What do you think?
Rate this book
Idlewild #3
Everfree
A conclusion of the trilogy that began with Idlewild and Edenborn finds a small band of apocalyptic epidemic survivors struggling with conflicting ideas about how to repopulate the earth and synthesizing an organ that will exponentially strengthen the human immune system, a breakthrough that also enables an unanticipated power. Reprint. 30,000 first printing.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
12 people are currently reading
617 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
June 9, 2008
Everfree, though not awful, was nowhere near as good as Idlewild; after the first book, each subsequent volume got progressively worse.
I'm definitely not a fan of adult Hal in all of his negative anti-hero splendor. At least as a kid his attitude was been acceptable.
Sure, the text emphasizes that humans are pretty much genetically predisposed to mucking existence up for themselves every time; even at the end, DNA and evolution prove stronger than the "patch." It goes in a different direction than most post-apocalyptic books I've read -- more of a survival sans hopefulness rather than "Yay, we survived; the future is so shiny" -- which is, I feel, the book's one redeeming quality.
Regardless, the book didn't gel with me. I had a hard time having any reaction toward it.
I'm definitely not a fan of adult Hal in all of his negative anti-hero splendor. At least as a kid his attitude was been acceptable.
Sure, the text emphasizes that humans are pretty much genetically predisposed to mucking existence up for themselves every time; even at the end, DNA and evolution prove stronger than the "patch." It goes in a different direction than most post-apocalyptic books I've read -- more of a survival sans hopefulness rather than "Yay, we survived; the future is so shiny" -- which is, I feel, the book's one redeeming quality.
Regardless, the book didn't gel with me. I had a hard time having any reaction toward it.
July 3, 2016
This book, as so many I have ever read, start with a really good idea. Here itis a post apocalyptic world where all humans died and only some post humans, genetically altered, survived, now defreezing humans that were saved before all humans died. A new world order had to be put in place to avoid mass panic and anarchy. This book though loses itself in too much talk and too little action. Yes, it is good to build up characters but then to not use this is sad. Also the end was so cheesy after all, I wanted to weep.
May 10, 2009
Don't read this. Trust me. Once you have read the first two books this one is just a terrible disappointment. It completely destroys the former plot line and characters, adds a new plot in and then refuses to resolve it, and has a terrible cliche ending that is a disgrace to the previous two. I repeat, do not read this book.
June 6, 2012
Wow. This series picked right up and finished with a block of C4. I felt that most of the loose ends were tied up and it brought a good sense of closure. I would recommend this series to anyone who is looking for a great cyber-punk story, though it is so much more than that. It is a story that makes you question your own reality.
*(Spoilers)*
I was disappointed that so many of the characters were killed off, but with the way the story changed, it at least made some semblance of sense. The characters were incredibly well developed and took the time to let you get to know the means and motives behind their behavior.
I saw this as an all-to-real ending to our own society's tale. Power struggles, manipulation, lies, easily broken treaties...oh yeah, all to real. All that Sagan had to do was look around him and he saw exactly what would happen to this planet if such a disaster ever took place.
Halloween has always been my favorite character. He doesn't hide behind a mask of self righteousness the way Vashti does. I didn't much care for the second generation. Too much interference from their "parents". Deuce was okay, but even he was naive- I think that maybe Halloween kept him away from the others for too long.
Sagan found a way to use current society's mistakes and work them into a new timeline- complete with our worst fears being made real.
When I finished the first book I thought "Oh great, ANOTHER series that I will have to finish". I am very glad now that I did.
*(Spoilers)*
I was disappointed that so many of the characters were killed off, but with the way the story changed, it at least made some semblance of sense. The characters were incredibly well developed and took the time to let you get to know the means and motives behind their behavior.
I saw this as an all-to-real ending to our own society's tale. Power struggles, manipulation, lies, easily broken treaties...oh yeah, all to real. All that Sagan had to do was look around him and he saw exactly what would happen to this planet if such a disaster ever took place.
Halloween has always been my favorite character. He doesn't hide behind a mask of self righteousness the way Vashti does. I didn't much care for the second generation. Too much interference from their "parents". Deuce was okay, but even he was naive- I think that maybe Halloween kept him away from the others for too long.
Sagan found a way to use current society's mistakes and work them into a new timeline- complete with our worst fears being made real.
When I finished the first book I thought "Oh great, ANOTHER series that I will have to finish". I am very glad now that I did.
June 12, 2010
The author sets up this situation that's extremely interesting. Anything can happen! Hal, a cynical, loveable asshole and main character, keeps the tone edgy and fun. Then 3/4 of the way through it's like Sagan didn't know what to do and realized he had to wrap up not just this book, but the trilogy in which this is the third installment. He handled this hastily and horribly in my opinion, and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
July 31, 2015
This book again stands somewhat separated from the close of it's prequel. It's one of the things this series has going for it.
Two small complaints: (1) the chapters are told in different characters voices, but there's not much of a stylistic difference. (2) I'm not grooving on the whole "free" bit of this story.
Overall, a thought provoking trilogy and worth the time to read.
Two small complaints: (1) the chapters are told in different characters voices, but there's not much of a stylistic difference. (2) I'm not grooving on the whole "free" bit of this story.
Overall, a thought provoking trilogy and worth the time to read.
March 17, 2015
Wonderful end to this trilogy. I wish Sagan would write more novels. He's got a really smart, witty and unique voice.
October 9, 2017
I must admit I am torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars so I'll say 3.5. And that solely based on the epilogue which might not be entirely fair, to be totally honest.
"Everfree" takes place 42 or 43 years after Black Ep has essentially wiped out almost all of humanity except for those rich enough or fortunate enough to have been cryonically frozen, and the 6 remaining "post human" children who were genetically engineered to survive the virus and hopefully find a cure. Stylistically this novel is told in 3 parts, a mixture of varying points of view between Halloween, Isaac and Fantasia, and Sloane, one of Vashti's and Champagne's daughters, now come of age.
Part One is told solely thru Halloween's POV, who personally I think is the best narrator throughout all 3 novels. Hal and company have relocated to Cambridge, MA after Vashti has engineered a cure to Black Ep at long last. Now the work of rebuilding humanity has begun and they slowly begin thawing out some of the frozen. But they also hope to build a better society by encouraging everyone into a spirit of cooperation and vision of mutual benefit.
The problem however is that human nature doesn't always work that way. And the frozen come from the top of society before Black Ep surfaced. These are the power players, men and women who got to where they were either by privilege or business cunning and they haven't been humbled or changed by the fact that Black Ep almost wiped them out.
By Part Two, the post human's vision for a better humanity is unraveling and they leave America's newest factions behind to survive or not on their own while they return to Europe to try again. What they don't realize is that Fantasia has a plan and vision of her own. I don't want to spoil this for anyone by saying any more other than there are some surprising reveals here.
I guess it's not possible for any post apocalyptic novel to have a truly happy ending. "Everfree" was well on its way to a very satisfactory and fitting conclusion until the very end. While Hal and Pandora and their naturally born daughter, Hope, do have their own happy ending of sorts, I wasn't sure what to make of Hal's recurring dreams of the "Free". And I was very disappointed in the end of the story as a whole, revealed in the last page of the epilogue. Maybe I am being unrealistic and a hopeless optimist but I really wished for a more satisfying conclusion overall.
"Everfree" takes place 42 or 43 years after Black Ep has essentially wiped out almost all of humanity except for those rich enough or fortunate enough to have been cryonically frozen, and the 6 remaining "post human" children who were genetically engineered to survive the virus and hopefully find a cure. Stylistically this novel is told in 3 parts, a mixture of varying points of view between Halloween, Isaac and Fantasia, and Sloane, one of Vashti's and Champagne's daughters, now come of age.
Part One is told solely thru Halloween's POV, who personally I think is the best narrator throughout all 3 novels. Hal and company have relocated to Cambridge, MA after Vashti has engineered a cure to Black Ep at long last. Now the work of rebuilding humanity has begun and they slowly begin thawing out some of the frozen. But they also hope to build a better society by encouraging everyone into a spirit of cooperation and vision of mutual benefit.
The problem however is that human nature doesn't always work that way. And the frozen come from the top of society before Black Ep surfaced. These are the power players, men and women who got to where they were either by privilege or business cunning and they haven't been humbled or changed by the fact that Black Ep almost wiped them out.
By Part Two, the post human's vision for a better humanity is unraveling and they leave America's newest factions behind to survive or not on their own while they return to Europe to try again. What they don't realize is that Fantasia has a plan and vision of her own. I don't want to spoil this for anyone by saying any more other than there are some surprising reveals here.
I guess it's not possible for any post apocalyptic novel to have a truly happy ending. "Everfree" was well on its way to a very satisfactory and fitting conclusion until the very end. While Hal and Pandora and their naturally born daughter, Hope, do have their own happy ending of sorts, I wasn't sure what to make of Hal's recurring dreams of the "Free". And I was very disappointed in the end of the story as a whole, revealed in the last page of the epilogue. Maybe I am being unrealistic and a hopeless optimist but I really wished for a more satisfying conclusion overall.
July 31, 2019
20190729 ◊ Some interesting ideas, and the writing has improved a smidge, but still wildly immature and poorly edited. It's a bit embarrassing to think that the overflowing accolades for this series might be due to the fact that the author is Carl Sagan's son. I notice that he didn't write any other books after this trilogy. Probably a smart move.
Glad I stuck it out, because now I have written proof to myself that I've finally read all three of the books in this trilogy and can rest assured that I'm never going to read them again. Onward!
Glad I stuck it out, because now I have written proof to myself that I've finally read all three of the books in this trilogy and can rest assured that I'm never going to read them again. Onward!
November 8, 2018
A disappointing end to the trilogy, this book is a bit of a mess. I felt “rushed” through the conclusion, and in a way the entire book reads like a summarized version of a longer story.
Would be interesting to know if the author got bored with this project and just tried to wrap it up as quickly as possible. From about 2/3 of the way through the second book, Edenborn, that was the impression I got about it.
Would be interesting to know if the author got bored with this project and just tried to wrap it up as quickly as possible. From about 2/3 of the way through the second book, Edenborn, that was the impression I got about it.
January 27, 2024
I loved this series, loved this book. Honestly it’s like nothing I’ve ever read before and I don’t think I’ll ever find anything like this again. I really loved the direction it went it and how it didn’t do what normally happens. The ending was great and really I just love this book.
July 21, 2024
Started this book waiting for the answers and expecting it to take over the previous ones but it was the opposite.
I didn’t manage to empathize with any of the characters and the narrative was monotonous and a bit boring sometimes.
I didn’t manage to empathize with any of the characters and the narrative was monotonous and a bit boring sometimes.
December 7, 2025
I really liked this one. Sagan seems to be telling the political story of today. I loved the thought experiment that considered, if all the rich people are saved, what happens when they have no underlings to loed piwer over?
Overall, a thoughtful and fresh sci-fi story.
Overall, a thoughtful and fresh sci-fi story.
August 9, 2017
It was rough there for awhile, found myself skimming for a good part, it did redeem itself, loved the ending- makes you think !!!
April 29, 2018
And, it starts all over again.
August 1, 2019
gave up on book 2 did not read this one
August 14, 2020
My least favorite in the series. But it ties everything up.
November 4, 2020
I agree that it's a disappointment.
June 25, 2023
Nada memorable, no es mal libro sencillamente no lo volvería a leer
August 30, 2023
I enjoyed all three books. Great story line.
October 7, 2024
That’s the end? Picnic in Sydney with no mention of any of the logistics. More could have been done with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2023
Running even a small team of people is hard, let alone a whole city. The strides Hal takes to protect his own are heartwarming. This book also felt rushed at the end. Ending the way it did really made no sense at all. It felt like it was setting up for something else, but never did.
August 3, 2013
So, my general review is basically that the first half is better than the second, mostly because the switch in narrative styles bugged me and I think the first style worked better. The ending always was less than satisfying--though admittedly it would be hard to really wrap up.
Most of what follows is some scientific annoyance at the patch (which is at the end of the book, hence there be spoilers here).
So the patch is a genetic modification to incentivize cooperation. There are probably better ways to do it that getting people high--and Sagan treats with that. I think he may have chosen that method to leave some ambiguity with the ending. I'm curious though, how that compares to the bodies other natural highs, endorphins, why we don't acclimatize to them (or do we?)
My real qualm is with the evolution of cooperation. Sagan, or his characters at the very least, assume that evolution does not breed cooperation. This is not so. It is variable across species, and we undoubtedly have it more than, say, non-pack hunters. Because we live in great big packs. But we also cooperate fairly well. There's even been some game theory explanation of how repeating games in game theory tend to show cooperating (or trying to cooperate and punishing those who don't) is really the best option. I don't know how much of this would have been available when Sagan was writing, but I'm pretty sure some.
Two caveats, two places where evolution hasn't pushed us to cooperate. 1. there are cheaters out there, people who use the greater numbers tendency to cooperate as a way to do better for themselves, people who just don't care. And 2. somewhat more interesting and, I think, more to the point in the scenario Sagan has created, our tendency to cooperate is bounded--there are essentially maximum numbers we can cooperate with. We do really well with small villages, but not with whole countries. The issue, really, is that beyond a certain point we can't know everyone personally, it's a lot easier to treat people you don't know as disposable or usable or whatnot, because you don't know enough about them to naturally invoke sympathy. Related to that, the human brain likes to classify people so that it can deal with the fact that we don't know absolutely everyone, and that feeds racism, classism and a whole bunch of other adversarial relationships that we can train our minds to work around, but don't do naturally.
I think taking that kind of thing into account could have made the problem and solution more interesting (albeit, by virtue of being more complicated).
Most of what follows is some scientific annoyance at the patch (which is at the end of the book, hence there be spoilers here).
So the patch is a genetic modification to incentivize cooperation. There are probably better ways to do it that getting people high--and Sagan treats with that. I think he may have chosen that method to leave some ambiguity with the ending. I'm curious though, how that compares to the bodies other natural highs, endorphins, why we don't acclimatize to them (or do we?)
My real qualm is with the evolution of cooperation. Sagan, or his characters at the very least, assume that evolution does not breed cooperation. This is not so. It is variable across species, and we undoubtedly have it more than, say, non-pack hunters. Because we live in great big packs. But we also cooperate fairly well. There's even been some game theory explanation of how repeating games in game theory tend to show cooperating (or trying to cooperate and punishing those who don't) is really the best option. I don't know how much of this would have been available when Sagan was writing, but I'm pretty sure some.
Two caveats, two places where evolution hasn't pushed us to cooperate. 1. there are cheaters out there, people who use the greater numbers tendency to cooperate as a way to do better for themselves, people who just don't care. And 2. somewhat more interesting and, I think, more to the point in the scenario Sagan has created, our tendency to cooperate is bounded--there are essentially maximum numbers we can cooperate with. We do really well with small villages, but not with whole countries. The issue, really, is that beyond a certain point we can't know everyone personally, it's a lot easier to treat people you don't know as disposable or usable or whatnot, because you don't know enough about them to naturally invoke sympathy. Related to that, the human brain likes to classify people so that it can deal with the fact that we don't know absolutely everyone, and that feeds racism, classism and a whole bunch of other adversarial relationships that we can train our minds to work around, but don't do naturally.
I think taking that kind of thing into account could have made the problem and solution more interesting (albeit, by virtue of being more complicated).
March 2, 2017
I was all set to give this book four stars until the last chapter. I had rather low expectations given people's overall response. The first book was absolutely brilliant. Book two wasn't that great. I think this book was mostly good.
The good about this book is that it discusses what most dystopias do not - the attempt at recovering civilization. It did get into quite a lot of detail, but I enjoyed seeing how they decided to set up the governing and what worked and didn't work. It's especially interesting to see how people react who have been unfrozen after a wipe out of the human race. How do they stay the same or adapt? I also enjoyed the overly quick but compelling resolution to the problem.
But then the author does this weird thing and undoes his happy ending. While, I agree that this would likely happen, it left the reader feeling like there was no resolution. Also, what the heck was the point of the maybe alien race? It was an absolutely pointless insertion and just made me dislike the book at the end. So, I take off a start for the stupid ending that could have been easily avoided.
The good about this book is that it discusses what most dystopias do not - the attempt at recovering civilization. It did get into quite a lot of detail, but I enjoyed seeing how they decided to set up the governing and what worked and didn't work. It's especially interesting to see how people react who have been unfrozen after a wipe out of the human race. How do they stay the same or adapt? I also enjoyed the overly quick but compelling resolution to the problem.
But then the author does this weird thing and undoes his happy ending. While, I agree that this would likely happen, it left the reader feeling like there was no resolution. Also, what the heck was the point of the maybe alien race? It was an absolutely pointless insertion and just made me dislike the book at the end. So, I take off a start for the stupid ending that could have been easily avoided.
August 10, 2020
Everfree is the conclusion to Mr. Sagan's Idlewild trilogy. The earth has been ravaged by a plague from which there are no living survivors. Genetically enginnered caretakers, bred for the purpose of curing the plague do accomplish their goal and now set about reviving the cryogenically frozen humans that remain. But what kind of world will they rebuild?
The book asks a lot of the right questions and shows the right problems. Tribalism, Social-stratification, and Democracy vs Tyranny are all examined. This is presented well by the main character, Halloween, a man who after previously losing a child is also going through a re-birth with a new family.
Where I felt the book failed was its resolution. It's magic solution to all life's problems, that itself begins to fall apart as the book closes. This felt a very lazy conclusion to an otherwise thought-provoking series. The author provides no great practical solutions, no allegories, no moral. He simply imagines a world where the problems are solved via a magical incentive to do the right thing.
An ending, worthwhile if you were interested in the characters previously at least.
The book asks a lot of the right questions and shows the right problems. Tribalism, Social-stratification, and Democracy vs Tyranny are all examined. This is presented well by the main character, Halloween, a man who after previously losing a child is also going through a re-birth with a new family.
Where I felt the book failed was its resolution. It's magic solution to all life's problems, that itself begins to fall apart as the book closes. This felt a very lazy conclusion to an otherwise thought-provoking series. The author provides no great practical solutions, no allegories, no moral. He simply imagines a world where the problems are solved via a magical incentive to do the right thing.
An ending, worthwhile if you were interested in the characters previously at least.
October 25, 2011
Everfree is the last book in Nick Sagan's "Idlewild" series. The series centers around a group of genetically engineered "posthumans" that were designed during the late stages of an apocalyptic global epidemic. This book reminds me very strongly of the later Ender's Game books but with a greater emphasis on the underlying structures of a society. The plot focuses more on the protagonist, Halloween, than the earlier books where the books were written from multiple points of view. Everfree is primarily about the reconstruction of society after the posthumans begin reviving the wealthy from their cryogenic stasis. Several factions spring up and society devolves like it usually does. The book ends on an interesting note, and the book had a great twist ending. I preferred the first book over the second and third, but Everfree is a great conclusion to the story. I would recommend this to anybody who like the Gone series, Ender's Game, or any post-apocalyptic fiction.
March 21, 2013
Not nearly as good as the other two books in the series. None of the characters are fleshed out, plot points are not developed or explored, things just happen with little comment. Not engaging and boring. I read it only to complete the series, wondering what would happen to the second generation after the plague.
BIG Spoilers:
unfreeze Isaac's kids: forget it
clash of rich and poor: not really
clash of 1st generation and 2nd generation: not as good as the previous book
new technologies: no
learn anything about the scientists pre-plague: not really
aliens appearing in dreams: WTF
a new baby born, named Hope: come on, really
Pan's blindness cured: sure, fairy tale ending
Fantasia's scientific work with apes: not useful or forwarding of the plot
explode bad guys with a chip implanted in their heads: cool, but lazy
There were some good places the author could have carried the story. Unfortunately, this book seams like its just a grab gab of left over random pieces, poorly stuck together.
BIG Spoilers:
unfreeze Isaac's kids: forget it
clash of rich and poor: not really
clash of 1st generation and 2nd generation: not as good as the previous book
new technologies: no
learn anything about the scientists pre-plague: not really
aliens appearing in dreams: WTF
a new baby born, named Hope: come on, really
Pan's blindness cured: sure, fairy tale ending
Fantasia's scientific work with apes: not useful or forwarding of the plot
explode bad guys with a chip implanted in their heads: cool, but lazy
There were some good places the author could have carried the story. Unfortunately, this book seams like its just a grab gab of left over random pieces, poorly stuck together.
July 27, 2008
Nick Sagan has constructed a startling trilogy that makes you question the boundaries of human existence. His final installment in this trilogy "Everfree" leaves the reader piecing together unfinished business from his first two books, all the while trying to manage the rollercoaster of character and story development that takes place. Ultimately, the finality of the story begs the question of how far one would go to make our world a better, more suitable place to live.
I remember when I read Sagan's first installment of this series "Idlewild" and found myself speechless at the complexity and brilliance of the story line. Although I thoroughly enjoyed his next piece "Edenborn" and this final piece, both of which fleshed out the story further and then wrapped things up nicely, they did not affect me quite like the first book.
I remember when I read Sagan's first installment of this series "Idlewild" and found myself speechless at the complexity and brilliance of the story line. Although I thoroughly enjoyed his next piece "Edenborn" and this final piece, both of which fleshed out the story further and then wrapped things up nicely, they did not affect me quite like the first book.
August 15, 2010
Everfree is a satisfying but underwhelming conclusion to Sagan's overall very enjoyable trilogy. For some reason, the novel lacked the clear and enticing vision of the first part, as well as the touching and at times heart-wrenching character sketches from the second.
Basically, it's a wrap-up, speculating on how humanity might slowly rebuild from cryostasis, after being practically decimated by an epidemic. Sagan's picture is cynical, but not overly so, tending toward what I would consider a healthy scepticism about human nature.
It's just too bad for the story that this preoccupation with the rebuilding of societies and the consequences of that seem to push the more emotionally satisfying interactions between the characters from Edenborn too much into the background. And honestly, for me, that was where Sagan's main strength as a writer lay.
Basically, it's a wrap-up, speculating on how humanity might slowly rebuild from cryostasis, after being practically decimated by an epidemic. Sagan's picture is cynical, but not overly so, tending toward what I would consider a healthy scepticism about human nature.
It's just too bad for the story that this preoccupation with the rebuilding of societies and the consequences of that seem to push the more emotionally satisfying interactions between the characters from Edenborn too much into the background. And honestly, for me, that was where Sagan's main strength as a writer lay.
April 9, 2009
Book three of the Idlewild trilogy. Black Ep has been conquered at last, and humanity has begun to live again, thawed and cured of disease, and siring children once more. The death of Halloween's son finally convinced him to help with humanity 2.0, and he begins to re-discover his more social side. But with populations come modern problems. Politics rears its ugly head once again, uncontrolled militias patrol the Catskills, and corruption finds a new niche. In all this, one neo-human, Fantasia, is still missing. She disappeared since shortly after "graduation." Where is she? What has she been up to? In this book, she resurfaces, bearing a cure for the ultimate virus -- violence. And the amazing part is, it works! Well, sort of.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews