My Ramblings on Annihilation of Foreverland

The Annihilation of Foreverland
By: Tony Bertauski
Release Date: December 21, 2011
Author Website

Summary: 

When kids awake on an island, they’re told there was an accident. Before they can go home, they will visit Foreverland, an alternate reality that will heal their minds.

Reed dreams of a girl that tells him to resist Foreverland. He doesn’t remember her name, but knows he once loved her. He’ll have to endure great suffering and trust his dream. And trust he’s not insane.

Danny Boy, the new arrival, meets Reed’s dream girl inside Foreverland. She’s stuck in the fantasy land that no kid can resist. Where every heart’s desire is satisfied. Why should anyone care how Foreverland works? (from goodreads)

My Ramblings: 

The summary of this book is what really caught my eye, but the book is much, much better. Where the summary hints at what you'll find in Foreverland, but what really lurks on the island is much more intoxicating and terrifying. What I loved is that the author didn’t shy away from the horrible things that were happening on the island and the effects they have on the people who are trying to resist, as well as how they affect the people that try to just go with the flow. It left me really wondering how much I would endure before giving in and just letting go. Is it better to have fun but possible lose yourself completely or to suffer in pain, but at least stay you?

While Danny Boy was the main character for the story, and we see Foreverland collapsing around him and his actions, it's really Reed who I was drawn to. He was the lone man standing alone, holding onto a past that he couldn't quite remember but he wasn't willing to part with yet. Where Danny Boy was on a path of self discovery and will ultimately make the choices that change Foreverland, it's Reed who provides a sad moral compass for him. He's a a counterpoint to the other boys who are giving into the self indulgent things in Foreverland and he allows Danny Boy to see that everything isn't as perfect as it seems.

Admittedly, some of the plot was a tad bit far fetched and left me rolling my eyes a little, but there wasn't enough there to undo all the excellent stuff that surrounded it.

There is a sequel to this book called Foreverland is Dead that came out at the beginning of the year that I’m looking to get my hands on soon. Unlike other series where you finish one and just want to devour all the others, this is one I think I want to take a break from. There’s enough food for thought woven into the story that I think to go right to the next book would be a little bit of an overload. That said, I definitely want to know what happens now that Foreverland is dead, so the break won’t be for too long!