Day of now by Miranda Reason

Prepare to become immersed in Day of now, a gripping dystopian thriller. Dayna and Pax are siblings who have been brought up by their father to be self sufficient, able to survive in a harsh environment after a fungal pandemic has changed the world forever. When their father get sick, attacked by a zombie like person who has been infected by the Pink Mist produced by the fungus, they contact the outer world, hoping to get help for him. But they are betrayed and he is taken by the Hummingbirds, a group of soldiers, to a scientific facility where experiments are taking place to find a cure for the fungal infection. The children face terrible conditions trying to reach their father and save him. Travelling across country, they meet Jason, a young teen, who joins them and together they forage for food in abandoned houses, hide from the soldiers who are trying to find them and try and navigate a landscape with no communication and means of transport.

The character of Dayna stood out for me. She is a pre-teen, but she is the leader of the group, the one who makes the decisions and who has the skills to keep her little group alive. Pax her brother provides some light relief with his naïve outlook, but he is smart and able to pull his weight with his scientific knowledge and skill with a slingshot. Jason, although older, does not have the survival skills of Dayna and Pax, but he does understand the danger that the Hummingbirds could bring to the trio.

Although the main characters Dayna and Pax are young, some of the themes in Day of Now are very mature. They encounter a cult with a charismatic leader who preys on young girls and they are faced with making decisions about the ethical use of science. These themes make it more suitable for older teens, 14+.

Day of now is a gripping, thought-provoking story and I look forward to its sequel. Readers who enjoyed it might like to try Sunny at the end of the world by Steph Bowe and Anomaly by Emma Lord.

Themes: Dystopian fiction, Fungal pandemic, Survival, Ethics, Cults.

Pat Pledger