British novelist Tom Rob Smith is best known for writing fast-paced spy thrillers set in Stalin's Russia like Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6, and the psychological suspense novel, The Farm set in rural Sweden. Smith makes a departure from realistic fiction with his latest novel, Cold People, a thought-provoking, post-apocalyptic story of human survival set on the most inhospitable place on Earth.
Cold People begins with an alarming premise. Advanced alien invaders give humanity a grim ultimatum–relocate to Antarctica within thirty days or perish.
It’s interesting to see how various countries decide who to transport to the barren continent and the unusual survival techniques they invent in order to build communities in the frozen land. Basic existence changes drastically as the displaced people of Earth adopt new diets, habitats, and even family structures.
While some colonists prioritize freedom or community, others–recognizing the danger of extinction–take drastic measures to speed up human evolution before the colonies die out. But their ground-breaking scientific advances in genetics have disturbing origins and dangerous outcomes.
Cold People raises fascinating questions about cultural identity, genetic modifications, and survival. Fans of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep will enjoy reading about the struggle to adapt to life on the ice and the implications for human existence in Cold People by Tom Rob Smith.
Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks
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