Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa—Having read Blood of Eden I was curious about how the world in that story came about. This story about The end of human dominance, the Red Lung virus, and the rise of the Rabid was as much a love story as a survival story. Kylie is working one of the few remaining medical clinics outside Washington DC when Ben Archer shows up with his injured friend Nathan. Nathan dies and turns rabid but, even worse, so do the other dying patients in the clinic. Kylie and Ben decide to flee to his family who lives in an isolated area. Ben had had a fight with his father and left home four years earlier never intending to go back. They fight various Rabids along the way and are even rescued by a vampire who plays a larger role in Blood of Eden. They reach Ben's farm and set out to make a life there.Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre—Mari Thorne is a thief in a world where the rich live in guarded compounds that protect them from the ruined wastelands outside. Mari is forced by the boss of her area to break into one of the compounds to steal an object he wants. However, she was given bad information and fails. She is helped to escape from the compound and finds herself in the company of one of the boss's soldiers who wants to overthrow him for reasons of his own. Since the boss wants to kill Mari for her failure, she teams up with Thorne even though she can't trust him. He is the best of bad options and might provide a way for her to survive and take care of her family. The story ends without being completely resolved. I wonder what Thorne will do as boss of the area. I wonder what will happen to Mari and her younger brother and sister. Sun Storm by Karen Duvall—Solar flares have almost destroyed the Earth. No one can be out in the daylight and most technology is down. Some few people don't die from the sun fever but develop special powers. Sarah can foresee when the solar flares are coming and where the storm will be worst. Ian can control the weather. Their powers make them attractive to the unscrupulous and needed by the government who has a plan to stop the solar flares. But they need Sarah and Ian to make their plan succeed. Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of novellas. Most of them leave me aching for more and feel unfinished to me. Kagawa's story did fill in some background for me since I have already read The Immortal Rules and the main characters were left in a situation that was dangerous but had a future. Aguirre's story was the one that left me wanting the most. I do not know if she has written more stories in this world but I know I need more. While the immediate problem was solved, the fates of the two main characters were left hanging. The final story was also came to enough resolution for me. The main problem was solved and the future was filled with possibilities for the main characters. All of the stories were well-written and had engaging characters. Fans of novellas and fans of the authors will enjoy these.
