The journey into absurdity is a slow descent.
The year is 2069. America has suffered a split between two groups, the Citizens and the Outsiders. To make a transition as a Citizen, one has to join the military and serve a six-year enlistment.
Not even a year into August Paxton’s service and he’s counting down the days until it’s over. But then everything takes a turn when a military drone crashes into the Wastebasket and August is assigned to the team charged to uncover it. The Wastebasket, the world’s largest trash dump, is home to natives that are rumored to be mentally and physically impaired, though no one is sure as to the extent of their condition. August is apprehensive about their mission’s location but learns that the real source of trepidation originates from within his own crew.
Wastebasket is the first installment of the Habitual Humanity series by J. M. Tompkins. The Habitual Humanity series will follow America’s fall into an apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic future.
My Review
I chose to read this novella after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
This novella is super short but the author has fit enough information into it that I’m already hooked. August is the main character and he is on a submarine serving his required six years. He isn’t perfect, of course, but he is a good guy.
When August and four other crew members are required to rescue a drone from the Wastebasket, they have no idea what to expect. Can they get in and get out without any complications?
I’m looking forward to the next installment of the Habitual Humanity series. I want to find out more about the characters and this “new” America.
About the Author
J. M. Tompkins worked within the field of technology sales until she was able to focus on her passion for writing. A late-blooming nerd, she enjoys a variety of interests including theology, history, genetics, and astronomy. Her novels and short stories contain each of these elements within dystopian worlds and science fiction plots.
J. M. lives in Georgia with her equally nerdy husband and her son. She loves cooking, reading, hiking, and spending time with her family and her two Italian Greyhounds.
Bound 4 Escape