The Declaration by Gemma Malley

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This story was very thought provoking. Would it be so wrong to live forever if it were possible ? Would I opt to live forever? I love vampires for this very reason... I would have a hard time saying 'no'. However, it might be frustrating to live forever in the society this author has created.

Could an entire society agree to discontinue reproduction ? While I am not crazy about most children , because I despise sharing my toys :), most people seem fond of them. Children have their moments. (I have a pretty darn cute one, whom I love dearly, at home with me now). There is certainly a physical desire to reproduce, but in this story most of the people who have taken the Longevity drug are past that age. This was the only explanation I could conceive for why the entire human race would suddenly forgo doing what we are genetically programmed to do... Of course some would argue that the human race does not have a sexual instinct as seen in other animals.

The beginning of this book reminded me of another dystopia story, Never Let Me Go. Unfortunately I saw the movie before I knew there was a book. Both take place at an institution, where children are indoctrinated that their purpose in life is to serve others. In both stories the the majority of the characters accept their fate and share horrific tales of those who try to escape. Anyone who enjoys 'The Declaration' may be interested in this story as well...

One plot hole of 'The Declaration' is birth control. If having a child is such a crime, why wouldn't the government make sterilization mandatory for those receiving the Longevity drug? The author attempts to give an explanation for the birth control methods used on page 202. But I felt it was a poor attempt. While tubal litigation and vasectomies are not 100 % effective I would expect that if both parties had the procedures done pregnancy would be unlikely. Instead the birth control options utilized are birth control drugs taken with the Longevity drug, which they explained 'overburdened the formula', and birth control implants which were not 100 % effective...

***Update*** The birth control issue I considered a plothole is explained in the next book, The Resistance



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