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Hope
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, all that remains is HOPE.
Creek is a deaf boy, thief, vagral, and a wily survivor of the ruins of what used to be America. He couldn’t be more different from Lucinda, a headstrong resident of an elite enclave, with a device in her brain that connects her to all the knowledge in the world, both a blessing and a deadly curse.
When fate throws Creek and Lucinda together with a ragtag group of misfits fleeing a vicious warlord, they must fight for their lives to forge a home on the New Frontier.
HOPE is the thrilling follow-up to the critically-acclaimed sci-fi standalone JOY. An action-packed adventure with heart, it dives deep into our longing for a place to call home, and our need to connect with each other when the world is falling apart around us. Follow Creek and Lucinda as they reach for a better life in a chaotic world full of battle robots, warring factions, mind-controlling viruses — and hope.
Creek is a deaf boy, thief, vagral, and a wily survivor of the ruins of what used to be America. He couldn’t be more different from Lucinda, a headstrong resident of an elite enclave, with a device in her brain that connects her to all the knowledge in the world, both a blessing and a deadly curse.
When fate throws Creek and Lucinda together with a ragtag group of misfits fleeing a vicious warlord, they must fight for their lives to forge a home on the New Frontier.
HOPE is the thrilling follow-up to the critically-acclaimed sci-fi standalone JOY. An action-packed adventure with heart, it dives deep into our longing for a place to call home, and our need to connect with each other when the world is falling apart around us. Follow Creek and Lucinda as they reach for a better life in a chaotic world full of battle robots, warring factions, mind-controlling viruses — and hope.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2025
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September 8, 2025I loved this book, in some ways even more than its predecessor ‘Joy’. Both books share outstanding world building, three-dimensional characters, and a plot/storyline that keeps you turning the pages, but here Evett takes advantage of a second story in the same universe to add depth and nuance, and a wider cast of characters. Evett continues to flaunt their knowledge of subjects as diverse as Greek philosophy and Biochemistry, and to show rather than tell, trusting their readers to figure things out as they go in place of silly exposition to explain how this world came to be in its current state. If you like Gene Wolfe, Cormac McCarthy, or Margaret Atwood I think you’ll enjoy these books as well. You can read the books in any order, and don’t need to have read Joy to enjoy Hope (which I think is true in life as well).
October 30, 2025
For those of you who loved the Netflix series “The Last of Us” which took place in the middle of the 22nd century after a fungal pandemic has destroyed the government and devastated the country with tribal divisions and a band of rabid infected, called “Clickers” striking the healthy survivors, you will want to read BRM Evett's novel, Hope, a sequel to his first novel, Joy. Evett gives us an America that has fallen apart due to a Civil War, that right now, doesn’t seem that far-fetched. Ultimately, it is a novel about love and empathy winning out over evil and greed with two opposing strategies to defeat the virus called, Mindworm, which attacks the central nervous system and the brain. Our heroine, Lucinda, is a brilliant flaming red-head from a privileged enclave that she has been exiled from. She has a special power, called a Cor, which attaches to her brain and which can show her anything, like a personal video machine. But is this enough to ensure her survival?
She is rescued after being exposed to Mindworm, by an evil doctor, part robot, who falls in love with her and uses her to try and retain his power over the afflicted, who he keeps alive but subservient to him. There is also a female doctor on the other side, who is using his machinery to discover a vaccine for the virus. And with her is a group of children, some deaf, who have been scrounging to survive. Creek is the youngest and most interesting character, a scarred waif who has had to perform petty crimes to subsist in this broken dystopia. When he and Lucinda ultimately join together for the cause it is a powerful and poignant moment.
This is a gripping story, part sci-fi and part adventure, with some romantic elements. Evett handles the technological advances upon which the story rests, with amazing brilliance and ease. His writing is lyrical and entrancing. I loved Joy and this sequel was an expansive and wonderful evolution. The poet Li-Young Lee once said, “I can’t think of a time in the future when someone won’t be killing someone else.” Evett seems to concur with this but offers a hopeful ultimatum after a thrilling battle between divergent forces. I can’t wait to read the third book in the trilogy, Love. There are touches of William Gibson and Alice Hoffman in this book, but it is very much an original masterpiece of Evett’s imagination and craft. This is a must-read book for 2025.
She is rescued after being exposed to Mindworm, by an evil doctor, part robot, who falls in love with her and uses her to try and retain his power over the afflicted, who he keeps alive but subservient to him. There is also a female doctor on the other side, who is using his machinery to discover a vaccine for the virus. And with her is a group of children, some deaf, who have been scrounging to survive. Creek is the youngest and most interesting character, a scarred waif who has had to perform petty crimes to subsist in this broken dystopia. When he and Lucinda ultimately join together for the cause it is a powerful and poignant moment.
This is a gripping story, part sci-fi and part adventure, with some romantic elements. Evett handles the technological advances upon which the story rests, with amazing brilliance and ease. His writing is lyrical and entrancing. I loved Joy and this sequel was an expansive and wonderful evolution. The poet Li-Young Lee once said, “I can’t think of a time in the future when someone won’t be killing someone else.” Evett seems to concur with this but offers a hopeful ultimatum after a thrilling battle between divergent forces. I can’t wait to read the third book in the trilogy, Love. There are touches of William Gibson and Alice Hoffman in this book, but it is very much an original masterpiece of Evett’s imagination and craft. This is a must-read book for 2025.
November 12, 2025
Having already read JOY, I had great expectations for HOPE, aka the second book in The New Frontier Trilogy.
You see, earlier this year I was chatting with some friends and they asked me for book recs—you know how these things go. I went and rounded up what stood out for me so far, a fair mix of new and old authors, new and well-known series, enough variety in genres to offer people some choices. JOY, as you might have guessed, was among those.
Like, when I talk about expectations, I’m not just saying.
Does HOPE live up to those standards? I’d say yes.
First of all, the world-building is on point again. A round of applause to Evett for his skills in that department :D it’s the core of the genre, and also something a lot of auhors struggle with. In a way, I understand that, since there are a lot of factors to keep track of; still, it comes with the genre, as I said. You can’t have sci-fi without a well-developed society.
Multiple povs, done well even if the chapters are quite short. Another positive mark in my book: as a reader, I get more critical when dealing with multi povs, because they give out a bunch of plot points that would get revealed more organically with a single third-limited. Still, Creek, Lucinda, Candela, and the rest of the cast add a lot; in a way, I thought of them as a choir, coming together to tell this story without trampling all over each other.
Style-wise, the little variations like diary entries and nameless chapters are such a treat! I’m always intrigued by experimental touches, even more so when they play with names. Special mention goes to the concept of shaping, too. The in-text capslock is something I find grating, unless it has a solid reason to be there, and Evett does just that with the shapes.
Grammar and syntax, on point again. Even if I’ve been given an ARC copy, I didn’t spot anything that stood out. Rather, HOPE flows nicely, and the balance between dialogues and prose help with that.
What I didn’t vibe with—and mind, it’s not a flaw per se, but it’s a flaw for me, as it’s an intensely personal quirk—is the story length. I really do prefer it when the prose is a little more tightened up, even in a sci-fi setting where there’s some more legroom than average. It’s easy to go overboard, that’s the thing. On the other hand, I tend to go for minimalism while reading and writing, so this is not a surprise.
4 stars on GR
You see, earlier this year I was chatting with some friends and they asked me for book recs—you know how these things go. I went and rounded up what stood out for me so far, a fair mix of new and old authors, new and well-known series, enough variety in genres to offer people some choices. JOY, as you might have guessed, was among those.
Like, when I talk about expectations, I’m not just saying.
Does HOPE live up to those standards? I’d say yes.
First of all, the world-building is on point again. A round of applause to Evett for his skills in that department :D it’s the core of the genre, and also something a lot of auhors struggle with. In a way, I understand that, since there are a lot of factors to keep track of; still, it comes with the genre, as I said. You can’t have sci-fi without a well-developed society.
Multiple povs, done well even if the chapters are quite short. Another positive mark in my book: as a reader, I get more critical when dealing with multi povs, because they give out a bunch of plot points that would get revealed more organically with a single third-limited. Still, Creek, Lucinda, Candela, and the rest of the cast add a lot; in a way, I thought of them as a choir, coming together to tell this story without trampling all over each other.
Style-wise, the little variations like diary entries and nameless chapters are such a treat! I’m always intrigued by experimental touches, even more so when they play with names. Special mention goes to the concept of shaping, too. The in-text capslock is something I find grating, unless it has a solid reason to be there, and Evett does just that with the shapes.
Grammar and syntax, on point again. Even if I’ve been given an ARC copy, I didn’t spot anything that stood out. Rather, HOPE flows nicely, and the balance between dialogues and prose help with that.
What I didn’t vibe with—and mind, it’s not a flaw per se, but it’s a flaw for me, as it’s an intensely personal quirk—is the story length. I really do prefer it when the prose is a little more tightened up, even in a sci-fi setting where there’s some more legroom than average. It’s easy to go overboard, that’s the thing. On the other hand, I tend to go for minimalism while reading and writing, so this is not a surprise.
4 stars on GR
October 10, 2025
Oftentimes, books offer us an escape — new people, new lands, new circumstances. We finish our tasks for the day and settle in with our friends: the characters we’ve grown attached to. Sometimes their situations feel completely relatable; other times, they transport us to brand-new worlds that invite us in. Either way, we make the investment of time to return to the pages — and we are rewarded.
Reading B.R.M. Evett’s HOPE (and his earlier book JOY) gives the reader all of that — and more. Evett has created a world and language that feel entirely new yet completely accessible. It’s not that he merely asks for a suspension of disbelief; rather, he expands the very possibilities of truth — of what could be, and what is.
HOPE is a thrilling ride. My imagination was fully engaged from the first page, and I easily accepted the given circumstances: the world these characters inhabit, their time period, their relationships, their pasts. I felt deeply connected to Evett’s words and to his characters, and I savored every opportunity to pause my own reality and continue the journey with his merry band of misfits fighting for their lives.
Merged review:
Oftentimes, books offer us an escape — new people, new lands, new circumstances. We finish our tasks for the day and settle in with our friends: the characters we’ve grown attached to. Sometimes their situations feel completely relatable; other times, they transport us to brand-new worlds that invite us in. Either way, we make the investment of time to return to the pages — and we are rewarded.
Reading B.R.M. Evett’s HOPE (and his earlier book JOY) gives the reader all of that — and more. Evett has created a world and language that feel entirely new yet completely accessible. It’s not that he merely asks for a suspension of disbelief; rather, he expands the very possibilities of truth — of what could be, and what is.
HOPE is a thrilling ride. My imagination was fully engaged from the first page, and I easily accepted the given circumstances: the world these characters inhabit, their time period, their relationships, their pasts. I felt deeply connected to Evett’s words and to his characters, and I savored every opportunity to pause my own reality and continue the journey with his merry band of misfits fighting for their lives.
Reading B.R.M. Evett’s HOPE (and his earlier book JOY) gives the reader all of that — and more. Evett has created a world and language that feel entirely new yet completely accessible. It’s not that he merely asks for a suspension of disbelief; rather, he expands the very possibilities of truth — of what could be, and what is.
HOPE is a thrilling ride. My imagination was fully engaged from the first page, and I easily accepted the given circumstances: the world these characters inhabit, their time period, their relationships, their pasts. I felt deeply connected to Evett’s words and to his characters, and I savored every opportunity to pause my own reality and continue the journey with his merry band of misfits fighting for their lives.
Merged review:
Oftentimes, books offer us an escape — new people, new lands, new circumstances. We finish our tasks for the day and settle in with our friends: the characters we’ve grown attached to. Sometimes their situations feel completely relatable; other times, they transport us to brand-new worlds that invite us in. Either way, we make the investment of time to return to the pages — and we are rewarded.
Reading B.R.M. Evett’s HOPE (and his earlier book JOY) gives the reader all of that — and more. Evett has created a world and language that feel entirely new yet completely accessible. It’s not that he merely asks for a suspension of disbelief; rather, he expands the very possibilities of truth — of what could be, and what is.
HOPE is a thrilling ride. My imagination was fully engaged from the first page, and I easily accepted the given circumstances: the world these characters inhabit, their time period, their relationships, their pasts. I felt deeply connected to Evett’s words and to his characters, and I savored every opportunity to pause my own reality and continue the journey with his merry band of misfits fighting for their lives.
November 3, 2025
B.R.M. Evett’s clever, captivating sci-fi novel HOPE propels readers on a tense voyage through a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape where class warfare, casual violence and the struggle for survival are a daily reality. Told through the eyes of a rotating cast of adults and children, HOPE weaves the story of the wily deaf boy Creek and the privileged teen Lucinda. These protagonists from opposite ends of the new world order’s hierarchy barrel toward an inevitable encounter, assembling sympathetic allies and repugnant enemies as battle lines are drawn between the novel’s heroes and villains. All the while, Creek and Lucinda undergo dramatic changes while learning one of life’s important lessons: people are not always what they seem.
Evett’s great strengths are his clear love for his characters, his knack for unspooling a lively tale, and the sense he projects of working from a fully realized world, even as the complete back story remains shrouded.
Starting in media res, HOPE immediately kicks in full throttle with Creek in a serious bind. What transpires early on sets the groundwork for a pivotal confrontation between warlords over an immensely powerful piece of stolen tech. Creek and his motley band – outcasts just trying to survive – find themselves stuck in the middle. Evett throws one challenge at another at his heroes: a battle robot, a truly despicable bionic villain and a deadly virus that turns people into savage killing machines.
Fast-paced, tightly plotted and brimming with cliffhanger chapters, HOPE fuses cyberpunk sensibilities with a Black Mirror-style cautionary tale about the pitfalls of fusing technology and humanity. Evett deftly juggles multiple storylines as he delves into the motivations of his characters, revealing just enough to ensnare the reader but not so much as to give everything away. He expertly weaves his narrative while exploring a question central to his characters’ – and our – existence: What is a family?
Bottom line: If you want a brisk page-turner that’s literate, fun and futuristic, HOPE more than delivers.
Evett’s great strengths are his clear love for his characters, his knack for unspooling a lively tale, and the sense he projects of working from a fully realized world, even as the complete back story remains shrouded.
Starting in media res, HOPE immediately kicks in full throttle with Creek in a serious bind. What transpires early on sets the groundwork for a pivotal confrontation between warlords over an immensely powerful piece of stolen tech. Creek and his motley band – outcasts just trying to survive – find themselves stuck in the middle. Evett throws one challenge at another at his heroes: a battle robot, a truly despicable bionic villain and a deadly virus that turns people into savage killing machines.
Fast-paced, tightly plotted and brimming with cliffhanger chapters, HOPE fuses cyberpunk sensibilities with a Black Mirror-style cautionary tale about the pitfalls of fusing technology and humanity. Evett deftly juggles multiple storylines as he delves into the motivations of his characters, revealing just enough to ensnare the reader but not so much as to give everything away. He expertly weaves his narrative while exploring a question central to his characters’ – and our – existence: What is a family?
Bottom line: If you want a brisk page-turner that’s literate, fun and futuristic, HOPE more than delivers.
November 13, 2025
Title: Hope: Novels of the New Frontier, Book II
By: B. R. M. Evett
Publisher: Sleeping Dog Press
Published Date: November 11, 2025
ASIN: B0FB1Y3T2Q
Page Count: 358
Triggers: post-apocalyptic violence, warlords, child endangerment, medical experimentation, mind-control virus, class oppression, body horror, gunplay, death of side characters
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skull Dread Rating: ☠️
What Did I Just Walk Into?
A deaf pickpocket with survival instincts for days meets a red-haired enclave exile with a brain implant that knows entirely too much. Add battle bots, a designer virus with attitude, and a road trip through the worst HOA in fallen America. Hope survives, mostly out of spite.
Here’s What Slapped:
Worldbuilding with teeth, lived-in slang and tech that feels scuffed and dangerous.
Alternating POVs that actually earn the page turns, Creek and Lucinda both carry weight.
Disability representation without pity, competence first, cue my tiny standing ovation.
Big set pieces that go hard, from heists to mech mayhem to quiet heartbreak.
Found family energy that sneaks past your armor and plants a flag.
What Could’ve Been Better:
A few acronym storms and lore nuggets arrive hot, a slower pour would taste cleaner.
One mid-journey stretch wanders, like the plot stopped for a snack.
The villains love a monologue, which sometimes steals thunder from the tension.
Perfect for Readers Who Love:
The Last of Us mood, Station Eleven tenderness, Black Mirror tech anxiety, and post-apoc tales where heart and hardware share the stage.
Sum Up:
Grim but not hopeless, clever but not smug, this one makes ruin feel human and dares you to care anyway.
Book Series:
JOY: A Novel of the New Frontier (Novels of the New Frontier)
Part of: Novels of the New Frontier (2 books)
Title: Hope: Novels of the New Frontier, Book II
Part of: Novels of the New Frontier (2 books)
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
By: B. R. M. Evett
Publisher: Sleeping Dog Press
Published Date: November 11, 2025
ASIN: B0FB1Y3T2Q
Page Count: 358
Triggers: post-apocalyptic violence, warlords, child endangerment, medical experimentation, mind-control virus, class oppression, body horror, gunplay, death of side characters
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skull Dread Rating: ☠️
What Did I Just Walk Into?
A deaf pickpocket with survival instincts for days meets a red-haired enclave exile with a brain implant that knows entirely too much. Add battle bots, a designer virus with attitude, and a road trip through the worst HOA in fallen America. Hope survives, mostly out of spite.
Here’s What Slapped:
Worldbuilding with teeth, lived-in slang and tech that feels scuffed and dangerous.
Alternating POVs that actually earn the page turns, Creek and Lucinda both carry weight.
Disability representation without pity, competence first, cue my tiny standing ovation.
Big set pieces that go hard, from heists to mech mayhem to quiet heartbreak.
Found family energy that sneaks past your armor and plants a flag.
What Could’ve Been Better:
A few acronym storms and lore nuggets arrive hot, a slower pour would taste cleaner.
One mid-journey stretch wanders, like the plot stopped for a snack.
The villains love a monologue, which sometimes steals thunder from the tension.
Perfect for Readers Who Love:
The Last of Us mood, Station Eleven tenderness, Black Mirror tech anxiety, and post-apoc tales where heart and hardware share the stage.
Sum Up:
Grim but not hopeless, clever but not smug, this one makes ruin feel human and dares you to care anyway.
Book Series:
JOY: A Novel of the New Frontier (Novels of the New Frontier)
Part of: Novels of the New Frontier (2 books)
Title: Hope: Novels of the New Frontier, Book II
Part of: Novels of the New Frontier (2 books)
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
November 17, 2025
In “Hope,” Evett invites us back to the New Frontier, both expanding and deepening our understanding of this shattered world. While the first novel of the series, “Joy,” followed the child-like Virgo and humanoid Tender in an epic journey of self-discovery and the loss of innocence, this stirring second entry introduces a new cast of characters explored through their relationships to their communities and those that threaten them.
We meet Creek and Lucinda, who grow up across the great divide of circumstance and privilege, and who find themselves swept into a bloody struggle between rival warlords. Evett weaves a layered conflict of resource-scarcity and warring philosophies, delving us further into the cultures and politics that we began to catch juicy glimpses of in “Joy.” While their journeys are distinct, they both come to a head when they must determine whether safety – and hope - lies in solitude, or in community.
While juggling more than a dozen fully embodied characters, Evett writes striking interactions between people who communicate through barriers both literal and cultural. Whether it be loss of hearing, brain chips, wretched pasts, or heartbreak, their ability to understand and to trust is filtered through unique and layered barriers.
Each and every utterly human obstacle our beloved survivors face grounds the science fiction in timelessly relevant questions. This is important literature worthy of close discussion and wide exposure. A completely enthralling piece, “Hope” sets the stage for what is sure to be an electric third entry into this deliciously braided saga.
We meet Creek and Lucinda, who grow up across the great divide of circumstance and privilege, and who find themselves swept into a bloody struggle between rival warlords. Evett weaves a layered conflict of resource-scarcity and warring philosophies, delving us further into the cultures and politics that we began to catch juicy glimpses of in “Joy.” While their journeys are distinct, they both come to a head when they must determine whether safety – and hope - lies in solitude, or in community.
While juggling more than a dozen fully embodied characters, Evett writes striking interactions between people who communicate through barriers both literal and cultural. Whether it be loss of hearing, brain chips, wretched pasts, or heartbreak, their ability to understand and to trust is filtered through unique and layered barriers.
Each and every utterly human obstacle our beloved survivors face grounds the science fiction in timelessly relevant questions. This is important literature worthy of close discussion and wide exposure. A completely enthralling piece, “Hope” sets the stage for what is sure to be an electric third entry into this deliciously braided saga.
September 7, 2025
Having read Joy twice, I knew this one was going to be interesting. Evett has a way of creating a world that feels real. With Hope he has fulfilled the promise in Joy with fascinating characters who live and breath. This book feels like a cross between The Stand and Road Warrior.
The world is recovering from a disaster and humans have formed colonies for safety. A young woman living in a relatively civilized and resourced colony is forced out of that colony when she contracts a disease that will force her out into the wider world. She will have to make a choice that tests her moral compass.
We also follow a group of children, some of whom are deaf, who plan a heist of a technology that can create things. In a world where shortages of raw material, electricity, food, and shelter, this device is worth a lot. When the kids bring the device to a woman who has created a fortified garrison, they find the world is more complex than they imagined.
The writing is easy to read, and filled with some striking images. To say much more is to spoil the twists and turns Evett has created. It is a tired cliche to say a book is hard to put down but in this case I read into the wee hours to finish chapters.
The world is recovering from a disaster and humans have formed colonies for safety. A young woman living in a relatively civilized and resourced colony is forced out of that colony when she contracts a disease that will force her out into the wider world. She will have to make a choice that tests her moral compass.
We also follow a group of children, some of whom are deaf, who plan a heist of a technology that can create things. In a world where shortages of raw material, electricity, food, and shelter, this device is worth a lot. When the kids bring the device to a woman who has created a fortified garrison, they find the world is more complex than they imagined.
The writing is easy to read, and filled with some striking images. To say much more is to spoil the twists and turns Evett has created. It is a tired cliche to say a book is hard to put down but in this case I read into the wee hours to finish chapters.
January 11, 2026
I loved Hope! I was already familiar with the darkness that shrouds this world from reading Joy, the first in the New Frontier series. But in this standalone book, the new characters drew me in, sometimes getting annoyed with them, sometimes charmed, and eagerly rooting for them as they hang on to hope and fight dark forces against the odds.
The main characters could easily have been two dimensional tropes conjuring up pity or heroism for the young deaf orphan with his own sign language (“shaping”) and the smart privileged girl from the sheltered Enclave. But instead we get depth and complexity and people who just feel real.
The book is a real page turner with thrilling battles and adventurous mishaps but there is also time to get know the characters, grieve their losses, and watch them build relationships. They dwell in a seemingly hopeless world but strive to find connection and love and kindness.
I can’t wait until the third in the series, Love, ties them all together!!
The main characters could easily have been two dimensional tropes conjuring up pity or heroism for the young deaf orphan with his own sign language (“shaping”) and the smart privileged girl from the sheltered Enclave. But instead we get depth and complexity and people who just feel real.
The book is a real page turner with thrilling battles and adventurous mishaps but there is also time to get know the characters, grieve their losses, and watch them build relationships. They dwell in a seemingly hopeless world but strive to find connection and love and kindness.
I can’t wait until the third in the series, Love, ties them all together!!
February 13, 2026
What a thrilling dive into this world; I love that it's in the same setting, but following different characters from the first, but with a couple small hints to Joy. It makes the world feel alive, and so deep.
Evett's writing style is perfect for me: not too prosaic, not too poetic, just enough color and texture to give you an idea, and trusting that you the reader will fill in a lot of the details.
There's so much depth to this world, in every little choice of modified word for something, every title of an entity or organization, every character's name, each detail tells a little story in and of itself.
The characters are so varied and colorful, yet so relatable. There's such raw emotions, it shows a lot of the slightly ugly side of humanity, the side you may be a little embarrassed or ashamed to admit, but that we all think and feel.
Well worth the read!!!
Evett's writing style is perfect for me: not too prosaic, not too poetic, just enough color and texture to give you an idea, and trusting that you the reader will fill in a lot of the details.
There's so much depth to this world, in every little choice of modified word for something, every title of an entity or organization, every character's name, each detail tells a little story in and of itself.
The characters are so varied and colorful, yet so relatable. There's such raw emotions, it shows a lot of the slightly ugly side of humanity, the side you may be a little embarrassed or ashamed to admit, but that we all think and feel.
Well worth the read!!!
September 14, 2025
Review of Hope by Benjamin Evett.
Benjamin Evett’s second dystopian novel in his trilogy, Joy, Hope and coming in 2026, Love, is an excellent and compelling page
turner. From start to finish I was engaged in the world he creates, most particularly in the journeys of his characters and their fight to survive against impossible odds—against warlords and their monstrous armies, gnawing hunger, ferocious attacks and heartbreaking loss. It occurs to me that millions of people around the world as it exists today, although not a dystopia (yet), are fighting similar battles to survive. In Evett’s novel, it is the children who often lead the way to the light with resilience, courage and love. I highly recommend Hope, a creative, lyrical and very relevant novel.
Benjamin Evett’s second dystopian novel in his trilogy, Joy, Hope and coming in 2026, Love, is an excellent and compelling page
turner. From start to finish I was engaged in the world he creates, most particularly in the journeys of his characters and their fight to survive against impossible odds—against warlords and their monstrous armies, gnawing hunger, ferocious attacks and heartbreaking loss. It occurs to me that millions of people around the world as it exists today, although not a dystopia (yet), are fighting similar battles to survive. In Evett’s novel, it is the children who often lead the way to the light with resilience, courage and love. I highly recommend Hope, a creative, lyrical and very relevant novel.
November 11, 2025
What a thrilling and moving read!
In this time of fraught politics and worsening planetary health, I wasn't sure if I was up to read a book about a "post-apocalyptic" world. I am glad I trusted the title! While not shying away from the darkness and brutality that could be an element of such a world, the author creates a compelling cast of characters and rich plot that ultimately remind the reader of the profound power and beauty of human connection, interdependence, and love--even when, and especially when, things may seem darkest.
There is hope to be found in this book, indeed.
In this time of fraught politics and worsening planetary health, I wasn't sure if I was up to read a book about a "post-apocalyptic" world. I am glad I trusted the title! While not shying away from the darkness and brutality that could be an element of such a world, the author creates a compelling cast of characters and rich plot that ultimately remind the reader of the profound power and beauty of human connection, interdependence, and love--even when, and especially when, things may seem darkest.
There is hope to be found in this book, indeed.
October 31, 2025
I almost never read books in this genre so I wasn’t sure whether this book would be for me, but the story of Hope was captivating and easy to get sucked into. I felt like I was watching a movie while reading it! I appreciated how it managed to grapple with the pain and challenges of a post-apocalyptic world without leaving you feeling totally hopeless (ha) and depressed throughout. Excited to read Joy next as I have heard great things.
November 5, 2025
An excellent follow up to “Joy,” but not necessary to read that before Hope (though you should certainly read both!). Even for folks who don’t often broach into Sci-fi, this story hits on aspects of our world and humanity that are engaging and compelling to any reader. The world building is deep, the characters nuanced, and the storytelling strong. I grew attached to the characters and appreciated their growth over the story!
November 12, 2025
It builds and builds, adding depth to the characters, the world, and in the end, the action.
I enjoyed Evett’s Joy a great deal, and Hope doesn’t disappoint. It is full of wonderful details, complicated and often (pleasingly) contradictory characters, emotion, and echoes of where society stands today.
Highly recommended.
I enjoyed Evett’s Joy a great deal, and Hope doesn’t disappoint. It is full of wonderful details, complicated and often (pleasingly) contradictory characters, emotion, and echoes of where society stands today.
Highly recommended.
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