The Q

In this dystopian book, The Q, we have a future where a mutating virus has created the necessity of isolating a portion of Texas for the last twenty years to prevent a mass extinction event in the world. This book came out in 2022 and since the topic hit a little too close to home after the covid pandemic it has taken a while to be ready to read this book but it ended up being an excellent read.
The world created feels immensely believable. The poor were most affected because they could not evacuate when the virus broke out. The American government provides aid while also building a wall and has a strict shoot-on-site policy if anyone tries to leave the quarantine zone. Civil law has broken down and the area is now ruled by two gang families that were able to seize power and be the most ruthless to keep it. The American people fear the brutal stories they have heard and as time passes a small extremist group advocating just bombing the area out of existence is starting to gain traction. While this is fiction, I see nothing untrue about how this imagined scenario would play out making for a compelling and thought-provoking read much like Lord of The Flies by William Golding looked at the breakdown of society in his classic book.
The status quo comes to a head when the presidential candidate's playboy screwup son, Lennon Pierce, is kidnapped and dropped into the Q zone. Advanced technology allows him to receive an untested vaccine that protects him for a few days until he can make it to the wall and leave. Issues of privilege and power are explored with his character. No one else is allowed to leave but he would be able to.
I was surprised that the gang leader was so willing to help him. I expected Lennon to have to appeal to a love interest, Maisie Rojas, to go against her gang to help him regain freedom. It sort of happens that way anyway when an internal mutiny finds the gang leader killed. From that point, we have nonstop action, danger, intrigue, shifting alliances, developing relationships, and a race against the clock to get Lennon to safety.
Overall, this was a compelling read with action and budding romance that will create a wide appeal for this book. I can see it being a great book club or school-assigned read to explore the meaty topics this dystopian scenario is based on.

Lennon Pierce, the charismatic son of a US presidential candidate, has just been kidnapped by his father's enemies and dropped out of a plane into the Q with nothing but a parachute strapped to his back. Lennon is given a temporary antidote to the disease and crucial intel for his father. Still, Maisie must get him out of the zone within forty-eight hours--or he will be permanently infected and forced to remain."
What I liked:
What a unique concept of showing us the world inside The Q. Drop an important person kid inside and have it unfold like a documentary that gives you a glimpse inside a closed-off area in this world. The author admits that this story is eerily close to things we have encountered over the last two years, but in actual book format, it makes for a good tale. Also, being told from dual points of view makes for an enjoyable slow-burn romance between Lennon and Maisie.
Final Verdict:
I am unsure if this is a stand-alone, as some questions are not entirely answered at the end of the story. However, if you are a fan of dystopian tales and have avoided them for a while, pick this one up for a new take on this genre.

THE Q is a highly engaging YA dystopian/sci-fi. In this world, a new deadly virus arose, beginning in Austin, Texas. To contain it, they placed everyone who had the virus in the city and eventually walled it off. This trapped not only people who had been infected but also those who were too poor to leave. The virus continued to mutate and reinfect the people who lived within, and before long, there was no plan for allowing those people out of the quarantine zone or The Q. It has now been about 20 years.

Maisie was born inside The Q, one of the first generation. She lives in the South, controlled by Dr. Lopez (and formerly her father), while the North is controlled by the Spencers. They are engaged in a perpetual turf war with a bit of peace constructed by mutual fear. Lennon, the son of a presidential candidate, is kidnapped and airdropped into The Q, landing in the Neutral Zone. Lopez detects it and sends Maisie to get him before unsavory characters can, and he gives her an injection to give him, which should provide him with about 4 days of immunity from the virus.

Lennon wants out and back to his old life. The things he has heard about The Q are rather frightening, and he knows that public opinion is turning on even allowing it to continue to exist. The CDC gives him 3 days to get to the north gate and allow him to exit, assuming he has not been infected. However, with conflicts escalating inside The Q and a long path to get there, his safety seems anything but assured.

What I loved: This was such an entertaining and engaging read. While it certainly has parallels to viruses now, this presents a speculative scenario taken to extremes. There were some thought-provoking themes around politics, public opinion, morality, conflict/war, gender inequality, medical care, and poverty that really made this quite an intriguing story. The broader context of The Q and the people who have lived inside it were really provocative and ask some interesting questions about how medical care and societal engagement are impacted by wealth and public perception.

The book is told from the perspectives of Maisie and Lennon, and this balance really propelled the story. While there is a small amount of romance between them, they were each compelling characters individually. Maisie loves her friends, who have become her family, and she fiercely believes in doing what is right, even if that means she has to punch some people. Lennon has not always been the perfect son to his political parents, but he is finding his own purpose as he learns more about The Q and its residents. He also has his own moral code, which he is figuring out as he navigates this dangerous landscape with Maisie.

Other secondary characters were really intriguing as well, particularly Val, Queso, and Hadley, who each have survived their own way. The new generation of The Q is beginning to see their own desires and drive for changes they want - it could irrevocably change the future of what The Q is and how they all relate to each other (if they can move past their parents' choices).

The plot was fast, and this is definitely an action-packed read with quite the adventure in their three-day travel from the South to the North. It was really hard to put down with so many twists and turns along the way. I am definitely interested to see what will happen next, and I definitely hope this will get a sequel. While major plotlines are wrapped up, there are definitely some threads I would be interested to follow in the future.

Final verdict: A thrilling and action-packed YA dystopian/sci-fi, THE Q takes the reader on a speculative ride with compelling characters and thought-provoking themes. Highly recommend checking this one out!