The Islander

Book excerpt: In 2155 there are two Americas: one for the wealthy and one for the poor. The wealthy control most of the land and all the technology, while the poor lead short and squalid lives confined to the remnants of America's collapsed cities, known as Islands. The two cultures collide when Galen Fairchild, a young Islander, falls in love with Mata Vandermere, the daughter of a prosperous family from the modern city of Stratis. Like Romeo and Juliet, Galen and Mata struggle to stay together in the face of daunting opposition from family, friends, and many other forces. Their troubles finally lead them into the ghostlike ruins of downtown Minneapolis, where no Islander dares to go. Inside the crumbling skyscrapers, they discover a strange power linked to Galen's past, which not only changes his life forever, but also pits the two cultures against each other with cataclysmic results. --From author's website.