The Way

Groner (Exiles) sets this clever postapocalyptic novel in the aftermath of a deadly near-future avian flu epidemic. By 2048, 80% of the world’s population has been decimated, causing civilization to collapse into isolated communities as nature runs wild. Will Collins, caretaker at a Buddhist retreat in Colorado, still mourns the lover who died from the virus years earlier. When a friend asks him to deliver a chemical compound to California, where scientists are working on a cure for the mysterious Disease X, which threatens madness and death for survivors in their late 30s and older, he obliges. Will travels west in a rusted-out pickup truck pulled by two mules, accompanied by a raven and a cat, both preternaturally communicative. Along the way, he picks up a 14-year-old orphan girl, who turns out to be a crack shot—a good thing, too, considering Will is being pursued by a gang of neo-Nazis who want the cure for themselves. A series of last-minute plot twists feels a bit contrived, but Groner paints a persuasive picture of his dystopian world, peopled with strong characters and driven by cinematic action. This reinvigorates an overworked genre. (Dec.)