Station Eleven

Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel, 2014)

How I stumbled upon it: My friend Kara recommended it after I forced her to take my copy of The Road and read it over the weekend.

What it's about: Civilization has collapsed due to a massive flu epidemic and people are just beginning to rebuild small settlements around the country.  A traveling symphony is dedicated to the preservation of art, and they roam the country performing for those still left. Along their route, they encounter a cult that is led by a wild prophet who tests the strength + security of their group.

What I thought: Well I read this during flu season, so clearly I wasn't feeling too great about things. In reality, even though this was well written, I didn’t love the plot. I think the post-apocalyptic trend has been done quite a bit lately, and since I’ve been on a sci-fi kick I probably would have enjoyed it more had I waited to read. That being said, it’s very intriguing and the writing flows so well that you will read it in 4 hours!

You can get it here.