Dec. 6, 2020
By Camille Echols
Staff Writer
Civilization on Earth no longer exists. Earth has been, from what the people on the colony can tell, abandoned for centuries. The colony, however, is on the brink of collapse. It is running out of the necessary resources for survival, and even with the implementation of strict laws barring people from having more than one child, overpopulation is still a problem.
“The 100” is a well-written, post-apocalyptic, four-part science fiction book series by Kass Morgan. Each book uses the third-person limited perspective to switch between the points of view of the four main characters: Bellamy Blake, Clarke Griffin, Wells Jaha and Glass Sorenson. They, along with 96 of their peers, have been sent down to the ground from the colony to see if the ground is habitable for humans. Because of the rotating perspectives, readers get to see the thoughts of all the main characters, which allows readers to develop insight about all events or arguments that spark up.
The author’s writing style may throw some readers off, but it is a good way to delve deeper into the characters’ emotions. The change of scenery after every few chapters means that the reader is not just reading about the same event for pages on end. This proves to be refreshing and beneficial to the books’ flow. Still, this style of writing can be confusing, and it is understandable why some readers may not like it.
While the three other protagonists are sent to the ground, Glass escapes from the dropship and ends up staying on the colony. Glass’ main purpose, for most of the series, is to keep the reader informed about events going on within the colony, especially when it came to the council. Her personal side-plot isn’t as interesting as others in the book, but her point of view still adds a necessary element to the series. Her perspective sometimes seems like it is meant to be a filler between other chapters, but the information she delivers to the reader can help them gain a better understanding of other characters.
The 100 is a group of juvenile delinquents that the council views as disposable. The council is very selfish in that regard, choosing to put a large group of teenagers at risk rather than checking to see if the ground is inhabitable themselves.
One of the main topics explored in the series turns out to be selfishness, and the books reveal how many of the characters developed as a result of their selfishness. The main example of selfishness can be found in the council. Throughout the series, the council does a lot to save their reputation, which usually comes at the cost of the people the council members are meant to protect. They chose to send a group of teenagers down to Earth on their own instead of doing it themselves, and they chose to prioritize their own lives over the lives of the regular people in the colony.
It keeps readers guessing, and each chapter always leaves readers in anticipation for the next one.
However, the council members become slightly more kind by the end of the series. They start to put others before themselves and help out more, which may seem like small character growth, but it is still meaningful. The selfishness and greed of the characters makes them realistic, and even the antagonists become more likable over time.
The characters are also appealing because they have genuine, human survival instincts. Their first reaction to being put in a dangerous position is to protect themselves. This makes them realistic and relatable. However, even the good characters have enough negative traits to balance out their positive traits.
The four protagonists—as well as pretty much everyone in the 100 who is sent to the ground—undergo noticeable character growth during the course of the series.
At the start, most of them are childish since they never had to survive without the materials on the colony. Bellamy had taken care of himself and his sister since he was a kid, but he never had to learn survival skills in order to stay alive. By the end of the series, the 100 is a lot more mature. They can take care of themselves without the help of the council, and they are much more responsible and sensible than they had been when they first landed.
“The 100” is the first book series to reference space travel as an escape from a no longer habitable Earth. Many post-apocalyptic book series explore the same repetitive ideas. However, in this book series, there aren’t many predictable events. It keeps readers guessing, and each chapter always leaves readers in anticipation for the next one.
Another positive quality of this series is its representation of LGBTQ+ characters. There are multiple LGBTQ+ characters in the book, such as Eric, Felix and Octavia. It makes LGBTQ+ readers happy to see this kind of representation, even if it is brief.
This book series has a unique plot with interesting, well-rounded characters. This series is perfect for anyone who enjoys science fiction or dystopian literature. However, it is most suitable for mature audiences because it has some dark scenes and themes that are not appropriate for children. “The 100” shows what can happen to the world if society does not avoid intense wars or fails to take action against problems like climate change. It is action-packed and, at the same time, entertaining and informative.
