DAYLIGHT RUNNER
OISÍN McGANN
YA Science Fiction
HarperTeen
ISBN# 978-0-06-134058-1
341 pages
$16.99
Hardcover—Available now
Rating: 4.5 Enchantments
Sol Wheat has gotten used to the monotonous life of living in Ash Harbor, one of the last refuges for human existence amidst a severe Ice Age which has rendered the exposed earth uninhabitable. Sol obediently functions as part of the Machine just like the other residents of Ash Harbor, traveling clockwise through the city to help power the Machine and making do with what little meager resources are left.
But Sol’s world irrevocably shifts when his father disappears and is accused of murder. Targeted by a secret supposed policed force called the Clockworkers for asking too many nosy questions, Sol is now on the run, hiding out in Ash Harbor’s underground. Nothing will stop Sol from pursuing the truth, however, and he soon learns that there is so much more at stake than he initially thought; it’s not longer just a personal score to settle but a matter involving the dysfunctional fascist government of Ash Harbor and the very survival of the fragile world he lives in.
Both suspenseful and philosophically stimulating, DAYLIGHT RUNNER is a quite unique take on the future of the world. Drawing from government-business alliances and the global warming phenomenon of today, Ash Harbor offers only physical protection from the harshness of the world; its citizens are left at the mercy of four large business interests who virtually control this small enclave instead of the government supposed to rule it. The world of Ash Harbor is a scary one indeed yet possible in a frightening way: it merely magnifies some of the imperfections and corruptions in today’s world. There is some excitement and promise in the mostly effective relationship between humans and machines, but time eventually causes humanity to progress backward in this futuristic setting. The action in this novel is by no means heart pounding or the story spectacular; in fact, the ending is rather anticlimactic, the weak attempt at romance is a mistake, and the characters are rather boring. However, it isn’t the story itself that makes DAYLIGHT RUNNER such a meaningful read, but the food for thought it provides that will lead readers to question their own worlds.
Oisín McGann has held a variety of jobs, and “author” is obviously one of them. He can be visited online at www.oisinmcgann.com
Rachael Stein
Enchanting Reviews
February 2009
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