these important issues is a fast-paced, action-packed adventure. Whirlpools of twists and turns await in every chapter, an array of fierce and diverse characters feather the horizon and a sibling relationship built on love and loyalty is what kept me rooted to my seat, eagerly turning the page.
Suitable for readers 10/11+, I already can’t wait to read the sequel, DustRoad (out March 2020), where Kara and Joe’s gripping adventures continue, this time in the US, as they continue to fight to save the future.
FloodWorld is perfect for fans of Bren MacDibble and for older readers, The Secret Deep by Lindsay Galvin.