The Declaration - A Grim Future

The secret to never getting old has been discovered. No more disease, no more illness, no more death. It's the future that everybody has dreamed of.

But soon, the world is overpopulated. Laws are laid down - one child per family only. But time passes and still, one child is too much. A declaration is passed and everybody who signs it is agreeing to never have children. Unless, of course, they Opt Out. And by Opting Out, you are going to die.

Despite the laws, people are still having children, and Catchers are hired to find these children, and take them to boarding houses, where they learn they are a crime against humanity and Mother Nature. They are nothing but a surplus.

And this is where Gemma Malley's story starts, telling the tale of Surplus Anna.

Anna is happy since she has been deemed a "valuable asset", meaning though she is a surplus, she may have some use. After all, she is nearly fifteen, so soon she is going to work for a family who will treat her as terribly as the woman running the boarding house, Mrs Pincet.

But then a new Surplus arrives, the same age as Anna. His name is Peter, and he insists that he knows Anna's parents, and he has come to rescue her from the Boarding House and take her home. But Anna has grown up being taught to hate her parents for bringing her into the world. At first, she hates Peter.

But soon they form an alliance, and Peter continues to urge her to make the right choice.

The Declaration is a thought-provoking book, set in the year 2140. Although very similar to The Hunted by Alex Shearer, it is still a very original take on the future that may or may not end up becoming real.

The only problem with The Declaration, is the style of writing. Malley often puts things in black and white, rather than letting the readers figure it out for themselves. Despite that, The Resistance (sequel to The Declaration) is sure to be just as interesting.