Callum "Cal" Roe just wants to be safe for a change. He
doesn't care which side, the Glorious Path or the US Federal
Army, wins the civil war raging within the United States, as
he still misses his home back in New York. Currently in
Arizona and on the path to citizenship within the Glorious
Path, Cal is given one assignment he just can't complete.
Instead, he finds himself on the run with a stray dog in
tow. Will Cal find his way home?
Cal is such a typical teenage boy that at times he was more
than frustrating. He's only 15 years old and yet he's had to
face the ravages of war and see and participate firsthand in
the devious machinations of the Glorious Path. He has no
real loyalties, beyond that to his brother James, until he
befriends a stray dog named Bear. He's infuriating,
maddening, and yet somehow Jeff Hirsch still manages to
redeem him, more so through the secondary characters that
impact this impressionable teenager.
And wow, Jeff Hirsch creates spectacular secondary
characters! From Cal's dog, Bear, to Grey Solomon to Nat
Whitacker, the secondary characters remain in the reader's
heart and mind long afterwards. Nat in particular challenges
Cal to pick sides, to decide who and what he wants to be. I
couldn't help but cheer her on every single time she
addressed Cal's indecisiveness. Bear, of course, stole my
heart immediately as who can't help but love the loyalty of
a dog?
THE DARKEST PATH is an unsettling tale of a militant
religion trying to overtake the entire country of the United
States. Jeff Hirsch does an excellent job at showing how a
teenage boy, torn between loyalties and homesick for his
parents and the life he used to have, would react. THE
DARKEST PATH is a solid entry in the ever growing field of
dystopian young adult tales.
USA TODAY bestselling author Jeff Hirsch once again creates
a futuristic world with stunning, dramatic realism.
A civil war rages between the Glorious Path--a militant
religion based on the teachings of a former US soldier--and
what's left of the US government. Fifteen-year-old Callum
Roe and his younger brother, James, were captured and forced
to convert six years ago. Cal has been working in the Path's
dog kennels, and is very close to becoming one of the Path's
deadliest secret agents. Then Cal befriends a stray dog
named Bear and kills a commander who wants to train him to
be a vicious attack dog. This sends Cal and Bear on the run,
and sets in motion a series of incredible events that will
test Cal's loyalties and end in a fierce battle that the
fate of the entire country rests on.