Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Life, Undiminished is brimming with potential but ultimately let down by its execution. Despite tackling contemporary themes such as pandemics and ecological sustainability, the plot fails to truly engage the reader.
Prose: Lemmert's futuristic sci-fi is enterprising and creative, but the writing style becomes repetitive. The story is presented as a series of events, many of which are intriguing, but they are never allowed to properly flourish.
Originality: Despite its original premise, and ideas that set it apart from similar titles, the novel is constricted by dry exposition.
Character/Execution: The character interactions in Life, Diminished are lacking emotional connection, though the relationship between Nick and Aurora is quite endearing.
Date Submitted: August 31, 2023
Aurora’s position as an outsider brings to light the limits often placed on love; she muses that Earthlings think of her as “a genetically edited creature from a foreign world – a genetic freak,” and bemoans the harsh treatment of their love affair, observing that “a relationship with a freak from Mitis was simply not something a normal man from Earth should consider.” As the two dig into the sinister motives of the APO, Earth is hit with a devastating virus that threatens to end all life on the planet. Soon, Nick and Aurora are drawn into a deadly race against the clock to uncover the virus’s origins—and to find a way to stop it from exterminating humankind.
Lemmert pens a fully immersive story rich with science, intergalactic travel, and the classic journey of a hero with a conflict between duty and love. Nick and Aurora face seemingly insurmountable odds in their fight to uncover the truth behind Earth’s devastating pandemic, particularly when the virus causing it is revealed to have alien origins. The journey disrupts the deep connection they share, but their paths back to each other are compelling to watch. Throughout, Lemmert plumbs the deeper meaning behind what it truly means to be human—and the sacrifices that come with it.
Takeaway: Sci-fi romance that examines what it truly means to be human.
Comparable Titles: Lauren James's The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, M.R. Carey's The Girl with All the Gifts.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A
