Inside the Walled City of Reno
The Walled City of Reno is an awful lot like the current city of Reno, at least on the surface. It's beautiful, with parks and trees and lovely old houses. It has the downtown casinos, even the Biggest Little City sign, still. Clover Donovan spends her free time at the same library where I spend mine. The Truckee River still runs through it. It gets snow in the winter and sun in the summer. People still go to the University of Nevada campus to learn. They go to the Circus Circus casino to gamble.
Yes, the Walled City of Reno is familiar—but it's also very different. The Circus Circus is called the Bazaar, and people aren't gambling their money. They're gambling in the hopes of winning things they need. The UNR campus has been taken over by the Waverly-Stead Academy. The library is the only place you can get online, and it's the center for community education. Clover learns to set bones and raise bees there. Some of the houses have been torn down, to make room for gardens. There isn't enough food, and there aren't enough people to fill the houses anyway.
Everyone in the Walled City of Reno has a job. Every job is important. Every little cog turns and the city rolls on. It's a much more important city in the new America. Instead of just being a little mountain town, it's the Company's headquarters. The Company keeps the Virus at bay, and that makes them the strongest entity on Earth.
After sixteen years, though, the cracks in the utopia are starting to show. Cracks big enough for a bunch of kids who call themselves the Freaks to see through.
Shaunta Grimes has worked as a substitute teacher, a newspaper reporter, a drug court counselor, and a vintage clothing seller. No matter which direction she strays, however, she always comes back to storytelling. She lives in Reno with her family, where she writes, teaches, and perpetually studies at the University of Nevada. Viral Nation is her debut traditionally-published novel.
How to Connect with Shaunta:
Email: shauntagrimes@gmail.com
Twitter: @shauntagrimes
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Shaunta-Grimes/616126965080762
Blog: www.shauntagrimes.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/yEc11
About Viral Nation:
After a virus claimed nearly the entire global population, the world changed. The United States splintered into fifty walled cities where the surviving citizens clustered to start over. The Company, which ended the plague by bringing a life-saving vaccine back from the future, controls everything. They ration the scant food and supplies through a lottery system, mandate daily doses of virus suppressant, and even monitor future timelines to stop crimes before they can be committed.
Brilliant but autistic, sixteen-year-old Clover Donovan has always dreamed of studying at the Waverly-Stead Academy. Her brother and caretaker, West, has done everything in his power to make her dream a reality. But Clover’s refusal to part with her beloved service dog denies her entry into the school. Instead, she is drafted into the Time Mariners, a team of Company operatives who travel through time to gather news about the future.
When one of Clover’s missions reveals that West’s life is in danger, the Donovans are shattered. To change West’s fate, they’ll have to take on the mysterious Company. But as its secrets are revealed, they realize that the Company’s rule may not be as benevolent as it seems. In saving her brother, Clover will face a more powerful force than she ever imagined and will team up with a band of fellow misfits and outsiders to incite a revolution that will change their destinies forever.
Book Details:
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0425265130
First in a series.
Two chapter excerpt available on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15985355-viral-nation
Thank you so much for stopping by today, Shaunta! You guys can find Viral Nation at Goodreads and Amazon. The full Viral Nation tour schedule can be found on Shaunta's blog here. She has also included some really nice points on how to support your favorite authors.
Every job might be important but the people in those jobs aren't treated equally.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! I had no idea this author lived in Reno (I live there too!). Very interesting concept... I will definitely be checking this one out. :)
ReplyDeleteBonnie @ Sweet Tidbits
I didn't know you lived in Reno, Bonnie! How cool!
DeleteThis one sounds fantastic! Just added it to my wish list.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one and was surprised at how involved it was. I enjoyed the character of Clover and West, and the fact that Clover is autistic just made it such a much more intriguing tale. I'm looking forward to the second in the series next year!
ReplyDeleteI like how she wrote so much of Reno into the book with small twists. I think a lot of the time that is the ticket to good world building in books like this. Thanks for sharing!
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