Review Detail

Terra Electrica sets up a fascinating and realistic end-of-times novel appropriate for Middle-Grade audiences. Our main character, Mani, lives in a near future where the ice caps have melted, many animals we know today are extinct, and when the ice melted, something was released that sent a virus through electricity to infect the world, and most are dead. In this bleak landscape, Mani is near starvation, waiting for her father to return. She tries to stay put as he told her to, but her survival depends on her leaving to try to find him.
Her nationality is never disclosed, but her skill set and beliefs seem to indicate an indigenous background that makes it possible for her to navigate and hunt the wilds on her own and to distrust science men at a nearby research station. She also has a magical mask that helps her connect with the spirit world and her spirit animal.
She meets a scientist, Leo, who is infected. Through their contact, it is discovered that her touch cures people of the sickness. She looks infected, but is healthy. Leo convinces her to go towards the ARK research station to find her father and save humanity with her special ability. Leo’s character gives her someone to interact with and the courage to travel. He is the adult, but she is clearly the one keeping them alive. The ending is a bit rushed after journeying so long towards their destination, but a big bad is established if there are more books in the series.
The challenges they face keep the pace moving and the action steady. This works well as a standalone, although at first it was advertised as being the first in a series. The publisher that printed this book is now closed, so I do not know the future of more books in this world. Fans of Hatchet, Island of the Blue Dolphin, and Julie of the Wolves should consider this story of survival as a good next read.