R.E.Generation is a book set 50 000 years into the future, when humanity’s last team of survivors awaken from hibernation in their cryo-pods. Centuries of climate disasters have completely changed the face of the planet, with new plants, new animals and destructive storms every few days. The story is told by Sarah, a nurse and midwife who acts as the unofficial leader of the survivors and helps them band together to start their new colony. However, the lack of resources, poisonous plants, devastating rainfall and an unfamiliar terrain is nothing compared to the threats made by their team member Declan, a manipulative, serial abuser and Sarah’s biggest challenger in this new Earth.
I was pleasantly surprised by R.E.Generation. It took me a little while to be immersed in the story, but I quickly sped through it. Prewer’s writing style is very easy to read, and I enjoyed his structure of separating each chapter in the future with an account from humanity’s past. Each one describes a life lost to the catastrophic effects of climate change. It added variety to the story and reinforced the message of climate-grief.
The rest of the book is an engaging survival narrative, where Prewer’s creativity really thrives through imagining the new Earth and the challenges of the new flora and fauna. Sarah is our singular POV and has a relatable narrative voice (I especially liked her fairness and single-mindedness), but the story features a massive extended cast of characters and it’s soon very hard to remember who’s who. Despite this, R.E.Generation was an enjoyable work of sci-fi and eco-fiction.
Reviewed by Rachel Denham-White
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Prewer has been writing plays and stories and developing board games for as long as he can remember. R.E.Generation is his debut novel, but he already has a number of others in the works. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Anatomy) and a Masters of Speech Pathology. He has worked as a paediatric speech pathologist for over 5 years. Michael and his wife are passionate about taking small steps to minimise the impact humans leave on our wonderful planet. Michael also has a keen interest in theatre, sports, mathematics, puzzles and snorkelling. He lives on the outskirts of Melbourne with his wife, Georgie, and their young daughter.
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