Review by Melissa: "Floor 21"

 Floor 21 by Jason Luthor
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopia
Release Date: June 2nd, 2015
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Book Description:

As humanity lives out the remainder of its existence at the top of an isolated apartment tower, young Jackie dares to question Tower Authority and their ban on traveling into the tower's depths. Intelligent and unyielding, Jackie ventures into the shadows of the floors below. But will her strong will and refusal to be quiet—in a society whose greatest pride is hiding the past—bring understanding of how humanity became trapped in the tower she has always called home, or will it simply be her undoing?

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I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I agreed to read and review Jason Luthor's "Floor 21". I was drawn in, as I usually am, by a dystopian young adult book, and I was hoping that I wouldn't be let down. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the book and its premise more than I thought I would.

The Story takes place in a tower where only the top floors are inhabited, because the lower levels have been infested by this substance that they call "Creep". No one is sure how it got there or when, they just know to not ask a lot of questions and to follow the rules that were set by the Tower Authority. Of course, following the rules would make a bad and boring book, so "Floor 21" is what happens when one girl starts questioning their existence in the Tower and starts to look for answers.

What was cool about "Floor 21" was that it was different. The story was told in a first person narrative, as the characters recorded their story on voice recorders. I liked this idea, because it was a great way to show off the characters' unique voices in a way that is not commonly done.

The recordings, in my opinion, also added more suspense to what was happening. Since the characters are going through their own stories, they aren't able to speak knowingly on what else is going on, or why it's going on. Instead, the reader finds out more information along with the characters on the voice recorder, and everything has a stronger sense of immediacy.

 

I would recommend "Floor 21" to anyone who enjoys dystopian stories as much as I do. I read the whole book in about a day and a half (and that was even with me going out with friends and having a life for a change!), because I wanted to find answers. It seems like Luthor is setting up for another book to follow, and if that is true, I would love to continue reading and learning more about the Tower and the Creep.

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Author Bio:

Jason Luthor has spent a long life writing for sports outlets, media companies and universities. His earliest writing years came during his coverage of the San Antonio Spurs as an affiliate with the Spurs Report and its media partner, WOAI Radio. He would later enjoy a moderate relationship with Blizzard Entertainment, writing lore and stories for potential use in future games. At the academic level he has spent several years pursuing a PhD in American History at the University of Houston, with a special emphasis on Native American history.

His inspirations include some of the obvious; The Lord of the Rings and Chronciles of Narnia are some of the most cited fantasy series in history. However, his favorite reads include the Earthsea Cycle, the Chronicles of Prydain, as well as science fiction hits such as Starship Troopers and Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep?

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