Metaltown is a Young Adult dystopian novel by Kristen Simmons, author of the Article 5 series.
In a world of endless war lies the titular Metaltown, where the wage is nothing, the work is hard, and hope is nearly impossible to find. But Colin has dreams anyway—dreams of getting his brother away from drugs, helping his sick mother, Cherish, and making his way to Rosie's Bay if he can just save enough. Ty, on the other hand, has no dreams except watching her back and trusting that Colin has hers, and survival is her first priority.
The factories of Metaltown and its sister city, Bakerstown, are controlled by Hampton Industries, and Lena Hampton's life, while luxurious, isn't safe either. Her father is a ruthless businessman, and her brother is a layabout who turns his frustrations outward on her. When Lena meets Colin and Ty and sees for herself just how hard factory life is, she knows something must be done—but in Metaltown, trust, like hope, takes a long time to earn and can be broken as easily as the factory workers.
A short story set in the same universe, Burned Away
, was released after the book and tells the stories of minor character Matchstick and the reporter Caris, who wants to cover the riots unfolding in Metaltown.
This book contains examples of:
- Addled Addict: Colin's brother Hayden is addicted to alcohol and drugs, can't hold a job down or find places to stay, and is willing to betray those close to him to get a steady supply.
- Big Brother Bully: Whenever Otto was punished as a child, he'd take it out on Lena, and this tendency continues into young adulthood.
- Bittersweet Ending: While Jed Schultz is killed, Minnick is ousted, Colin's family has enough to live on, and working conditions improve across the board with hope to eventually transition away from weapon making, Ty is also dead, Lena's father remains untouchable, and the war is still ongoing by the time the book ends.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Jed Schultz is on no one's side but his own and is willing to stab anyone in the back so long as it serves his needs.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Josef Hampton has dozens of shady deals going on behind the scenes to keep the factories running and his profits secure, and was behind the deaths of Ty's parents, ordered her death as well, and has kept the war going well beyond a natural endpoint.
- Dumpster Dive: A scene early on has Ty and Chip waiting outside a restaurant for trash to be thrown away, after which they dig in for anything remotely edible.
- Forever War: The war between the Northern Federation and the East has been going on for forty years or more, with no signs of stopping.
- Hard Truth Aesop: The ending of the book shows that some people are just too rich, powerful, and connected to be imprisoned or even accused of wrongdoing, and sometimes the one real hope of unseating them doesn't come to pass. Despite this, things can get better, even if change comes slowly.
- Healthcare Motivation: Cherish's sickness from the corn flu drove Colin and his mother out of Bakerstown to Metaltown, as her medical bills were too high to retain the house. Helping her get well is one of Colin's goals.
- Karma Houdini: Discussed in-story and played straight with Lena's father, who is so rich and powerful that putting him away or getting him in trouble is futile. The closest thing to karma he gets is giving the workers fairer treatment.
- Lazy Bum: Otto Hampton spends his time drinking and being with women instead of doing his job, which is at least partially responsible for the deplorable conditions in Metaltown.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Until meeting Colin, Lena had no friends or social life and was treated as an accessory to her father.
- Lost Orphaned Royalty: While not literal royalty, Ty, aka Astor Tyson, turns out to be the orphaned heir of the Medical District owners who had more money than the Hamptons at one point. It ends up defied when she's killed before she can claim it, though some of the inheritance does go to people in need.
- Meaningful Name: Matchstick was so named because of his pyromaniac tendencies and skill with explosives.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Lena gets Ty fired from her job in a misguided attempt to help her after she's injured and put back to work, thinking that she can find other work or has a family to fall back on. What ends up happening is that Ty is cut off from her only friends and family of choice, and hates Lena as a result.
- Reduced to Ratburgers: One of the first things the reader learns about the world is that rats and roasted pigeons are treated like gourmet food.
- Running Both Sides: To stay profitable, Hampton Industries supplies weapons to both sides of the war to stop it from ending.
- Synthetic Plague: The corn flu was created by accident when scientists tried to create longer-lasting crops after drought led to famine. While not contagious by normal means, it's in enough food that buying anything processed is a great risk, and being in the food-testing facility is a guaranteed death sentence.
- Tagalong Kid: Chip is one of the youngest Metaltown citizens and tags along with Ty frequently; while reticent at first, she eventually warms up to him. Ty trying to save him from a potentially life-threatening job ends up with her going blind in one eye.
- Wham Episode: The plot of the entire book changes when Ty loses her eye on a job and is subsequently fired, leading to uprisings, questioned loyalties, and big revelations.
