The Life Below by Alexandra Monir
I bought this book immediately after finishing its predecessor The Final Six. There was no hesitation. Even though I had multiple books vying for my attention and clambering to rise to the top of my TBR list, I had to grab The Life Below and find out what happened next in this two book series.
If the dream was to establish a new world for humans on Europa…the Final Six are about to enter a nightmare. - Amazon blurb for The Life Below.
The Life Below by Alexandra Monir is a continuation of the lives of six teenagers after they are selected to board a spacecraft and venture to Europa. The plan is for them to terraform the Jupiter moon surface and create a new world where mankind can procreate and thrive. The Earth they left behind has become volatile, attacking and defending itself against the humans who abused it and rendered it nearly uninhabitable.
Of course, things don’t go as planned.
Naomi had been hesitant about the mission since she arrived at International Space Training Camp in The Final Six. Rumors about what happened to a previous space team certainly didn’t help things. Tensions were high when the chosen six had been competing against one another for a spot on the mission. Now, living in close quarters on a spacecraft headed into the vastness of space has only amplified those feelings. Leaving their lives and families behind on a dying Earth isn’t even the toughest thing they’ll have to deal with on the journey. When they discover a saboteur is living amongst them, trusting each other to carry out the mission becomes easier said than done. With no other options, they have to rely on each other for survival, despite growing feelings of resentment and anger. The realization sets in that a lack of supplies means there’s no turning back. They have no choice but to push forward to Europa - hoping they can survive the trip. And hoping they don’t encounter anything already living there.
Monir puts the six through an emotional wringer. They’re struggling to forge a new life with people they’ve only recently met, people they’re expected to populate a new environment with for mankind’s survival. All the while, danger is popping up at every turn, and no one prepared them for such dire situations. There are six extraordinary kids being trusted to carry the torch of humanity in a spaceship that’s rocketing through the universe, yet they still find themselves tethered to leaders of the space program on Earth who continue to manipulate them and pull all the strings. Monir does such a great job braiding the events occurring on Earth with the events simultaneously taking place in space. It’s reminiscent of how well she braided Naomi’s and Leo’s stories in The Final Six.
On our recent spoiler free podcast of The Final Six on Unsettling Reads, I mentioned that the first book was a lead up to the action that awaits in The Life Below. Everything in this book feels like it’s on a countdown, a ticking timebomb. There is wonderful suspense bubbling just below the surface throughout the novel. The story is like a musical composition, building and building until it finally reaches a crescendo.
This book was easy to read and follow, and it didn’t take me long to finish it. I found myself hoping Monir would write a third book for the series! I really enjoyed all of the characters and their story lines, and I want to know what happens next! This book hit the spot for a sci-fi fix, plus it had the action, tension, and suspense that I crave in a book. I didn’t want to put it down. Monir does a great job at building realistic characters, and she placed them in settings that are intriguing to say the least. She does a great job describing their spacecraft, their habitat on Europa, and the dangers that lurk above and below the surface - making them seem plausible. Plus, it was nice to see the six using their skills to solve problems, making them reliable and believable.
The Final Six was optioned by Sony Pictures, and I hope that project comes to fruition. I would love to see this series unfold on the big screen.
I’d recommend The Life Below to anyone who enjoyed The Martian, The 100, or the Illuminae.
