Tomorrow's Ancestors: The Museum of Second Chances by AE Warren.

Tomorrow's Ancestors: The Museum of Second Chances by AE Warren
Published in the UK by Locutions Press in February 2018.

What happens when the future recaptures the past?

In a post-apocalyptic world the human race has evolved beyond us through genetic engineering – and we’ve been left behind to make amends for the damage inflicted on the earth. The reversal of the extinction of long lost animals is key to our reparations and all of these are housed in the Museum of Evolution – along with another species of human that hasn’t existed for 30,000 years. 

Elise belongs to the lowest order of humans, the Sapiens. She lives in an ostracised community of ecological houses, built to blend with an idyllic landscape. Deciding to widen her stagnating life in the manufacturing base, she takes a chance opportunity to become a Companion to a previously extinct species of human. 

But Elise has secrets of her own that threaten to be exposed now that she is away from the safety of her home. And while living in the museum, Elise realises that little separates her from the other exhibits…

I was very intrigued by the premise of AE Warren's Tomorrow's Ancestors series so was delighted to find myself thoroughly enjoying its first book, The Museum Of Second Chances. The novel is set some 250 years in the future after a massive disaster has wiped out most life on Earth, including the majority of its human inhabitants. This isn't a grim, just-scraping-by story though. In Warren's imagined world, superior human species are now in charge of a rebuilt society and they are determined not to allow the destructive Homo Sapiens a chance to wreak total chaos again!

I loved Elise's kind of Hobbit-town home, made entirely from recycled and found materials, and the idea of people doing penance for their ancestors' behaviour by a system of Reparations. What rang particularly true was the caste-like hierarchical society where a higher social standing can only be achieved through genetic modifications - which are expensive so the rich make sure they maintain their positions. Sound familiar?

Elise is an engaging character with whom I liked spending time. She's a believable character in an amazing situation and the whole Museum Of Second Chances sounds an incredible feat of imagination and engineering. Much as I dislike the concept of zoos, the existence of this one made for a perfect story focus. Through Elise and her friends' experiences we come to see how the world fits together and how it can only ever be truly bearable for a select few. The relationships between characters always felt genuine and I appreciated the awkwardness portrayed when expectations and reality were at odds with each other.

Warren writes in a exciting style so I fairly raced through the story, always eager to see what the next pages would bring! I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to read The Museum Of Second Chances through this blog tour and am now keen to get started on its sequel, The Base Of Reflections, later this month.

Meet the author   

AE Warren lives in the UK. A not-so-covert nerd with mildly obsessive tendencies, she has happily wiled away an inordinate amount of time reading and watching sci-fi/ fantasy and gaming. She is interested in the ‘what ifs’.

The Museum of Second Chances is her first novel and she is currently writing the third book in the 'Tomorrow's Ancestors' series.

Author links: 
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