It is 2044 and New Yorkers are living through The Change. The food they eat is mostly artificial or fresh and prohibitively expensive, a cab costs $600 and they cannot go outside in summer without protective clothing. This is the life Mya Brand leads, until she is abducted and taken to The Ark, an eco-survivalist commune. Once there, she must face the demons of her past life and make a difficult decision about her future. Should she stay and be safe, but not see her family and friends ever again? Or should she walk away from the commune and risk a difficult life and an early death as the climate worsens?
In Ark is part of a newish genre called cli-fi, or climate fiction, featuring titles such as Solar by Ian McEwan and State of Fear by Michael Crichton. This is the first of three cli-fi novels about The Ark planned by new American indie author Lisa Devaney [below]. 
The context is fascinating and I can see it working well as a movie. Devaney writes with precision about climate change and the effect this has on day-to-day life, as well as on society as a whole. It is clear that Devaney is an enthusiast for her genre. I would have liked The Ark to be more sinister, perhaps that will come in Book Two. It reminded me a little of the world created by Veronica Roth in Divergent, though I must point out that In Ark is most definitely an adult book rather than YA. There are a couple of vividly-written drug-fuelled sex scenes which are the sort that teenage readers would read and re-read, and some adults too.
Overall the concept of the trilogy is very different from anything else I have read, the plotting did seem a trifle slow but that is partly because the society needs to be explained so the story in Book Two and Book Three can progress.
If you like science fiction, fantasy or dystopian fiction, then cli-fi is for you.
To read a Huffington Post article explaining the cli-fi genre, click here.
To visit Lisa Devaney’s website, click here.
To order In Ark at Amazon, click here.
‘In Ark’ A Promise of Survival’ by Lisa Devaney [available on Kindle now]
SANDRA DANBY'S BOOK REVIEWS 
Pingback: Reviews of ‘In Ark: A Promise of Survival’ | Lisa Devaney
Hi everyone, I’m thrilled that Sandra read and found my book ‘In Ark’ interesting! Thank you so much! I’m new to the cli-fi genre and community as well, but can tell you that the writers found in the genre are passionate and the literary genre’s fans are found all over the world. I’ve got exciting plans for Mya and her dealings with Ark in upcoming book 2 and 3. Please like my Facebook page or sign up to my newsletter to get updates on when book 2 may arrive. In progress now! http://www.lisadevaney.com
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Lisa, can you give us a titbit about book 2? SD
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I should have answered this ages ago. Thanks for asking Sandra. A tidbit is about how my main character Mya is emotionally struggling to heal from her failed marriage. I think this is the heart of the journey of my story, and I hope that I’ve done a decent job at showing how she slowly let’s down her hard shell and let’s new people into her life. I’ve started writing Book 2 of my ‘Mya and Ark’ series and hope to complete it and publish it in 2016. For all of the kind readers who commented on this blog post, I am offering copies of my book for free to them. Thank you so much for being among the very first to review my ‘In Ark: A Promise of Survival’!
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Sounds like a scary story where the monsters are in the mirror.
Perhaps we should take this kind of book as an omen.
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I guess the trick is to take today, take the worst case scenario, and pitch the setting at the point where it is scary and believable from where we are in 2014. Lisa has achieved this, her world is similar to ours but frighteningly different. SD
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Hi Sharon, thank you so much for commenting here on Sandra’s blog about my book ‘In Ark: A Promise of Survival’! If you haven’t gotten the book yet, I’d love to offer it to you for free. Please get in touch and we can make arrangements: lisa@lisadevaney.com
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I enjoy dystopian fiction, so I’ll have to check this one out.
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Let me know what you think. SD
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Hi Miranda, thank you so much for commenting here on Sandra’s blog about my book ‘In Ark: A Promise of Survival’! If you haven’t gotten the book yet, I’d love to offer it to you for free. Please get in touch and we can make arrangements: lisa@lisadevaney.com
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The cli-fi genre was a new one on me, too. The trilogy sounds interesting.
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Yes, I don’t know how long the wait is until Book 2! SD
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I’m aiming for 2016. Have started!
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Hi ChristineR, thank you so much for commenting here on Sandra’s blog about my book ‘In Ark: A Promise of Survival’! If you haven’t gotten the book yet, I’d love to offer it to you for free. Please get in touch and we can make arrangements: lisa@lisadevaney.com
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Love a bit of sci-if and fantasy, am out of the loop in regards to cli-fi but will be looking into this new genre!
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I admit to being new to it too! SD
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Hi cheergerm, thank you so much for commenting here on Sandra’s blog about my book ‘In Ark: A Promise of Survival’. If you haven’t gotten the book yet, I’d love to offer it to you for free. Please get in touch and we can make arrangements: lisa@lisadevaney.com
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