Delirium Stories: Hana, Annabel, and Raven (Delirium Trilogy)
Oliver appropriately dedicates this slender collection to the many fans of the Delirium series&#x2014;the ones who will fully appreciate the connective tissue offered up by these three tales from the perspectives of supporting characters. &#x201C;Hana&#x201D; runs alongside the time line of Delirium (2011) and shows that Lena&#x2019;s best friend was more like her than readers suspected. The middle story, &#x201C;Annabel,&#x201D; is the strongest, and details Lena&#x2019;s mother&#x2019;s 11 years in &#x201C;the Crypts,&#x201D; where she is constructing an escape rope with the help of a sympathetic security guard. &#x201C;Raven&#x201D; follows the fiery revolutionary as she spends 8 years in the Wilds, heading toward a daring rescue of Lena while falling in love with the inscrutable Tank. All three stories intercut between past and present, allowing plenty of opportunity for Oliver to employ her patented yearning prose. The downside to this is that the three voices sound rather similar. The upside, however, is that character development, not romance, takes center stage, making this a worthy, quick read for series devotees. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus