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A review by watson98
The Tribe: A New World by A.J. Penn
4.0
A.J. Penn’s “The Tribe: A New World”, is the continuing novel following the hit post-apocalyptic drama The Tribe which aired in the early 2000s. The Tribe revolves around the lives of pandemic-surviving children who are the sole human inhabitants of the Earth. The deadly virus affected only adults, wiping them from this world, leaving children to fend for themselves to survive. Naturally, clusters of survivors united forming Tribes. Throughout its 260 episodes, the show discusses every possible theme and situation that the human experience can provide. The show concluded in 2003, leaving its cult fan base shattered and lost, without knowing the fate of their favourite characters, until now. A New World continues the story of The Tribe seamlessly, and begins straight after the characters board the trawler during their escape from the city.
Throughout the novel, Penn divulges into many mysteries that the show did not resolve, while also adding more layers of the unknown to unravel. A New World deepens the mystery of the virus, the Technos and other tribes around the world. The novel follows through a few character / location arcs and mysteries which are: Bray, the Jzhao Li, Camp Phoenix, The Collective, Legion, The Fallen and The Natives. We learn crucial information regarding different character backstories such as Ram and his involvement with Kami, the mysterious leader of The Collective. More than anything else, A New Dawn primarily continues The Tribe’s efforts of providing the audience with a study on what it is to be human, without the regulations and norms of traditional society.
This novel is primarily a study of human nature, it talks about humanity, our beliefs, culture, coexistence, our traits and everything else there is to being human. It unravels and explores it all. But to collate and categorise all these themes into two, The Tribe discusses the duality in the human psyche. There are two modes of people, good and bad. People tend to exhibit traits from each pool, sometimes simultaneously as shown with characters like Ebony or Lex. Others tend to have firm unwavering attitudes to what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and rarely deviate from them, such as Amber or Bray. The Tribe is riddled with these contrasting attitudes, stemming from overarching views on freedom and liberty, versus control and subjugation. These views dictate where one lies amidst this new world, those who value liberty belong to tribes like the Mall Rats, whereas those who favour control gravitate towards the Locos, Technos, Chosen, or a number of the new tribes featured in A New Dawn. Some characters change their views on these schools of thought as events unfold, and therefore it is difficult to isolate where one rests amidst these contrasting attitudes. This is shown in A New Dawn where Ebony frequently acts out of both the light and the dark. In this book we have numerous themes that stem from these two branches; the positive traits of humanity and the contrasting negative.
A New Dawn’s positive human traits which are explored are the themes of friendship, loyalty, sacrifice, hope and love. These pillars are the basis for the Mall Rats, the central tribe in the show and novel. Each ‘Mall Rat’ demonstrates an apt ability to uphold aspects of these characteristics – with some exceptions such as Gel (however she saved Trudy in an act of heroism, conveying that despite her self-possession and reluctance to assist others in monotonous duties, when it matters Gel will protect her friends). Friendship is a theme which is overarching and is prevalent in all characters, as is loyalty. The Mall Rats have overcame numerous trials and tribulations and emerged as a stronger family unit in each instance. Friendship and loyalty towards one another are cornerstones of their tribe. Many have committed betrayal and violated these pillars however through a redemption have been forgiven. Ebony, on the other hand, has abused the Mall Rats countless times and the novel raises the question that will the Mall Rats forgive her once again? They did not free her from captivity amidst the siege which provides evidence that the tribe have resolved that her lack of loyalty at this level of consistency is too much to pardon. Another positive theme which is highlighted amidst the Mall Rats is that of selflessness and sacrifice. Zak and Slade demonstrated the ultimate act of sacrifice, wherein they saved their friends from the Jzhao Li costing Zak his own life. Lia sacrificed her safety in her adoptive tribe to save Jack and Lex from death, conveying her selflessness. Even in the beginning of the novel where Judd saved Bray from Eloise, he behaved in a way which was right, and in turn sacrificed his own life to save another. The theme of selfless sacrifice is paramount to this novel. Another positive motif explored throughout the text is that of hope. Hope is Bray’s refuge; his strong willed optimism that he will be reunited with Amber is what fuels his journey. Bray survives numerous acts of torture, a pilgrimage across the deadly Wastelands, and various physical confrontations all by harnessing his hope that through all of this he will be join up with his lost love. With hope anything is possible, and this is demonstrated with Bray attaining his wish. Ruby was another character to display hope alongside May, as they both wished for their lovers to emerge from their unconsciousness back into the light. Much like real life, hope isn’t a certainty and May’s wish wasn’t reciprocated. Ruby not only hoped for Slade’s return, but sacrificed her life to attain medical supplies which she nearly paid the ultimate price for. As John Lennon succinctly sang in 1967, “All You Need Is Love” and that is true to The Tribe. Love is a fundamental theme in this novel and in life itself. Every character comments on love, from Lex and his adoration of Lia and the tribal priestess to all the Mall Rats and their partners. Love binds the tribe together and provides the strength that they need to carry on. After all, love could be the oldest, most innate and sacred aspect of human life.
A New Dawn also gave us a chance to see how tradition is an important aspect of human life, despite the adults being around. The native tribe on the island symbolises an indigenous culture, having their own language and customs. The group resembled shades of the Eco-Tribe in the show, which was a nice nod. The natives upheld traditional ceremonies and customs which were a part of the culture prior to the pandemic, and it conveys how it is in human nature to respect and honour our elders and maintain traditions as they are the link to culture and history.
The novel much like the show, continued the theme of violence and segregation between people. In A New Dawn, there are new threatening and dominant tribes, such as The Fallen, Legion and The Collective. These groups condone slavery and hostility, and are apathetic to their fellow man. The Fallen in particular, shed light on a more sinister trait of violence: cannibalism. This tribe was shown to eat human body parts and relish in the act of ingesting human blood. The new tribes exhibiting these evil behaviours allow us to discern that despite the absence of the adults, it is ingrained in human nature to hold these evil emotions and attitudes, and some people are more predisposed to these mentalities. Famous anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) claimed: “human nature is potentially aggressive and destructive and potentially orderly and constructive”, this succinctly sums up the different values that are conveyed in people, and in turn, are displayed throughout the novel.
This novel was brilliant. It was read within 4 days. It paid justice to the show. There was concerns before reading that the novel would have been more “family friendly” as The Tribe was targeted for teenagers, however as it was in the early 2000s before ‘PC Culture’ was established, the show was quite graphic and would be now deemed ‘inappropriate’ for kids, and would say the show should be classified as M. The book surprisingly was the same! There was graphic content and it was a delight to read an unadulterated, mature – and faithful – continuation of the Tribe universe. It was fantastic to follow all the characters arcs, and it was enjoyable how Penn split characters up so each chapter followed a different group, which allows each character to have a purpose in the novel’s development. Penn stayed true to the characters personalities and actions were very accurate to their in-show demeanours.
Throughout the novel, Penn divulges into many mysteries that the show did not resolve, while also adding more layers of the unknown to unravel. A New World deepens the mystery of the virus, the Technos and other tribes around the world. The novel follows through a few character / location arcs and mysteries which are: Bray, the Jzhao Li, Camp Phoenix, The Collective, Legion, The Fallen and The Natives. We learn crucial information regarding different character backstories such as Ram and his involvement with Kami, the mysterious leader of The Collective. More than anything else, A New Dawn primarily continues The Tribe’s efforts of providing the audience with a study on what it is to be human, without the regulations and norms of traditional society.
This novel is primarily a study of human nature, it talks about humanity, our beliefs, culture, coexistence, our traits and everything else there is to being human. It unravels and explores it all. But to collate and categorise all these themes into two, The Tribe discusses the duality in the human psyche. There are two modes of people, good and bad. People tend to exhibit traits from each pool, sometimes simultaneously as shown with characters like Ebony or Lex. Others tend to have firm unwavering attitudes to what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and rarely deviate from them, such as Amber or Bray. The Tribe is riddled with these contrasting attitudes, stemming from overarching views on freedom and liberty, versus control and subjugation. These views dictate where one lies amidst this new world, those who value liberty belong to tribes like the Mall Rats, whereas those who favour control gravitate towards the Locos, Technos, Chosen, or a number of the new tribes featured in A New Dawn. Some characters change their views on these schools of thought as events unfold, and therefore it is difficult to isolate where one rests amidst these contrasting attitudes. This is shown in A New Dawn where Ebony frequently acts out of both the light and the dark. In this book we have numerous themes that stem from these two branches; the positive traits of humanity and the contrasting negative.
A New Dawn’s positive human traits which are explored are the themes of friendship, loyalty, sacrifice, hope and love. These pillars are the basis for the Mall Rats, the central tribe in the show and novel. Each ‘Mall Rat’ demonstrates an apt ability to uphold aspects of these characteristics – with some exceptions such as Gel (however she saved Trudy in an act of heroism, conveying that despite her self-possession and reluctance to assist others in monotonous duties, when it matters Gel will protect her friends). Friendship is a theme which is overarching and is prevalent in all characters, as is loyalty. The Mall Rats have overcame numerous trials and tribulations and emerged as a stronger family unit in each instance. Friendship and loyalty towards one another are cornerstones of their tribe. Many have committed betrayal and violated these pillars however through a redemption have been forgiven. Ebony, on the other hand, has abused the Mall Rats countless times and the novel raises the question that will the Mall Rats forgive her once again? They did not free her from captivity amidst the siege which provides evidence that the tribe have resolved that her lack of loyalty at this level of consistency is too much to pardon. Another positive theme which is highlighted amidst the Mall Rats is that of selflessness and sacrifice. Zak and Slade demonstrated the ultimate act of sacrifice, wherein they saved their friends from the Jzhao Li costing Zak his own life. Lia sacrificed her safety in her adoptive tribe to save Jack and Lex from death, conveying her selflessness. Even in the beginning of the novel where Judd saved Bray from Eloise, he behaved in a way which was right, and in turn sacrificed his own life to save another. The theme of selfless sacrifice is paramount to this novel. Another positive motif explored throughout the text is that of hope. Hope is Bray’s refuge; his strong willed optimism that he will be reunited with Amber is what fuels his journey. Bray survives numerous acts of torture, a pilgrimage across the deadly Wastelands, and various physical confrontations all by harnessing his hope that through all of this he will be join up with his lost love. With hope anything is possible, and this is demonstrated with Bray attaining his wish. Ruby was another character to display hope alongside May, as they both wished for their lovers to emerge from their unconsciousness back into the light. Much like real life, hope isn’t a certainty and May’s wish wasn’t reciprocated. Ruby not only hoped for Slade’s return, but sacrificed her life to attain medical supplies which she nearly paid the ultimate price for. As John Lennon succinctly sang in 1967, “All You Need Is Love” and that is true to The Tribe. Love is a fundamental theme in this novel and in life itself. Every character comments on love, from Lex and his adoration of Lia and the tribal priestess to all the Mall Rats and their partners. Love binds the tribe together and provides the strength that they need to carry on. After all, love could be the oldest, most innate and sacred aspect of human life.
A New Dawn also gave us a chance to see how tradition is an important aspect of human life, despite the adults being around. The native tribe on the island symbolises an indigenous culture, having their own language and customs. The group resembled shades of the Eco-Tribe in the show, which was a nice nod. The natives upheld traditional ceremonies and customs which were a part of the culture prior to the pandemic, and it conveys how it is in human nature to respect and honour our elders and maintain traditions as they are the link to culture and history.
The novel much like the show, continued the theme of violence and segregation between people. In A New Dawn, there are new threatening and dominant tribes, such as The Fallen, Legion and The Collective. These groups condone slavery and hostility, and are apathetic to their fellow man. The Fallen in particular, shed light on a more sinister trait of violence: cannibalism. This tribe was shown to eat human body parts and relish in the act of ingesting human blood. The new tribes exhibiting these evil behaviours allow us to discern that despite the absence of the adults, it is ingrained in human nature to hold these evil emotions and attitudes, and some people are more predisposed to these mentalities. Famous anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) claimed: “human nature is potentially aggressive and destructive and potentially orderly and constructive”, this succinctly sums up the different values that are conveyed in people, and in turn, are displayed throughout the novel.
This novel was brilliant. It was read within 4 days. It paid justice to the show. There was concerns before reading that the novel would have been more “family friendly” as The Tribe was targeted for teenagers, however as it was in the early 2000s before ‘PC Culture’ was established, the show was quite graphic and would be now deemed ‘inappropriate’ for kids, and would say the show should be classified as M. The book surprisingly was the same! There was graphic content and it was a delight to read an unadulterated, mature – and faithful – continuation of the Tribe universe. It was fantastic to follow all the characters arcs, and it was enjoyable how Penn split characters up so each chapter followed a different group, which allows each character to have a purpose in the novel’s development. Penn stayed true to the characters personalities and actions were very accurate to their in-show demeanours.