Book Review: RunHideSeek by Gabby Tye
Summary:
In Run (from the trilogy Runhideseek), readers follow the main heroine, Zee, who wakes up with no memory of her life. She joins a band of children and, together, they struggle to survive as they scavenge for resources and fend off zombies in a post-apocalyptic Singapore.
Review:
The reason that this book caught our attention was the fact that it was written by a (then) 15-year old girl, Gabby Tye.
The book is a fast and easy read. The language is mostly simple and occasionally infused with Singlish. As expected from a young writer, the style of the writer is extremely casual as she incorporates slang words such as “dude” and “lamebrain” in her story. As such, teenagers may perhaps relate to Zee more.
When it comes to the plot and character development, the novel is akin to a popular Young Adult dystopian* novel, albeit set in Singapore. For those who wish to have a simple and fast-paced read, be assured that the world-building is fast, spanning a few pages. There are several action sequences, ranging from romantic and gory due to the presence of zombies.
Most importantly, Run explores the societal implications of genetic modification in a defamiliarized Singapore, one that is not like the Singapore we have come to know. For example, one can no longer distinguish races as features have become malleable due to gene editing. The characters' eyes are of exotic colours which range from green to violet. All it takes is money to customize your own child. In the book, characters' names are also out-of-the-world, with names such as “Zee” and “Jae”.
There are a few references to Singapore before the apocalypse. An example is the attempt at cross breeding a durian with the papaya. The product of this particular experiment is called the “Duya”. Locations within Singapore are also mentioned. Besides these, the writer has other creative details and twists in store.
Run leaves readers wanting more of the Runhideseek trilogy, with the intriguing unravelling of the mystery behind the zombies. We strongly recommend you to read all three books, especially because the casual and straightforward language used makes the series a breeze to read.
Do all these sound interesting to you? Ever thought of how science could go wrong? Want to explore the concept of an apocalyptic Singapore? If so, this book might be for you. We recommend this book to younger readers, who are looking for an introduction to the dystopian genre, as well as a fresh perspective and local setting.
*A dystopia is a community or society that is undesirable or frightening, often known as the opposite of utopia (a perfect world)