by
Lenth grew up in a lie.
Apparently there's more than five people in the world.
Savage Citizens, orderly Providers, keepers of ignorance, and a damaged killer stand in the way of the world's simple truths.
Four Brothers live their lives in an enclosed habitat as directed by the silent Rubberman above them. When they disobey, they get shocked. This is normal. It always has been.
When a Brother dies, they learn of death. When he is replaced by someone new, they learn they are replaceable.
When the ceiling above the ceiling cracks open, Lenth plans a journey beyond the known universe:
A third floor.
Up.
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Tropes: Dying World, Lucky Novice, Post-Apocalyptic, Reluctant Hero
Word Count: 89180
Setting: Underground, Earth, near future
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
Tropes: Dying World, Lucky Novice, Post-Apocalyptic, Reluctant Hero
Word Count: 89180
Setting: Underground, Earth, near future
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
Confession, right off the bat- this technically isn't sci-fi. If feels like one, it has similar themes of discovery and exploration, but the highest tech thing in it is a nuclear generator built in the 40s. The book partly serves as an introduction to the world of this series, its society, and sub-groups.
It's arguable that this is a sort of 'coming of age' story. Although the main character is in his early 20s, he was raised with no knowledge of anything beyond his tiny corner of the world, and we follow him and his naivety as we see things from his perspective- both his discovery of mundane things like doorknobs and elevators, or stranger things like the functionality of the facility, its societies, and these strange people he'd never met before called women.