The Darwin Elevator

by Jason M. Hough

Cover of The Darwin Elevator

(4 / 5)

Published2013 · Del Rey
SeriesThe Dire Earth #1
Pages472
ISBN9780345537126
Date FinishedAugust 15, 2013
Read2013
ReviewedAugust 16, 2013

First and foremost, The Darwin Elevator is classic-style action packed post-apocalyptic scifi, with teams of mercenary scavengers shooting it out with subhuman zombies, and various megalomaniac bad guys waging war for control of the last resources.

What puts The Darwin Elevator above the crowd is hints of Big Ideas, in the mysterious plan of The Builders, enigmatic aliens responsible for constructing a space elevator in Darwin, Australia and then releasing the SUBS plague which utterly destroyed human civilization five years prior to the events of the book. Definitely a great and mysterious Outside Context Problem.

This wasn’t the best novel I’ve ever read, but it was good fun, and solid enough to make me want to check out the sequel.


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