Orleans

By: Sherri L. Smith

Narrated by: Iesha Nyree, Landon Woodson

A gritty futuristic tale from author of Flygirl

First came the storms.

Then came the Fever.

And the Wall.

After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct...but in reality, a new primitive society has been born.

Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader's newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, Fen and Daniel navigate the wasteland of Orleans. In the end, they are each other's last hope for survival.

Sherri L. Smith delivers an expertly crafted story about a fierce heroine whose powerful voice and firm determination will stay with you long after you've heard the last minute.

©2020 Sherri L. Smith (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Excellent story telling!

I loved this and am writing this review at 3 am because I didn't want to stop. I did get fairly paranoid about germs while reading this, so think twice if you are already too freaked out by the real pandemic to read about a fictional one.

Great listen

As a long time Audible listener, I have to say this was some of the best narration of any fiction book that I’ve heard. The female narration was particularly excellent and really made the book come alive. The story line was also thought provoking, relevant and well paced. Highly recommend!

Great Adventure

I initially purchased this book in hardcover. It sat on my shelf forever. I love reading but have so many other things that require my attention. I decided to listen to it on audiobooks so that I could finally read it while doing other tasks. It’s been my escape during breaks as well. Loved the characters and adventure. Leaves you wanting more. Would highly recommend.

I'm left devastated

I can't believe how stunning and heart-rending this book is. Every emotion I've ever had was set on fire while reading this. The story was incredible, but the narration is what ripped my heart out all the way through. I have never been moved by a book like this. I don't know what else to say.

Emotional

Not a romance but a wonderful action packed story with trauma and emotion throughout. I would not let anyone under 15 read this without parent approval. Some difficult situations.

fast, compelling cli-fi

enjoyable performances. especially of Fen whose patois must have presented a great challenge. fans of cli-fi will definitely enjoy, but I think it has a broader reach than that.

What a ride!

I love how this story constantly reveals how humans act under duress. It did not end the way I thought it would and I am glad.

Gripping

I really liked this book! It's just realistic enough to make it really spooky and unsettling.

My kind of story

I love sci-fi and this is now one of my favorites. Parts are intense and can be triggering. The author is an excellent writer but it helped that the narrators made the character real and engaging. I highly recommend. I look foward to reading more novels by this author.

Disappointed, very slow start and ends abruptly

Maybe my hopes were too high because of all the good reviews, but I did not enjoy this story. It was so slow at first, and then when it did finally pick up, it left a lot of loose ends. Each new location brought up more questions than answers, and in the end it just felt like the book ended in the middle of the story. I felt like there should have at least been an epilogue. There were so many good ideas and storylines started, I was very disappointed that many of them were just left hanging. The narrators do an amazing job, they were the only reason I finished the book honestly.