What if a stray virus accidentally killed all the men on earth? Winner of the 2019 National Indie Excellence Award for Visionary Fiction.Winner of the 2019 Maxy Award for Science Fiction.Finalist for the 2019 IAN Book of the Year Awards.Finalist for the 2019 NIEA for Science Fiction.“A daring book that will stay in readers’ minds long after the final page.”-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Athena … long after the final page.”
–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Athena Vosh lives just like any other teenager from the year 2099. She watches reality shows with her friends, eats well, and occasionally wonders to herself: what would life be like if men were still alive?
It has been almost 50 years since an experimental virus accidentally killed all the men on earth. However, a controversial project is currently underway to bring men back. There’s just one catch. The project has been sabotaged.
So begins the award-winning novel, Athena’s Choice. When the police of 2099 are tasked with finding the saboteur, they receive a mysterious command to investigate the otherwise innocuous Athena Vosh. After it becomes clear that the young girl might know more than she lets on, Athena is brought in to participate in the official investigation. Simultaneously, the girl begins to experience a series of cryptic dreams featuring a ruined library and an old book containing the saboteur’s true identity. As the police close in on their prize, Athena finds herself on a journey of her own. Her clue-filled dreams and incorruptible spirit bring her face-to-face with a pair of forgotten truths about happiness and gender. The world waits to see if men will return as Athena fights a separate battle, culminating in the choice that will define her and others’ lives forever.
“I have spent days thinking of nothing except this book and I can honestly say, without hesitation, that I loved it.”
-Mackey S, Macsbooks
“The story is thought-provoking, troubling, fascinating, and compelling. This is science fiction at its best.”
-Chris, Amazon Reviewer
“An interesting concept that the author uses in full force to tell an incredible, lush story.”
-Hannah S, Librarian
100% of the royalty profits from the 2019 sales of this book will be donated to the National Immigration Law Center, an organization dedicated to advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their families.
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I was given a copy of this in hardback but as a business owner and mom of twins my reading time is limited to audiobooks so I bought the audio and was immediately whisked into this future world absent of men. Several things blew me away about this book and one of them is Boostrom, a first time author mind you, can write women including teenagers with the best of them. I had to keep checking Boostrom was not a woman. The depth and complexities of his characterizations and the world building is astounding. Another thing about this book was the subject matter. It is not enough to say his work is thought provoking as Boostrom forces you to confront and question what perhaps, before reading his book, you never would have in essence your own sense of morality. It is no wonder Boostrom’s debut won numerous awards.
And now onto the narration. Alex Ford has the kind of voice she just want to curl up in to. There is a purity to her sound that is aurally pleasing and her range is exceptional. Beyond this Ford displays her artistry as she embodies character after character with nuance subtlety and even humor. Her voice has a razors edge at times and one beat later it is like the the softness of a fuzzy blanket bringing warmth and radiance.
In my opinion this is the perfect pairing. I look forward to reading more of Boostrom and hearing more of Ford. Both are superstars in my book!
After the Y fever killed off all males, females continued to live on. However, many of them miss the presence of something they have never have. In the future, scientists are trying to reverse the Y-fever, to bring back males, but not everyone wants them to come back. So when Athena Vosh, a teenager in the year 2099, is contacted by the Third Core to help resolve the issue of the missing data, she finds herself in the middle of an interesting dilemma. The fate of mankind lies in her hands. Will she bring them back or let the world move on without them?
I absolutely loved this book. I thought the idea of it, the worldbuilding, and the characters were all phenomenally done. Not only did we get an awesome look of technology in the future, we get to ponder the idea of what would happen to the world if one gender was somehow eliminated. This story had everything that makes a great read—food for thought, suspense, romance, angst, and mystery.
Narration was done in a way that beautifully brought each character to life. Words were clearly enunciated and it was easy to lose myself listening.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
I received this book in paperback. And I am glad I did. It is an amazing book. I have added it to my collection. It is very well written. It has amazing characters and keeps you reading until the last page. Athena is a teenager in 2099. Due to an experiment all men were killed 50 years ago. There is a project that may bring men back, but it was sabotaged. Then the story begins….. This book is very entertaining and I was hooked by the first chapter. I would recommend this book as a must read!!!!!
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Athena’s Choice
Author: Adam Boostrom
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 8/10
Of the 16 readers:
12 would read another book by this author.
13 thought the cover was good or excellent.
9 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 10 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
12 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
12 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Very clever with an excellent hook at the beginning. I thought the story didn’t flow very well with odd-length chapters and Wikipedia disrupting the story. But I was happy to read all of it and I thought the ending was excellent and the central character, Athena, was a full-formed character in my mind.’ Girl, aged 14
‘I liked all the futuristic technology. The author has a strong imagination. I also liked the mystery of who the saboteur is who attempted to destroy the project to bring men back to the world. I also liked the way the author changed the way he presented things although I thought the Wiki stuff was a bot boring. Overall, this is a good read for teenagers.’ Boy, aged 15
‘The concept of this story is fab! I loved how it’s up to Athena to bring men back to the planet. Athena develops really well in the story; I thought she was a thoughtful character with strong morals. I also liked the advertisements, etc. the the author put in. Although there were possibly too many, they did help me to understand the futuristic setting.’ Primary teacher, aged 45
‘Such a clever premise young adults will find intriguing. Although the female characters often felt a little too bitter, it’s cleverly plotted with a strong antagonist.’ Publisher, aged 55
To Sum It Up:
‘A thoughtful story, cleverly plotted and written with vigor. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
What if, in the future, a virus was engineered to eradicate terrorism? And what if it killed all the men on the planeet?
This is exactly what happens in Adam Boostrom’s novel ATHENA’S CHOICE, and what sets the stage for the novel throughout.
Set in the decades following the eradication of men, we follow a young woman named Athena Vosh — who, though a typical teenager in her own right, becomes caught up in a wild mystery when it is revealed that the Lazarus Genome, which is meant to correct the genetically-engineered virus and bring men back into existence, has been stolen. Though initially accused of stealing said genome, it becomes quickly apparent to the powers that be that this young woman, only a teenager, could have had nothing to do with it. However, after Athena reveals that she has experienced a series of strange dreams about a book titled “Original Sin” — which appears to exist in a library that one of the world’s most advanced AI cannot find — an officer of the Public Safety Organization believes that they may, in fact, be more than just random. Thus, Athena Vosh is tasked to help find the genome, and, as a result, bring men back to the world.
ATHENA’S CHOICE is a gorgeous novel. Set in the year 2099, it follows a young woman through a futuristic world that is filled with everything from magnetic implants, to happiness profiling, food printers, heli-cars, and more. Though on the surface it may appear to be little more than a young-adult science-fiction novel, ATHENA’s CHOICE examines the very real concept of gender and what it means to be a woman in a world without men. I was particularly impressed by the relationship dynamics that are present within the novel, and the particular attention the author paid to the downfall of all men, including those trans-men who lived during the height of what is described as the Y Plague. This novel was obviously well thought-out, and I can only commend the author for his sensitivity and willingness to reach beyond the casual “What If?” story to make something wonderful.
I would highly recommend ATHENA’S CHOICE to anyone who loves a good science-fiction story, tales of friendship, and coming-of-age narratives that focus on young women. It’s one of my favorite novels of the year, and you should definitely read it, too.
I’ve listen to this book on Audible. For me it is at the same level as the Matrix film trilogy (if it was a single book).
This story is about a world were men are all dead because of a targeted disease. Its odd new world, were women don’t have to work, they pleasure themselves with body massage implants and furniture can be self rearranged in an instant (just to name a few), is amazing. We get a glimpse of that and the events of the past by a serie of diverse shorts at the beginning of each chapter. I have to say: the narrador does a fantastic job at separating those pasts from the story narration. She is very expressive, and I can’t imagine this story in any other way. That’s why it’s so difficult to imagine this book being written by a man. I really felt like being inside a female mind: Athena’s mind.
In the end, this book is about what is happiness, what does it means. Is it having a purpose? Or is it pleasure? How about when that pleasure is obtained at the expenses of others… This is the kind of philosophical dilemas that makes this story as good as the Matrix one. Both sides have very good arguments. All this drama is enveloped by more story drama and a great thriller (even a couple of action scenes) so it’s perfect for everyone. I do hope this book get’s more visibly. It really deserves it!
PS: if you get put off by Athena’s odd dreams or the slower pace at the start, hang on. The finale, when everything is explained will be worth it, believe me.
This book is a rare achievement because it keeps you turning the page to see what happens next while it makes you ask questions about what kind of world you want to live in and what you’re willing to do to make that world happen. It’s a great book to get people talking about what it really means for a person (or a society) to be happy.
I really enjoyed this plot and for a first book it’s really very well done. I would have given it 5 stars, but it was just a tad over the top on the anti-men side, tone that down and all shall be perfect! That being said the plot was an intriguing one and the main female lead character is likable and interesting. A wonderful job with world building, not too much so it gets boring but just enough so it’s interesting and allows the story to flow nicely. Looking forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you NetGalley for gifting me with a copy of this audiobook. These opinions is my own.
3/5 Stars
When I read the synopsis of this book, I thought that it was such an interesting concept for a book. A world without men… utopia or dystopia, you decide. I love to see how futuristic stories will create our world and I enjoyed this one, though I feel like it was a bit unrealistic for less than 70yrs in the future. I thought that Athena’s character was interesting; she was young but smart, with a longing that she could not quite explain.
I found the narrator’s voice to be very clear and easy to understand. She also did a good job of giving the characters different voices/accents. With that said, I found myself a bit lost during the story. Not only is this told in a non-linear way, but they also have random “Wiki” posts sprinkled throughout the book (some of which I wasn’t sure of the importance). I also found the ending to be very rushed, which is always a bit disappointing.
You have those reads where they are great–BUT! This book has a BUT in it, and I think it’s what doesn’t work for me.
Athena Vosh is an average nineteen-year-old girl struggling with things like her relationship with her girlfriend Nomi and getting her art displayed in a gallery. She treats her mother well, and she’s an exemplary citizen.
She hides the fact that she is fascinated with the idea of bringing back men; since most seem to believe that the Y-Fever was a good thing, and society is better for it now, as a sisterhood. Athena keeps her drawings of the male form from the eyes of everyone, including Nomi. That is until her dreams become enigmatic and prophetic and lead her to the Core, their world’s great processor of information and database–who leaves her with more questions than answers.
Adam Boostrom does fantastic world-building of a ‘Women-First’ social stratum–where the Y-Fever slowly picks off males and any females with Y the gene. I enjoyed the concept of an interweaving of technological advancement with emotional wellbeing, BUT I felt that the author balanced all the science with the modern Christian religion and biblical reference that it kept the story stunted. AND Being told the definition of feminism by a man is patronizing AF. I can’t tell you how much Adam Boostrom devalued his story when I read his explanation of feminism out of a female character’s mouth.
Still, this book has a lot of real-estate to enjoy.
Please beware of the formatting; I found all the Wikipedia entries and reference materials distracting. I put the book on audio and had my Alexa read it. To me, the format was annoying.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.
The premise of Athena’s Choice is exactly the kind of idea that always draws me to speculative fiction. No men in society, you say? World hunger is solved? Violent crime is a distant memory? I absolutely need to read this book.
But once I got into the meat of it, I discovered it was all over the place. I couldn’t get a good grip on what was really happening, and things were so less than believable, I started to develop my own ideas and they diverged greatly from where the novel was heading. I think it was the supernatural, let’s “speak to her through her dreams” thing that kind of lost me. I wanted something much more scientific and truly speculative, instead of jumping off the deep end into a hot mess of contradictions, almost mystical government, and unexplained technological advances.
There was so much more in-depth exploration that could have been done into the groups of women who missed men, the other groups of women who were scared to bring them back, the people who had no idea what was even going on behind the scenes, the government control, and all the technology that made it possible for humanity to continue without its sperm donors. Instead we follow one young woman who magically ends up being named as someone important who figures out some important stuff. It really fizzled when it could have been something substantial, had more attention been given to the world-building and the science of it all, instead of following a simplistic plot driven by dreams and strange ambition.
It could have been so much more.
Athena’s Choice by Adam Boostrom is a dystopian fiction story with the premise “What if a stray virus accidentally killed all the men on earth?”
This is Adam’s debut novel and he knocked it out the park. This story leaves you asking what would you do if you had Athena’s choice?
I can not wait to see what books Adam will release in the future. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dystopian fiction or science fiction.
The story itself was pretty good, and the characters were likable. However, the author chose to interrupt the narrative with ads and other devices that distracted from the story and had no relationship with either the characters or the plot.
Unusual premise. All men gone from the earth. Imagined an interesting culture and technologies of a far future.
A very telling commentary on the world we live in and the ends to which some people will go to fix a broken system,
Athena’s Choice Kindle Edition
by Adam Boostrom
I received a review copy via Booksirens.com and am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
At first glance, as I read, this book had some resemblance to two classics in the dystopian fiction field: The White Plague by Frank Herbert, in which a disease wipes out most of the women on the planet, and The Gates to Women’s Country by Sherri S Tepper. But the resemblance is only passing and very shallow.
I honestly believe this book was written in response to all the current pack of Dystopian fiction, be it Meg Ellison, Suzanne Collins or Margaret Atwood. It seems as if it is an answer the way men appear and the ideas expressed with things like “The future is female.”
With that in mind, I can’t decide what is worse: the abundance of type fonts – so many I imagine some ransom seekers are jealous, the anti-feminist message or the utter lack of an end. But I’m going with the utter lack of an end. Mr. Boostrom takes a rather lazy way of finishing this book with a supposedly ‘deep’ end that is not an end and instead of reaching any conclusion about the heroine learning anything. This works for Christopher Nolan on the screen and someone like Joyce Carrol Oates. They know how to make it interesting and understandable.
The constant time-skipping doesn’t help one bit as Athena, our heroine tries to solve the mystery of what happened to the genome. The genome meant to bring the men back. All men, transgender men and some women died from a rogue virus years before. Women have take over the world and all things are good and peaceful. Except the sad women who must have a man to feel fulfilled. Athena, herself, is in a committed relationship, but like all women, she really wants to look at and touch men!
There is also a huge problem with how women think and behave in this book. Their inner thoughts in particular are shallow and silly and the dreams of men everywhere.
I kept trying to not roll my eyes at the constant anti-feminist vibe that would pop up just when the story and mystery had been interesting enough to wipe the last incident.
If only Mr. Boostrom had stuck the story and not tried to prove whatever point he was making.
2 stars out of 5 – and that’s just because he had some good tech ideas even though he went way overboard with listing themselves
https://www.amazon.com/Athenas-Choice-Adam-Boostrom-ebook/dp/B07LCVG6QT
I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.
A novel that takes place in the year 2099. It is very imaginative in its use of future technology. It was a good read. I found myself trying to guess what would happen next. Where in most books you can pretty much guess what is coming next. I did not like the Wikipedia pages describing definitions for future technologies. I found myself skipping those pages. I recommend this book if you like books that take place in the far future.