In Hell Divers IX, there are only 5000 people left on the planet. Nearly all of humanity has died from nuclear fallout over two and a half centuries ago. In the beginning, the remaining human population is on their last straw. The islands (oil rigs) that are the very last non-radioactive area on the planet have been stripped of priceless materials such as wind turbine blades for energy, the last of their oil reserves, and also many of their fishing trawlers by a devastating hurricane. King Xavier, the hell divers, and the Vanguard army set out to sea on a mission into the wastelands to retrieve valuable resources for the starving population left on the islands. From the previous book of the series, General Forge comes back into stable health after nearly dying. He leads what's left of the elite Barracuda team into locations off the eastern shores of former Australia, desperately searching for the needed materials to bring back to the islands before the inevitable civil war begins between the three main survivor groups from diffrent corners of the Earth. Michael Everhart, retired commander of hell diver Team Raptor and now Chief Engineer of the Vanguard islands has been put into leadership by the King during his absence. During the desperate conquest in Australia, the divers and army discovered new radioactive monsters that are deadlier than anything they have ever seen. Between boiling civil war and the post-apocalyptic wastelands of the world, Smith creates a mood of unfolding disaster, yet never knowing when everything will crash down and spell the death for the last pocket of human life on the planet.
Smith has created another great book, it takes the number three or fourth spot of all time books that I have read. This is because there could have been more expansion in some areas, but maybe he was holding it back to add a sequel. Smith gives the main theme of hopefulness when times seem dark, and sacrifice at the climax of desperation. To any reader who wants a view of a dystopian reality, I would recommend this book for you.
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