The Phlebotomist

by Chris Panatier

Overview

In a near future where citizens are subject to the mandatory blood draw, government phlebotomist Willa Wallace witnesses an event that makes her question her whole world...

To recover from a cataclysmic war, the Harvest was instituted to pass blood to those affected by radiation. But this charitable act has led to a society segregated entirely by blood type. Government blood contractor, Patriot, rewards your generous gift based on the compatibility of your donation, meaning that whoever can give the most, gets the most in return.

While working as a reaper taking collections for the Harvest, Willa chances upon an idea to resurrect an obsolete technique that could rebalance the city. But in her quest to set things into motion, she uncovers a horrifying secret that cuts to the heart of everything.

File Under: Dystopia [ Blood Will Out | This Might Hurt a Bit | Be positive | Bloody Nightmare ]

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857668622
Publisher:	Watkins Media
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	902,212
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Chris Panatier lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, daughter, and a fluctuating herd of animals resembling dogs (one is almost certainly a goat). He writes short stories and novels, "plays" the drums, and draws album covers for metal bands. Plays himself on twitter @chrisjpanatier.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2020

Panatier debuts with an unsettling near-future dystopian tale. Four decades after the Chrysalis, a nuclear explosion that launched the world into ongoing radioactive warfare, Willa Mae Wallace works as a phlebotomist in a city obsessed with blood. The anemic population, divided into castes based on blood type, sells blood daily to pay for their meager food and lodgings. Willa’s work is steady, and her life with her grandson is quiet but pleasant. But her routine is upended when she witnesses a drone crash and receives a large sum of money to keep the sighting to herself. She spends her newfound wealth catering dinner for a poor neighborhood, an act of generosity that draws the attention of a criminal leader known as the Locksmith. As Willa is pulled into the criminal underworld and learns the true nature of the powers pulling the strings in this blood-crazed world, she realizes that she alone may be capable of bringing the evils down. Panatier’s powerful worldbuilding is driven by the utter focus on blood, but this focus also makes the eventual reveal of the forces secretly controlling the city too predictable. The story’s events are often tied together only loosely, but the fascinating characters are sure to keep the reader’s attention. This is a promising first outing. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"A clever, inventive fantasy with a horrific twist that explores whether we are more than the sum of our parts."
– Tal Klein, author of The Punch Escrow

"exciting and genre-challenging debut"
–  R.W.W. Greene author of The Light Years

"This is a layered, post-apocalyptic book you won’t escape from easily, and one which left me genuinely squirming in my seat.” 
– Gemma Amor, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of  Dear Laura and White Pines 

"A compelling dystopian thriller that presents a fallen world and proceeds to dissect it with sanguine enthusiasm using its refreshingly unconventional heroes."
– Indrapramit Das, author of The Devourers

"equal parts fascinating and horrifying, and never not entertaining."
– Dan Hanks, author of Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire.

"this book will take root at the base of your brain, threading its tentacles into your spinal cord and requiring you to keep turning pages until the bloody end.” 
– Jessica Hagemann, Headcheese

"Chris Panatier knocks it out of the park with The Phlebotomist. A post-apocalyptic science fiction novel that–for once–doesn’t include a love triangle, a trio of moody teens, or zombies. Amazing, right?"
– Sci Fi & Scary

From the Publisher