Oasis is a 2016 dystopian science fiction novel by Dima Zales and Anna Zaires. The novel was published by Moizaika Publications and was released in January 2016. The novel is the first entry in the The Last Humans series.
My name is Theo, and I'm a resident of Oasis, the last habitable area on Earth. It's meant to be a paradise, a place where we are all content. Vulgarity, violence, insanity, and other ills are but a distant memory, and even death no longer plagues us. I was once content too, but now I'm different. Now I hear a voice in my head, and she tells me things no imaginary friend should know. Her name is Phoe, and she is my delusion. Or is she?
The world of this book is very reminiscent of other, earlier science fiction or dystopian works. The reader finds themselves amongst a society that is "perfect" where there's no conflicts, no suffering, and yet something feels incredibly wrong about the whole place. If I asked to explain the setting in one sentence without spoiling the plot, I'd describe it as "The Giver but with a heavier lean on sci-fi". It's not difficult to surmise the books the authors probably took inspiration from, The Giver being one, though I appreciated how they added their own spin to the set up. It was unique enough to keep me guessing in terms of plot, and to prevent the setting from feeling like an imitation of one from another book.
Speaking of the plot, I found it to be exciting and engaging. It starts out a bit slow, as the stage is set for Theo to notice something about his world doesn't make sense, and doing that takes time. Once the inciting incident occurs, something happening to a friend of his that no one can remember later, it becomes a science fiction adventure as Theo, and by extension Phoe, try to find answers regarding what is wrong, while dodging attempts by others to prevent them from uncovering the truth. The story also introduces a virtual reality element, which adds a level of both excitement and mystery, as the reader can't be sure if a scene truly happened, or is simply part of the VR world, until after the fact. The VR allows for some interesting plot twists and revelations, while subtly introducing red herrings to the reader, to keep the plot's biggest secrets under wraps until it's time for them to be revealed. The climax of the novel is engaging and feels satisfying. The plot overall does a good job of answering a lot of questions the reader might have as they read, while ending on a note that leaves a few more to be answered in later books.
As a protagonist, Theo was a pretty good one. He was smart, he already had a tendency to break rules or challenge authority before the plot really got moving, and that made his growth as a character work, since the changes he underwent made sense with who he was at the start. His arc didn't deviate much from the standard character arc you'd expect from a book like this. It wasn't surprising, but it was well-executed. He, and his friends, did come across as a little juvenile for men in their early 20s, but the setting explains that. People mature over their lives due to pain, adversity and even trauma, and he lived in a seemingly perfect world where none of those could or would happen. I loved Phoe as a character. She was focused, she was sarcastic and she knew what needed to be done, even if the cost was high. At the same time, she was aware that, by leading Theo down his path, she was putting him at risk and ruining his life, in the sense he could never truly go back to the life he'd been living, to a degree. She added nuance and complexity to the dynamic that they had. I wish I felt as strongly about the cast of other characters as I do about Theo and Phoe. The remaining characters are either nameless and faceless members of a group, such as the Guards, or one-note characters with no distinct personalities, such as Liam, Grace or Owen, all contemporaries of Theo's. Nothing about them stands out, and that makes some attempted emotional moments later fall flat.
I enjoyed the writing overall. The authors had some great prose and the story was overall very easy to digest. This is an easy book to get through, as the story flows very well. They also were able to include plenty of pop culture references without it coming across as forced, or making those references the entirety of a character's personality. The story has some pacing issues, but overall it was a fast, easy read and an exciting story to follow.
Oasis was a book that I found pretty impressive. The setting was reminiscent of some other works, but it had unique elements. The plot was engaging, with plenty of twists and turns, ending with an earth-shattering revelation. The two main characters, Theo and Phoe, were compelling while not always likeable, but the supporting cast felt underdeveloped. At the end of the day, it was a quick and fun read and an exciting sci-fi adventure. Not perfect, but I think plenty of sci-fi fans would enjoy it.
Rating: 4 Stars
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