A Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award winner in science fiction and winner of the North Carolina Author Project. School Library Journal calls The Seclusion "a dystopian drama that shows the grim rise of totalitarianism with scenes that echo today's headlines...a must-have for all libraries and fans of sci-fi"
In the year 2090, America has walled itself off from the rest of the world.
While on a routine assignment scouting the country's dwindling natural resources, Patricia "Patch" and her best friend, Rexx, discover a cache of dangerous contraband-- printed books from before the Seclusion. These texts spark an unquenchable thirst for the truth that leads to the arrest of Patch's father by the totalitarian Board, which runs the entire country.
Evading their own arrest, Patch and Rexx set out across a ruined future United States. Along the way they learn how their country came to be this way, but their newfound knowledge may lead to their own demise.
Professional Reviews
School Library Journal
Patricia (Patch) Collins is a true patriot of future America, upholding the restrictive policies of the Board, an unseen entity that saved the United States from terrorism by walling off the country. Residents are under constant camera surveillance, all words are recorded, and people have embedded chips to track their movements. Yet Patch embraces the harsh regulations as the price citizens have to pay for safety and security. Working with her best friend Rexx at the Natural Resources Department allows them the freedom to leave town. Out in the field, they discover items that contradict the history they've learned of the great Seclusion, including a suitcase full of books. Patch takes a book, banned for containing "toxic history," and instantly becomes a traitor. Now enemies of the state and with their own families in danger, Patch and Rexx escape into a wasteland of abandoned cities and horrific sights that only further their increased suspicion of the Board's party line. This is a dystopian drama that shows the grim rise of totalitarianism with scenes that echo today's headlines. The author has crafted an intricately detailed world. Intriguing and surprising supporting characters give depth to a somber story that begs for a sequel. VERDICT A must-have for all libraries and fans of sci-fi.
YA Books Central
Reminiscent of great dystopian novels like WE and 1984, it takes the sci-fi dystopian feel and makes it seem incredibly realistic and frighteningly plausible.
SF Signal, Kirkus Reviews
Castle's cautionary debut makes its dire future seem all too real and thus all the more moving.
Jason Donovan has a secret.
The Clere's Restaurant's drama has been unfolding in front of his eyes. If he can see it, so can the restaurant's other guests. But there's something the servers aren't telling him, and he will get to the bottom o
