Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slip | 2014 | David Estes | Buy |
| 2 | Grip | 2014 | David Estes | Buy |
| 3 | Flip | 2015 | David Estes | Buy |
Slip is set in a future where genetic engineering has become so normalized that naturally conceived children — “Slips” — are illegal. The story follows Michael, a Slip who has been hidden by his family his entire life. When he is finally discovered, he has to flee and confront a society that sees his very existence as a crime. The premise taps into anxieties about genetic selection and state control of reproduction, though the series handles these themes at a YA level rather than a hard science fiction one.
The three books move quickly through Michael’s escape and growing involvement in a resistance movement. Grip and Flip raise the stakes and expand the world beyond Michael’s immediate situation, bringing in other characters and factions who complicate the picture of what the genetic authority actually wants. The series wraps up cleanly within the trilogy, and Estes does not leave significant loose ends.
Slip was published in 2014, the same year as Salem’s Revenge, and represents Estes at his most productive YA period. Readers who enjoy books like Unwind by Neal Shusterman or the Matched series will find familiar themes here, though Estes’s pacing is faster and the books are shorter.