Bannerless

May 15, 2017
In this competent postapocalyptic mystery—linked to a short story first published in the launch issue of John Joseph Adams’s magazine Lightspeed, which makes this a fitting launch title for his eponymous imprint—two investigators are called upon to determine whether a sudden death was an accident or murder, but their efforts stir up secrets and uncomfortable emotions. In the population-controlled society of the Coast Road, murder is extremely rare, almost unthinkable, and Enid of Haven is determined to get to the heart of the matter no matter what. However, when she encounters a familiar face from her past, she is forced to reflect on her younger days and lost love, and to seriously consider her future. Vaughn (Martians Abroad) skillfully portrays a vastly altered future America that’s almost unrecognizable decades after its total collapse; the reversion to a much less technological setting is a common element for the genre, but her focus on sustainability and responsibility is unusual, thought-provoking, and very welcome. The murder mystery is balanced by a heavy emotional core focused on the importance of families. Unfortunately, the numerous flashbacks rob the story of its urgency, making this less powerful than it could have been. Agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Company.

May 15, 2017
Vaughn, who's competent in many subgenres, eschews werewolves (Kitty Saves the World, 2015), superheroes (Dreams of the Golden Age, 2014), dragons (Refuge of Dragons, 2017), and spacefarers (Martians Abroad, 2017) for a smaller-scale story, an intimate post-apocalyptic mystery.Several decades after the Fall--a series of epidemics and devastating storms that have killed off most of the human population--survivors in California live in an interdependent confederation of towns along what they now call the Coast Road. Every household produces only what it needs and can't have children unless granted a banner for one by the town committee. The brown-clad investigators both look into suspected violations (including bannerless pregnancies) and mete out appropriate judgments. When Sero, an unpopular but skilled handyman, dies under suspicious circumstances, Enid, a young investigator, travels to Pasadan to determine the truth. As she and her colleague Tomas examine the evidence, Enid confronts both the resistance of the townspeople and the memory of a journey which marked a turning point in her life. Despite the worldwide apocalypse, this is actually a deeply personal story about one woman and the mores of small-town living, a deft portrait of a society departed so completely from the complexities of the now-destroyed civilization (except for some technological scraps) that survivors don't even understand what it is they've lost. This is exemplified by a performance of "Dust in the Wind"; the musician believes that it is a song from Kansas rather than a song by Kansas--either way, Kansas is so impossibly distant so as to border on the mythical. Perhaps surviving humans (with the exception of a few desperate scavengers) would develop into a community where murder is rare, most crimes are petty, and shunning is a devastating punishment; it would be nice to think so. The characters definitely aren't angels, but they're still a pleasant and reasonably plausible departure from the grim sort that usually populate this subgenre. A slight but well-crafted and heartfelt effort.

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May 15, 2017

Decades after technological and economic failure, the United States has become a dystopian society of mandated households and governed by committee rule and population control. To be proven fit to bear children, households are awarded banners, showing they prosper in these tough times. Enid lives in Haven and is an Investigator who settles disputes along the Coast Road region. While young for her job, she has resolved some minor disturbances successfully. Called in to examine a suspicious death in Pasadan, Enid travels with her mentor and enforcer Tomas to discover that the deceased Sero was an outcast, and that the village committee and residents all have nothing to say, leading Enid to probe further. Armed with the history of the world's demise and rebirth, Enid works to discover what Pasadan is hiding. Her revelations will ultimately lead to questioning the rules of the universe itself. VERDICT Urban fantasy author Vaughn (Dreams of the Golden Age) switches gears with this compelling deft postapocalpytic tale.--KC

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2017
In a postapocalyptic U.S., the communities of the Coast Road region govern themselves with a strict system of rules to prevent waste. Order is kept through the use of investigators empowered to pass judgment, shaming and shunning as social control, and implants to prevent pregnancy until a household is approved with the granting of a symbolic banner. When investigator Enid of Haven is called to review the circumstances of a suspicious death in a distant community, she finds herself confronting not one but several mysteries, as well as some unfinished business from her past. Vaughn weaves an all-too-believable account of The Fall of a modern world that required constant upkeep to continue functioning. Enid is flawed but earnest in her angry disbelief at others' abuses of the system that was put in place to prevent another Fall from happening. A quiet mystery combined with an introspective look at a possible future, ideal for fans of genre crossovers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)