In a ruined city, there’s one employer, one company that controls the world, and once a year it hires from the slums and the ruins. Twelve candidates, one job, one chance.

This story is fascinating, taking an incredibly simple concept and weaving a whole world round it. With an interesting story structure that alternates one chapter within the interview, and with one from one of the candidates point of view, covering the events that got them into the interview. The entire cast are well drawn, all sympathetic, with believable desperation to be the final candidate. It is a comparatively slow start, and I’ll be honest I skimmed a few sections early on, but I am glad I kept reading it, admitted because from early on I was hooked wondering who would win, and why. The world-building that goes on throughout is impressive as the world is slowly built up through the lives and eyes of the candidates. There are several sections that are utter tragedies, and you can only hope that change may come because this world desperately needs it. Interview politics, blend with politics, blend with the desperate need to survive and towards the end the tension is gripping.

The ending is absolutely stunning. Throughout the book I’d been trying to guess who would win, if any, – the fate of the unsuccessful candidates not being much of a surprise for those familiar with the genre – but there’s so much more to it. Chanting sequel, sequel, sequel, is tempting but childish and although I’d love to see more from this world, it could equally well be said that it ended at the right point. The story is over, but where everything goes from here I have no clue.

To touch on presentation, the formatting, spelling, and grammar are all professionally done. The cover was plain, but unusual enough to catch my attention, and the blurb and writing kept it. This is one of the best dystopian stories I have read, but it’s also a spectacular single room piece and character-driven drama.

The slightly slow start knocks this to a four, but dystopian fiction readers, and lovers of character drama, should definitely add this to their lists.