Book Review: The Bane (The Eden Trilogy) (Volume 1) by Keary Taylor

I highly recommend this intense, emotional and engaging story.

The Bane (The Eden Trilogy) (Volume 1)
by Keary Taylor

• File Size: 524 KB
• Print Length: 352 pages
• Publisher: Keary Taylor Books (March 4, 2013)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• ASIN: B00BP1ZKJ4

Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi

My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2013 | Series: The Eden Trilogy

Before the Evolution there was TorBane: technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter. It had the ability to grow new organs and limbs, to heal the world. Until it evolved out of control and spread like the common cold. The machine took over, the soul vanished, and the Bane were born. The Bane won't stop until every last person has been infected. With less than two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. Eve knows the stories of the Evolution, the time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. But she doesn't need memories to know this world is her reality. This is a world that is quickly losing its humanity, one Bane at a time. Fighting to keep one of the last remaining human colonies alive, Eve finds herself torn between her dedication to the colony, and the discovery of love. There is Avian and West – one a soldier, one a keeper of secrets. And in the end, Eve will make a choice that will change the future of mankind. The Bane is The Terminator meets The Walking Dead with a heart-twisting romance. Previously published as Eden, due to reader demand it has been revamped and rereleased as The Bane: book one in The Eden Trilogy.

Review:
Scientists thought they were developing a way to cure illness by infusing DNA with cybernetic particles that could replace damaged organs. But the TorBane technology evolved and took over the patients turning them into soulless beings who then infected anyone they touched.

A small community, calling themselves Eden, struggles to survive in the woods, hunting and raising food crops while they stay away from the Bane invested cities. Every person coming into the community is tested to make sure they are not Bane.

Eve has no memory of her life before age thirteen when she came to live with the community about five years before. It seems clear that Eve is different although no one discusses it. She is an extremely valuable asset as she doesn’t feel pain, heals very quickly and is a better hunter than anyone else.

Eve has a comfortable relationship with most of the members of the community, but especially with Avian, the group’s amateur doctor, and his sister, Sarah who is Eve’s roommate. Avian is a bit of a ‘geek’ being a studious type who served in the med corps and planned to go through med-school before the Bane took over. He has watched Eve grow from a tomboy teen into a fierce, independent young woman.

Since the Bane usually attack only during daylight the group has hunters who scavenge at night. Suddenly the Bane are out at night too and they are starting to come further into the woods to hunt down human stragglers. The Eden scouts find three new humans, an eighteen year old boy, West, and a young woman barely twenty with a five year old son. They are the only survivors of a group that was forced on the run by the Bane. West is immediately infatuated with Eve but it is apparent that he has secrets.

Eve begins to have emotional reactions to West which cause great distraction and confusion since she has never felt this before. She also begins to realize she has a deep affection for Avian.

Suddenly Eve learns the shocking truth about her own past. This throws her emotions into even more turmoil. She can’t have both men so she must try to decide between the physical excitement she feels with West or the warmth, safety and stability she feels with Avian. Meanwhile she continues to struggle to protect her community as the Bane become a greater threat, burning out their garden and forcing them on the move.

I really enjoyed this post-apocalyptic story which moves at a good pace. The plot is good, the storyline is intense and there is good action. It is interesting to experience Eve’s strong personality as she begins to grow and struggle with human emotions and issues. There was interesting conflict and development at the end leaving the reader (me) ready for the next book in the series.

[Note - there were some editing errors and misspellings that I noted. However this was a galley book so hopefully those would be fixed for the final release. Even so - it is well worth reading around the errors.]

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Eve tries to cope with new feelings:

I’d been through a lot in my life and developing feelings was the scariest thing I had ever faced. Location 1831.

The post-apocalyptic world:

Because even though everything was so complicated, life was simpler now. You didn’t have to worry about having a nice car, a job, or whatever else people used to worry about. You just had to survive. Location 2187

I am very glad I picked this to review from NetGalley.