Primitives

Bestseller Krauss (Brawl) draws on current events for his complex postapocalyptic latest. In the near future, all of humanity is afflicted with the Great Fatigue, a bacterial disease causing fatal lethargy. A cure, Advitalon, is developed and made mandatory by governments fearful that their entire populations will otherwise waste away and die. But the medicine has an alarming side effect, transforming millions into violent, “primitive” versions of themselves, lacking basic cognitive skills. The particulars of this setup in light of the pandemic and the anti-vax movement may keep many readers at bay, but Krauss is more interested in using it as a springboard for postapocalyptic action than delving into politics. Thirty years on, Seth Keller, the rare human born immune to the illness, who’s been living in Utah and studying the altered humans with his professor father, makes a surprising discovery that sets him on a dangerous quest to reverse humanity’s decline. This plotline, which alternates with that of a woman, Sarah, living in a haven in Costa Rica, unfolds with enough twists and turns to keep readers invested, and the satisfying ending will have readers curious about what Krauss does next. Fans of Blake Crouch’s Pines trilogy should check this out. (May)