Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
In this absorbing and unique novel, Kathryn Lance asks how far the folly of mankind can go, how much science can be substituted for nature, before the imbalance proves disastrous. In a world of the future, great machines lie rusting as their fuel has finally run out and humanity faces the possibility of extinction as altered strands of DNA run rampant through the gene pool. Several forces emerge, each hoping to be humanity's saving grace, but which will ultimately save the world? The Principal: a brilliant leader fighting to keep a tide of savagery from decimating social structures. The religious cultists: operating on an anti-science platform, promising to rebuild society according to an older, pure model free of the technology that proved to be mankind's downfall. The Garden: a group of female scientists who live cloistered lives, searching for genetic solutions to the world's problems. Two young lovers, caught in a situation they cannot control but desperate for a way to be together forever.
Is Pandora's Genes appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 13 and up.
This post-apocalyptic novel explores genetic disasters and competing visions for humanity's future with moderate violence from societal collapse and tension. Romance is present but not explicit, with young lovers navigating political and scientific forces beyond their control.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include death, violence, and genetic modification (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will be drawn to the survival story, the romance between two lovers fighting impossible odds, and the fascinating world-building of a future where science went wrong.