The world has been affected by a man made plague which divided humans into two groups, those with intact immune systems, who live above ground and a second group who are susceptible to many severe allergies and have to live in burrows below ground. The latter group are however much more intelligent than the
first though they have a shorter life expectancy. Zuzana is a teenager approaching the age at which she must leave her home burrow and start a career, she desperately wants to become a medera or burrow mother to youngsters. However, the new head of the Genetic Research Centre visits her burrow and her life is about to change in many ways. .A work of great imagination.

Publisher: Angry Robots
Pub Date: 1/10/2033
Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: 3 stars

Burrowed is a sci-fi novel about a world divided due to genetic terrorism. Above ground, you have healthy, strong people who are stupid. Below ground, you have sick, fragile geniuses.

The book kept me engaged. I was sucked in by the unique world and the developed characters, at least at first. But it was early in the book that I noticed things I found concerning. I will address them later.

Burrowed, to the best of my knowledge, is supposed to be adult science fiction. However, it reads more like young adult. The main character is just shy of adulthood. The plot and love interest follow a very YA pattern. If YA is not your thing, then you probably won’t enjoy this book.

Ultimately the book is about diversity and acceptance. People from different cultures have separated and now need to use the power of love to come back together. Except the book lacks any actual diversity. The people on the surface are all presumably white. The people under the surface are all albino white. The use of albino characters in science fiction/fantasy is problematic enough, and I do not know enough to speak for the accuracy of the representation. But the book is about accepting differences but lacks any real representation.

Not just racially, but it is very hetero and cis as well. As a non-binary person, I cringe when people feel the need to separate boys and girls, but it’s common, so I moved on. Except that the author made a point to keep referring to gender as a binary. Instead of saying they, the author frequently used “he or she.” It got to a point where it felt like the author was trying to make their views on gender known. Although they had no problem calling ghosts and the mysterious people “they.”

Also, there are hate groups in this book. Hate groups are spoken of a little too fondly for my taste. Especially since there is no actual rebuttal to them except some vague one-dimensional sentiment by the main character.

A great fan of dystopian fiction, I found the back story of the creation of this underground world to be believable, although more explanation of the world's structure would help the reader understand how it all worked . However, I have to say the characters are all rather one-sided with little in the way of character development., even though the novel spans many years. The bad stay bad with no real explanation of why, while the good are always exceptionally good. One part of the undergrund world has its inhabitants totally cowed and living in terror but there is little explanation of why this is so. It's also rather unbelievable that inhabitants of this world would help the heroine - a stranger - instantly, despite knowing it could/would lead to their execution. The relationship betwen two characters is also rather out of keeping as one of them, at least, has grown up with no experience of relationships between two people. But maybe loive conquers all! All of that said, the novel picks up pace as it proceeds, with several revelations towards the end, which are obviously laying the ground for a sequel, which incidentally I can't wait to read!

I enjoyed this dystopian sci-fi. The main character was well written and the author does a great job in setting the story so that the reader understands the motivations behind the character's actions and the decisions she makes. I found she was an identifiable character and I could feel her compassion and empathy throughout the novel.

My only drawback was the romance sub-plot. Although this wasn't the primary focus of the story, it definitely gave the novel a YA feel at times,. I often don't enjoy YA because of how romance tends to be written, but that is more a personal preference so if you enjoy YA, I don't think it would be an issue here.

I' guessing there will be a sequel based on how the book ends, and I would definitely pick it up.

Such a great book. I love dystopian! I have to disagree with a couple of the previous reviews and say that I loved the main character. She didn’t seem unlikeable at all. More so, she seemed like an introvert who had trouble with typical social interactions. Don’t all introverts? The story was written well and I found myself invested until the end. That was the only part that disappointed me. Great things happened, but it wasn’t the closure I wanted. It was definitely set up for a sequel, just a little too abrupt for me!


Huge thanks to Angry Robot and Netgalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

An intelligent, science-based novel featuring a woman in STEM, Burrowed is also a fast-paced and fun book that you just want to burrow under the covers with.

While a fun and engaging novel, Burrowed's world-build is not fleshed out enough for me. While I love the concept - where society has broken into underground and above-ground populations - I had many questions about the logistics and infrastructure. The thing is, this book felt very YA to me, so if this was a YA book then I can overlook this stuff - because often YA books are character-focused with the setting being a backdrop. But if this book is meant for general adult trade, the worldbuilding is lacking complexity (at least to me).

That being said, nothing about the story really needs complexity to move forward. The plot itself is very fun and it was great to follow along with Zuzan as she discovered what life was like in different parts of her underground world and as she learns more about herself. The novel has a great momentum that drives it forward, as well as quick turns.

One of the best things about the novel is that it’s also a medical thriller. A massive chunk of the latter half of the novel deals with the characters attempting to find a cure for a disease (that’s putting it very simply but I don’t want to give anything away), and that aspect was really interesting to me. I don’t have the science background to tell you if the procedures and practices make any sense or if they were resolved too quickly or slowly, but the fact that this was the crux of the novel, rather than the protagonist fighting someone, was a nice change. There is a lot of medical and science lingo in the dialogue, but it’s still easy to read and is not dry.

The characters were fine. Zuzan was a bit of a Mary Sue, but not in a bad way if this is YA. I think YA requires its characters to have overwhelmingly positive qualities because YA stories are insertion stories. When we read as children, we tend to need to heavily identify with a character, as we aren’t reading consciously - we’re reading mainly for story (we don’t actively notice the prose, the themes, the structure). When we’re adults, we can enjoy stories about characters we don’t like or are villains, because we understand the story isn’t meant to be interpellated. YA, though, still retains that “heavy identification” factor, as many younger teenagers are still reading novels mainly at face value. So, if this is YA, Zuzan is a typical YA heroine - brilliant, discovers her beauty as the story progresses, has multiple dudes fawning over her, it turns out her faults are actually strengths, has a special power/gift (in this case, eidetic memory), and is tough - because we want teenagers to experience those things vicariously as it gives them confidence. Is this a flaw of the novel? No, if it's YA. But, like the world-building, if this is a novel for adults, then Zuzan is a bit flat. She’s inexplicably competent at everything she does. Her struggles are mainly external against the forces that see her low life expectancy and disability as a problem. This a relatable and important issue, but it also leaves her feeling very surface level.

One thing I didn’t like about the novel at all was the love story. On top of not understanding what they saw in one another, as they never talk about anything other than work, there’s a major power-dynamic issue that I found a bit icky, especially given Zuzan’s young age. An age gap if there was one (I'm not entirely sure how old buddy was), is not the problem, but the fact that he’s her boss is not healthy. There’s also a part where the man, to get the young woman to do what he wants, literally picks her up and carries her. That’s kidnapping. Yes, I understand the context isn’t nefarious, but that scene felt like it fell out of the 1950s and rubbed me the wrong way. The relationship also fell flat to me - there was no real tension between them.

To get back to stuff I really liked though, the book is very easy to read and follow. Most of the scenes (not romance scenes) have wonderful tension and I was never sure where the story was going next. The story definitely isn’t formulaic and it was wholly engaging.

I loved the gender parity and the whole slew of women in STEM in the book. The focus on female friendships was excellent, as well as the messages around accommodation for disability and on childrearing that focuses on openness and learning rather than rules and controlling behaviour. This book has so many great things going for it; there were just a few things that made it less than a 5-star for me. And that’s fine - I think a lot of people will really love it and I’m still so happy to have received an ARC.

I do recommend it, though perhaps more to the YA crowd.

A super intelligent young woman races agains the clock to utilize her talents in curing the world of the genetic disease ailing it.

What you’ll be getting
- A dystopian society divided by a man-made genetic plague
- A super intelligent yet socially immature young woman trying to save the world
- Very interesting and original world-building


The writing, the world-building, and the plot

This story is written in first person present (my least favorite tense for fiction writing) from a single point of view. The writing utilizes some phrases and linguistic choices that marks the world as different from ours, in a way making the language sound more formal somehow. The culture is a curious combination of advanced technology and almost monastery-like living conditions. Everything is guided by the utilitarian notion of doing what most benefits the majority, and while every individual’s basic needs are more or less met, their wants don’t matter all that much.

After a global genetic plague has nearly annihilated the human population, people are divided into surface dwellers (omnits) and people living below ground (subters). Omnits are able bodied work horses with long life expectansies and the ability to procreate. The omnits aren’t capable of tasks requiring higher intelligence, however, and rely on the subters for anything science related, including research about the plague. Subters, on the other hand, rely on the omnits for all matrial goods, and are small, weak bodied, sterile, and ofter riddled with different disabilities and compromised immune systems. They have low life expectansies (which are know individually to the year) and that is a factor that affects which jobs they are assigned to do, in order to maximize the gains from allocated resources. As inferred, they are also highly intelligent and their education lasts until they are 20 and move on to their work placements.

As the plot progresses, more is revealed about the divide between the different groups and it becomes clear that things are more dire than we have been led to believe, on several fronts. There is a lot of hatred and bigotry and fear on both sides, and people seem to be on their way to mutually assured destruction. The central plotline is a race against time to come up with a cure to the most crippling of the gentic ailments plaguing humanity.

I found the world building and themes in this book very interesting, and for me, that is what carried the story. The structures of the society are original and I was very curious about the history of the genetic plague that caused the divide between the subters and the omnits in the first place. I should also add, while one storyline gets more or less wrapped up here, to book definitely ends at the precipice of a propable sequel.


The characters and their relationships

Our main character goes by many names throughout the book, but let’s call her “Z” here, for convinience. She is a subter, and a special one at that. Her genome is different from her peers’, but more than that (because of that?) she is “super intelligent”. She remembers (and understands) everything she ever reads and is especially talented at pattern recognition, which comes in handy with research into genetics and DNA. Her true passion is in teaching and nurturing, but circumstances force her to dedicate herself to science instead. Like many other subters, Z also has various different ailments on top of her weakened immune system, most notably a severe sensitivity to light, which forces her to wear blackout goggles wherever she goes, and to read from paper books in stead of tablets or projections.

As a character, Z is a very frustrating one to me. She is possibly one of the dumbest smart people I’ve ever read about, and I felt like bashing myself in the head with my Kindle several times, reading about her thought processes. She is very rash, impulsive, and obstinate. She questions everything and everyone and always thinks she knows best. Unlike a lot of geniuses in different stories, she isn’t machiavellian or even strategic, in fact she willfully rejects all strategic advice she gets. She values “goodness” above all else, often to the detriment of being sensible. This is all very intentional and gets addressed, but it still made me seethe while I was reading.

There are a few antagonistic characters in the story, and I felt like they were pretty well done. They range from people in power to Z’s peers, and they were easy to hate, although some grew into likeable people by the end. I usually prefer villainous characters where I can at least on some level understand their motivations, and I felt like that only applied to one of the antagonists in this story.

My least favorite part were the “romantic” sub plots pushed on some relationships. I didn’t really feel like they brought any additional value to the story, and I had a hard time seeing the chemistry that was supposed to exist between the characters. In general, all the interpersonal relationships felt quite thin and Z especially seemed very zero to sixty in her attachments. She would meet someone twice and suddenly that person was a reason for her to live and breath, and when she thought someone had an unkind twinkle in their eye, they became her mortal enemy and so on. In other words, all of her reactions felt disproportionate and I didn’t really understand her decisions or motivations a lot of the time.


My reading experience

On the whole, I enjoyed reading Burrowed. I’m not a huge fan of reading from child character’s perspectives, so I was very apprehensive at first, but luckily the timeline quickly shifted to the present and I was mostly having a good time. My favorite parts were the ones revolving around the genetic research and the political turmoil of the society, and I think they were especially well written. I could have done without the romantic undertones, but then again they are generally my least favorite thing in sci-fi books, so that’s probably just a me thing. The characters in general felt a little one dimensional to me, and their characteristics were a lot of telling and not a lot of showing.

I did rate this four stars in stead of three, though, mainly because the things that weighed against my full enjoyment were mainly due to my personal preference, not so much due any kind of fault of the author’s or the books.


Who would I recommend this book to?

I would recommend this book to people who generally tend to enjoy dystopian books and find the idea of genetic manipulation an interesting one. I might not suggest this to people who prefer character driven stories over plot driven ones, though. This would also work well as a first foray into adult dystopian sci-fi for someone who has mostly been reading YA and is wanting to branch out.

I started reading this book thinking the main character was annoying and I wouldnt like it, and then I changed my mind, suddenly I couldn’t stop, and zuzan became one of my favourite characters in this book, the book starts with zuzan going into a burrow, and that is a place where children come to learn skills that will help them find their place in this world, and is what happens there that will change Zuzan life for ever. You have it all in this book, love, intrigue, mystery, sadness, violence and it get triggering to some people.. The ones who live inside the earth have really weak deferences against many allergens, and have really bright minds, the ones that live outside are stronger but not as cleaver… there are the ones that want to kill all the ones that live outside, even thou all of them inside, are sons or daughters of people that live outside.

Its a great dystopian story that ends in a bit of cliff hanger, but I really enjoyed this ride and I will definitely want to read what comes next, you have romance but in a way that feels natural, or at least it felt that way for me, after Zuzan meets Ringol the book seems more fluid and things happen in a more definitive way. I really don’t want to give spoilers, and I really do recommend this book, so grab a copy of this book when it is released and see for yourself why it was such a good read.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book a lot it is set in a very well developed and described dystopian world where humans have divided into two groups based on genetic traits with one living underground and the other on the surface
I loved the way that this book makes the group who would usually be the underdogs in any story the heros.Those living underground have a mixture of medical and physical disabilities but enhanced intelligence which of course ultimately wins the day
The characters were as well described as the world they live in and it was lovely to see how they developed as the story progresses.
The author has a lovely flowing writing style making the book easy and fun to read ,it was fast paced and exciting at times but also had sincerely emotional parts
I would recommend for lovers of dystopian fiction the nearest similar novels would be the Wool trilogy
I read an early copy of the book on NetGalley Uk it is published in the Uk by Bad Robot books on 10tg January 2023

I wanted to read this book, and I hoped that it would not be another chosen one fighting against who ashe is and what she needs to do. And thankfully I was wrong, and it was a really good book.

The story and setting was delightfully original, a virus has divided humanity into two seperate groups, one who are tall, healthy and tough who are used to work the manuel jobs above ground. The other are smaller, weak, but usually more clever but they live underground in closed communities due to weak immune systems. But there is another threat, and there is one group that may be able to save the day, but it will not be an easy route.

The setting is wonderful, nothing like i have read before, even though I have read books with seperated peoples. It was cleverly thought out, and the science they talk about is not anything that would alienate anyone who has a degree in biology. The characters are good, nasty, flawed, and easy to like and dislike in equal measures. It was a fun read, and I look forward to seeing where the books continue.

(4.5 rounded up to 5.0.)

Our main character, Zuzan, is a Subterranean, and lives in an underground burrow. Subters live underground as they have bad health and this is the only way they can ensure that no further viruses will infect them. Zuzan - like all other Subters - is very intelligent, whilst the Omniterraneans, who live on the surface, are not such quick thinkers, however they do have perfect health and provide the Subters with what they need to survive below.

I loved the fact that Zuzan was a faulty character - like the rest of us in real life. For a young girl she has to go through a LOT of challenges with people good and bad. And when they're bad - they are REALLY bad. But Zuzan takes everything face-on, with empathy, love, understanding and compassion.

I really enjoyed this debut from Mary Baader-Kaley. It's very well-written, with characters who are believable and realistic (in those situations), and a storyline and pace that will keep you engrossed with every page. If this is only the standard of your debut, Mary, I can't wait to read your future work. If you enjoy good character-based sci-fi, then this is for you.

I chose this ARC from a selection on NetGalley. I voluntarily, and honestly, read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. My thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author.

Fascinating and scary read given what the world has gone through especially for those of us who worked through it and where it seems to be going.
Great writing and excellent believable characters.

This is a cracking book. It has all the elements of a great classic story perhaps with shades of a Dickens novel.
It is set in a future that seems all too possible when a virus has resulted in half the population living underground and who are unable to reproduce. The lead character is well drawn, likeable and fiesty.

It's beautifully written and I have to confess I just couldn't stop reading it - leaving all sorts of things I was supposed to be doing undone.

I am hoping that there will be a sequel!

Phenomenal dystopian novel. Hooked from the first. Empathised with 99% of the characters which is a first. Classic combination of science, genetics & story. Intriguing revamp of the genre. Reminded me a little of the H G Wells classic novel with a reverse spin on the Morlocks & Eloi structure, Loved every word. Many thanks to Angry Robot & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been more into dystopianesque books recently - which is no surprise with how the world is. I really enjoyed this, it was well-written with a compelling storyline and well-developed characters. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Note: book provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review
Rating of 5 rounded up, realistically more like 4.5

Positives:
Mary Baader Kaley is a debut author, and is off to a wonderful start! This delivers exactly what the description says and is compelling and engaging all the way through. Enough world building to flesh things out without being bogged down by exposition. I want to see more of this world and will read the sequel when it comes out.
It’s science-y but not too much to make me feel lost. The main character is super intelligent but she’s not annoying to read because of it. If you like dystopian science fiction that has heart and shows the importance of nurturing love, this is wonderful option!

Negatives:
It’s a series! In the last 150 pages or so I realized there’s no way this going to wrap up neatly, not entirely. The main story thread does resolve, but this leaves many mysteries open that are barely explored so far. It’s not bad it’s a series and I look forward to more, it’s just I didn’t know that going in.
Also, for now, the main character Zuzan is fine, she’s very intelligent and compassionate, but super quick to anger and think the worst in people. This causes some unnecessary conflict. She’s young (19) so I mostly can forgive it, but I hope in time she learns and grows emotionally.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 / 5, rounded up - Oh well, I guess I have a new series to keep an eye out for!

Burrowed is the debut novel of Mary Baader Kaley - an amazing one, at that. It tells the story of a girl born to a civilization devastated by a genetic plague and divided in two sub-groups: the hyper-intelligent subters, prone to diseases and with low life expectancies, and the healthy but ¿simple-minded? omnits. Zuzan, the protagonist, is a subter that's both extremely intelligent and physically weaker - even compared to her peers- and we follow her from a very early age into her adulthood while she faces trial after trial. Eventually she ends up involved in a convoluted political & racially charged conflict, while trying to do what's best for everybody.

My greatest praise for this story is that while it establishes that the protagonist is hyper-intelligent, even more so than her peers, the things that raise her above and beyond and that helps her move the wheel of change are empathy and love. Asides from that, the world is very well written and explained, and by the end I felt I understood most of its background - and was left wanting more.
The one thing I didn't love was the ending - I get that there are supposed to be more books, but it feels incomplete somehow, too many open plotlines. More like a chapter instead of a full book. This however is a small caveat, seeing that I enjoyed the rest of the book and the main plot thread IS resolved, just not with as much detail as I'd like. I'd definitely keep my eye out for the next book in the series.