The Reading Bud

Book Details:

Author: B.R.M. Evett 
Release Date: September 15, 2023
Series:
Genre: Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic
Format: E-book 
Pages: 406 pages
Publisher: Sleeping Dog Press
Blurb:
A hurricane strikes the Elysium Spa, and a gentle android named Tender can only save one of his guests – a fifteen-year-old girl named Virgo. She has the innocence of an infant – the Spa guests are born, reproduce, and die in scientifically calibrated baths that keep them in a state of perpetual ecstasy, called Joy. She has never walked, or spoken, or had a cogent thought.
Tender’s sole purpose is to return Virgo to the state of bliss that is her birthright. He takes her on a journey across a post-apocalyptic American landscape depopulated by war, famine, and plague.

On the road, they meet other travelers on the New Frontier, including a scientist in search of life’s greatest secret, a group of First Nations warriors seeking to reclaim their stolen land, and a young power thief fleeing forced labor, looking for a better life and his lost family.
As Tender and Virgo struggle to survive, they come face to face with what it means to be a human on this earth. And they face a choice — embrace this painful, beautiful world, or return Virgo to an existence of mindless, but perfect, Joy.

Shortlisted for the 2024 Rubery Book Award. “This is a propulsive, post-apocalyptic thriller that touches on some fascinating philosophical issues.”

Review

JOY: A Novel of the New Frontier by B.R.M. Evett is one of those rare books that stays in the mind long after its over. Author Evett has crafted a hauntingly beautiful post-apocalyptic tale that is as much about survival as it is about the very essence of being human. It is not simply a story that you read, it makes you feel it, makes you question, and ultimately, leaves you irrevocably changed.

At the heart of this book is Virgo, a girl who has never known life outside of Joy—a chemically engineered, blissful state of being, where suffering and self-awareness do not exist. When a catastrophe forces her out of this artificial paradise, she is thrust into a raw, unfiltered world that she has no comprehension of. Alongside her is Tender, the android caregiver who has been programmed to protect her and ensure her uninterrupted ecstasy. But without a system to govern him, Tender is left on his own emerging sense of morality, logic, and something even deeper, something he was never designed to have.

The journey that follows is simply brilliant! Evett’s writing is lyrical, precise, and deeply immersive, effortlessly drawing readers into a world that feels eerily real despite its dystopian setting. Through their travels, Virgo and Tender encounter fractured remnants of humanity, each one shaped by war, famine, climate collapse, and the unchecked ambitions of the past. The world-building is meticulous, with a level of detail that makes every moment pulse with tension and poignancy.

There’s an aching beauty in JOY, an undercurrent of poetic melancholy that reminds me of classic speculative fiction, yet it feels profoundly contemporary. Author Evett has crafter an emotional and philosophical experience, brilliantly balancing the tenderness of his characters with the harsh, unforgiving world around them.

If you love speculative fiction that challenges your perception, if you appreciate intricate character development and prose that sings, this book is for you. JOY is not just a story, it’s a meditation on what it truly means to live.

You can also read this review at: