In POD by Stephen Wallenfels, aliens invade the earth in mysterious "pearls of death" that instantly delete anyone outside. 16 year old Josh is stuck inside his Washington state home with his dad when the aliens arrive, the usual teenage/parent dynamic magnified by the strange circumstances. He has no idea if his mother is even alive, horrible things are happening in the apartments just across the street and his engineer father's excessive planning is driving him crazy.

Meanwhile, Megs is trapped in a hotel parking garage in LA. She was with her mom, running away from an abusive relationship. When the PODs arrive, Megs' mom is out at a very sketchy sounding job interview, leaving Megs alone in their car. After the hotel staff takes control of the survivors, Megs begins to see just how harsh things have become. She witnesses several people being deleted by the hotel owner's henchmen and finds herself trying to help those inside.

POD follows the stories of both Josh and Megs, paralleling their reactions to each new development. Where Josh's story is more character driven and explores his relationship with his father, Megs' is propelled by outside circumstances and shows her resourcefulness and caring nature. The story and characters are very engaging and draw the reader into their world.

My Recommendation
POD by Stephen Wallenfels is classified as young adult (9-12), but I think adults would also be drawn into the stories of Megs and Josh. While there is a bit of violence, as a parent I didn't find it excessive. Although, because of the circumstances portrayed in POD, I would recommend this more for the older end of YA readers.

POD by Stephen Wallenfels
Printed by Namelos
212 pages

Pod By Stephen Wallenfels is available at Amazon.com

I was provided with a free ebook copy of POD