Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Killables | 2012 | Gemma Malley | Buy |
| 2 | The Disappearances | 2013 | Gemma Malley | Buy |
| 3 | The System | 2013 | Gemma Malley | Buy |
The Killables is Gemma Malley’s second YA trilogy, published between 2012 and 2013. It is set in the City, a walled community established after a devastating event called the Horrors. The population lives under the rule of the Brother and a rigid system that classifies citizens based on their perceived moral character. Those who fall below the threshold are labeled killable and disposed of. Evils, the people who supposedly live outside the walls, are the bogeyman used to keep everyone in line.
The first book introduces a protagonist who has grown up inside this system and accepted its rules. When cracks start to appear in the official story, she begins to question everything she has been taught. The Disappearances (2013) raises the stakes as the true nature of the outside world comes into focus, and The System (2013) brings the conflict to a head.
Like Malley’s Declaration trilogy, The Killables is interested in how societies use fear to maintain control and what happens when individuals start thinking for themselves. The walled-city setting and classification system give the books a more overtly allegorical feel than some YA dystopias, but the pacing keeps things from getting too heavy. The trilogy was published in quick succession, which makes it easy to read straight through.