THE FALLOUT

Hoping to rescue those who fled Earth’s supposed destruction for a parallel universe, a teenager finds herself enmeshed in an ominously appealing techno-utopia in this duology closer that’s an updated version of 2017’s Contribute.

When Alexandra bursts through the interdimensional vertex, her news that everyone actually could go home again gets a mixed reaction—because (go figure) many human refugees are happy with the virtual nanoholocom paradise that mysterious rescuers known as the meritocracy have set up for them. In exchange, they promise that when they die, they will donate their brains to the collective network. (Star Trek fans: Insert “Resistance is futile!” here.) Lest many readers think this sounds like a good deal, Acevedo includes some unconvincing counterarguments, then stacks the deck by having the meritocracy turn out to be corrupt in some never really explained way. The rebel underground, meanwhile, plans a hack of the network in hopes of returning everyone to Earth. The author scales things down so that the whole refugee population seems about small-town-size, lessening the suspense over whether Alexandra will successfully reunite with brother Benji, main squeeze Dominick, and best friend Rita. Alexandra struggles with intense panic attacks and generalized anxiety disorder. The cast’s racial makeup is indeterminate; Benji has a husband.

An unambitious jumble of fuzzy logic and conveniently arranged outcomes.