Unlucky Evens, Cursed Odds
The hateful Path, that of the 9th Born.
The survival of the Ark—humanity’s last bastion after God’s wrath destroyed the world—is balanced by birth order: the oddborn are assigned a Path, the evenborn are given over to the will of God. And it is upon those of the 9th Born Path to sanitize the evens.
John 59129’s first walk as a Niner is the same day the scientists of the Ark plan to defy God by seeking to turn back time. An electrical surge sends John past the safety of the Ark, into an unblemished world. A glimpse of perfection. Of all the evenborn saved.
But when John wakes, he’s back in the Ark, twenty years after the failure to harness time. Was his encounter real or just a dream caused by his accident? Are those in charge of the Ark keeping the oddborn caged? Is God the monster, or is it mankind?
For John 59129 to find out before his own child is born, he must be willing to play the odds.
Editorial Reviews for Unlucky Evens, Cursed Odds:
“This was one of the most unique dystopian sci-fi stories I’ve read in a long time. It was a quick read (7 chapters, I believe, so novella length), but I was impressed with how much worldbuilding there was and with the overall complexity of the tale, given the format. It was really well done.” — A.J. Calvin, FanFiAddict
“First of all, this is a tour de force novella. Mind-bending, thoughtful, lyrical. Desperate characters in an absolutely horrific dystopian world run by unfeeling zealots. However, there’s a hopeful touch that I absolutely needed. It’s bleak, it’s grim, but it’s also the opposite of those things.” — Dave Lawson, FanFiAddict