Outpost (review)

After running up against a corrupt government and leaving her underground home, Deuce survived the post-apocalyptic "Topside" landscape with her scarred, mismatched compatriots Fade, Stalker, and Tegan (in Enclave, BCCB 3/11). She now struggles to make a place for herself in the above-ground community of Salvation, where she challenges the rigid, religiously tinged gender roles, but where her stellar fighting skills are desperately needed as the zombie-like Freaks encroach ever further on the community's land. When Fade is kidnapped by the Freaks, who've started building a rudimentary settlement complete with cattle pens for human livestock, it becomes clear that they are no longer just dangerous predators but an enemy force preparing for war. Outpost continues the brutal world-building and gritty, complex character development of Enclave, but it suffers from being a middle volume; much of the plot is concerned with continuing arcs from Enclave and setting up the Freak-human conflict that will take center stage in volume three. While the resulting action can feel directionless, and the romantic interludes that build up the connection between Fade and Deuce are far less affecting than her poignant interactions with her foster family and new mentor, the continuing exploration of this far-future world—how it came to be, what social coping mechanisms evolved, and how (or if ) it can possibly endure—considers themes of prejudice, redemption, and social meaning-making in fascinating ways. Deuce is a tough-as-nails protagonist, just barely vulnerable enough to be relatable, and readers will enjoy watching her struggle to adapt to yet another dangerous new setting, this one all the more cautionary for its familiarity.