Set less than 100 years from now, the melted ice caps coupled with a relentless series of superstorms and hurricanes have left the island of Manhattan mostly flooded. As the oceans have risen, more and more people have left the island behind, but many people have stayed believing that someday, the problems will be fixed. The result is that the population of Manhattan is now broken up into two major groups. The affluent live in the coveted higher ground that is Uptown, while the poor have converged into a collection of communities called dens, each trying to survive in their own self-sufficient ways.
Glimmer, a young woman who lives in, and scavenges for, the Unca Joe Den, is fiercely loyal to her den ever since she was fished out of the water after Superstorm Abel several months before. Of course, the fact that she has no memory of her life before Abel means she doesn't know anything outside of life at Unca Joe's. The den has treated her well and in the months since she has woken up, she has gained several close friends and has started earning her keep as one of the den's pickers.
As a picker, Glimmer is sent out most nights to root around parts of Unca Joe's territory in the hopes of finding needed provisions. While on the streets, she has to keep her eyes open, not only for the supplies that will help her den, but for the other inhabitants of Manhattan. Each den has their own style and structure, and no two are alike. While some are civil like Empire State and Ladysmith, there are other groups like the BlackAdders and Storm Worshippers who have gone more feral and should be avoided at all cost. The city has become a trickier place to navigate, and Glimmer's troubles only increase when she runs into someone who clearly doesn't belong and ends up leaving the encounter with rare and valuable loot, an old leather bound book and credentials that could allow someone off of the island and onto the mainland. For the first time since Glimmer woke up after Abel, her loyalty to the den that saved her will be seriously tested.
Glimmer, the book, is a nicely focused story on the inhabitants of Manhattan. While they get the occasional news from the outside, their failing infrastructure means any news is spotty at best. The result is a story of small tribes and their interactions in the midst of a crumbling city being repeatedly beaten by storms. As new threats arise, the dens will have to start making some hard choices about how to survive going forward and those same pressures are going to play havoc on Glimmer's own choices.
Glimmer was a bit of a slow starter for me, but once I got into the story, I was hungry for more. As the main character explored her options and, eventually, started to regain her memory, I found myself liking her more and more. Once the inter-den dynamics started shifting and those pressures started affecting Glimmer, I was sold on this book. Kellogg could decide to continue setting stories in this version of Manhattan or move on to something else. This book is a full and complete story with a satisfactory ending, but I wouldn't mind seeing where these characters go next. Anyone with even a casual interest in a study in what life could be in a future with encroaching oceans should consider picking up Glimmer.
