In The Remnant, theistic belief becomes a disease, so believers become patients. The government sentences them to humane quarantine—lifelong isolation from society, lest they spread their contagion. But the disease is growing into an epidemic, and the quarantine may end in humane extermination. William Michael Davidson’s sci-fi world is comfortable to most of its inhabitants, dangerous to some, and bleak only to a few. Although the plot proceeds along predictable lines, realistic characters bring life to the story. Religion unabashedly holds the center of the story without overwhelming it. The Remnant spins a future of well-meaning tyranny sure to help readers ponder the threat of potential real-world dystopia.

Best for: Teens, fans of sci-fi and dystopian stories.

Discern: Mild violence, a few inappropriate words, discussion of mass execution by poisonous gas.