The Only Ones ~ Aaron Starmer

Martin's mother is missing. Not dead. Just not where she ought to be. Martin's father tells him little more than that. Martin's father is reticent to the point of dishonesty. Almost.

Martin and his father live on a small island that is abandoned to the cold storms for 9 months each year. They are working to complete a machine that will change their lives. Martin believes it is a space ship. Martin's father does not tell him differently. If he knows what the machine even is. Which Martin questions.

The machine is nearly complete but requires one more piece that they cannot scavenge on the island or fabricate themselves. It is the heart of the machine, and Martin's father must leave to go find this heart.

He never returns.

Eventually, Martin follows his father to the mainland, only to find that the mainland is deserted just like his island. He wonders if there is anybody left. Then he has an enigmatic encounter with a strange boy and is led to the last known occupied village. It is only occupied by a curious mix of teens and pre-teens. There are no adults, no younger children, nobody but the small village of Xibalba.

Following the prophecies of a recluse boy who talks to animals, Martin and the other kids begin work on a copy of the machine. They believe it is the key to finding their loved ones and reclaiming their lost lives. Some think, like Martin, that it is a space ship.

But it turns out very different.

Ultimately, it is the key to reunion. But it may be the cause of the apocalypse as well.

A brilliant fairy tale for the modern age. The Only Ones is a great book for teens. A bit harsh for younger kids, but not unnaturally so. This is a great book for reluctant readers!