http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-100
The 100 is what you get when you take Lord of the Flies, throw in some young adolescence, add women, and do it all a few centuries into the future; it is essentially a sci-fi teen drama set half on a post-apocalyptic Earth, and half on a massive satellite city. Motifs include love, death, and decision, all blending together into a smooth, engaging story.
Plot
The reader begins the story following 18-year old Clarke, a prisoner convicted for unknown reasons. She is one of the 100, a group of teenage criminals granted a second chance at life in exchange for returning to a long-abandoned Earth to test its survivability. When the 100 crash their way into an undisturbed Earthen forest, reactions are mixed. Some people are dazed by the beauty, while others drown in fear.
A select few of the 100, including Clarke, rise up above the rest to make the important decisions, forming a cast of main characters. Some of these self-determined leaders fight, while others fall in love, and still others save lives. The one thing that ties these people together is the strange new world they must all face with courage and quick-thinking, all while their Big Brother home ship looms from above.
Between chapters on Earth, the reader follows a Romeo and Juliet esque subplot revolving around a girl named Glass who escaped the drop ship before being sent to Earth in the name of love. Due to her past, the love she wants does not come easy, and the reader must struggle along with Glass as she works to heal a wounded relationship.
Structure
The 100 is written in 3rd-person, although each chapter revolves around one character and their thoughts, which would make it more suitable for a multiple first person POV structure. One interesting element of this story’s writing style is the flashback included in every chapter. These short memories did a great deal of characterization and were blended in with the rest of the plot quite smoothly.
The text itself is easy to follow, making The 100 a page-turner during its more dramatic moments.
The main issue with the writing style was the noticeably repetitive word choice that can be a bit annoying at times. Nonetheless, The 100 achieves a perfect balance of dialogue and imagery, painting a picture in the reader’s mind without being too descriptive.
Substance
At times throughout the story, The 100 can be blaringly cliche. Clarke is your run-of-the-mill Mary Sue caught in a triangle of two boys attractive in polar-opposite ways, and the subplot involving Glass and her boyfriend Luke is a predictable forbidden love story.
The teen romance is not this book’s strong point; the real substance comes from the dramatic action outside of the love tales. Throughout the story, the 100 must face various scenarios akin to those of Lord of the Flies. Many difficult decisions rise up that prompt the question: should you act for the good of the few or the good of the many? Should this girl be killed, or given a second chance? Should we save her from the fire, or save ourselves? Should I report a crime, or risk association? Questions like these urge the reader to question their own morals, and give him/her a better understanding of the difficulty in making such large decisions.
Morality seems simple from afar, but from a first-hand perspective, the lines become blurred. in life-or-death situations, it is often difficult to find a win-win scenario; sometimes compromise just isn’t possible, and that is what The 100 is out to tell its readers.
Conclusion
Although parts of the story feel a bit like a season of The Bachelorette, the lovey-dovey elements are balanced out by themes of survival and morality, making The 100 a well-rounded read for anyone looking for a gritty, heart breaking, sci-fi read.
The final verdict:
Third-Eyed Robot 