Hilo Dome - by Jack Bartley (Paperback)

About the Book

Two hundred years in the future, the isolated domed city of Hilo, Hawaii is one of the few cities to have survived the Great War, a global nuclear holocaust. Nathan Ohana, a teenager living in Hilo, is having trouble fitting in at his school. He doesn' t look like anyone else, and he is unable to speak. He does, however, possess a special sensory capability similar to ESP. A blessing and a curse, this ability enables him to discover a disturbing and possibly dangerous plan by the government of Hilo, one that would threaten the existence of the Ferals, the people who survived the radiation and are living outside the dome.

When it becomes evident to others that Nathan knows something he should not, he is pursued by the Hilo police and is accidentally swept away by the Wailuku River into an alien and frightening existence outside the dome. Kayli Pahinui, a Feral, rescues Nathan and brings him home with her to the village of Honoli'i. Puzzled by what he sees at first, Nathan comes to find he belongs in this very different world. However, a peaceful existence in a beautiful village is not to be. A new threat arises from the leeward side of the island that could mean the downfall of both Hilo and Honoli'i. Nathan, Kayli, and Kayli' s father, Sam, face incredible dangers and challenges as they try to warn the citizens of Hilo and unite with the people who shunned them so many years ago before the war.

By working together, it just may be possible to overcome this new and deadly threat.

Book Synopsis

Two hundred years in the future, the isolated domed city of Hilo, Hawaii is one of the few cities to have survived the Great War, a global nuclear holocaust. Nathan Ohana, a teenager living in Hilo, is having trouble fitting in at his school. He doesn' t look like anyone else, and he is unable to speak. He does, however, possess a special sensory capability similar to ESP. A blessing and a curse, this ability enables him to discover a disturbing and possibly dangerous plan by the government of Hilo, one that would threaten the existence of the Ferals, the people who survived the radiation and are living outside the dome.

When it becomes evident to others that Nathan knows something he should not, he is pursued by the Hilo police and is accidentally swept away by the Wailuku River into an alien and frightening existence outside the dome. Kayli Pahinui, a Feral, rescues Nathan and brings him home with her to the village of Honoli'i. Puzzled by what he sees at first, Nathan comes to find he belongs in this very different world. However, a peaceful existence in a beautiful village is not to be. A new threat arises from the leeward side of the island that could mean the downfall of both Hilo and Honoli'i. Nathan, Kayli, and Kayli' s father, Sam, face incredible dangers and challenges as they try to warn the citizens of Hilo and unite with the people who shunned them so many years ago before the war.

By working together, it just may be possible to overcome this new and deadly threat.

Review Quotes

Jack Bartley's Hilo Dome delivers a fantastic mix of what I can only think to call a dystopia in paradise, with two versions of post-apocalyptic society existing independently in the stunning landscape of Hawai'i. Bartley's storytelling ensures that the suspense never wanes, leaving readers eager to see what will happen next. The story ends on a satisfying note, but there is promise for expansion, and I look forward to seeing if there is one. Recommended.

Hilo Dome makes powerful use of setting to imagine a post-nuclear-war Hawaii where community and conflict are equal parts of the fallout. Both an adventure and a cautionary tale, this book will take its readers on an unexpected journey into the future.