Red Fox is a good YA dystopian story. Although the book is only 138 pages long it packs a lot in. There’s a tyrannical government, a feisty heroine and a slow-building romance. I feel this book would be a good recommendation for fans of The Hunger Games.
A fast-paced, dystopian fiction for teenagers.
Set in a futuristic Australia, the dire warnings about climate change have led to a Biocentric political party being elected. Biocentrism is the view or belief that the rights and needs of humans are not more important than those of other living things. What could go wrong?
In a rally that reminded me of the reaping from the Hunger Games, people are gathered in the town square to be split into four groups (A, B, C and D). Freya, our protagonist, draws everyone’s attention when defending a friend. As a result of her display, she is separated from everyone she knows and loves and is put in the ‘B group’.
Tension builds and Freya is transported to a ring in the bushland where she must survive for two weeks. Surviving with no equipment will pose its own challenges, but what about the other ‘B’ she’s been put with?
The government wants to change human behaviour with genetics. They plan to breed a new generation of people who will be more instinctual, “wild” and able to survive without the modern concept of civilisation. The inspiration for the government’s plan comes from Dmitri Belyaev’s Silver Fox experiments. However, most of the ‘B group’ were picked because they are headstrong, disobedient and willing to defend those they care about no matter the consequences. Putting these characters together to form bonds and plot is surely a recipe for revolution.
Red Fox is a good YA dystopian story. Although the book is only 138 pages long it packs a lot in. There’s a tyrannical government, a feisty heroine and a slow-building romance. I feel this book would be a good recommendation for fans of The Hunger Games.