“Any Sign of Life is a heartbreaking story filled with courage, friendship, and personality. Paige Miller is the perfect team-up buddy in an apocalypse. I was with her when she lost everything, and stood right next to her when she took it all back.” — Wesley Chu, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the War Arts Saga
"The mechanics of coping bloom into much more in this deeply humanizing near-future survival thriller . . . Basketball player Paige Miller, 17, barely remembers getting sick. But when she wakes up emaciated from a six-day flu, she finds a grim scene: carrion birds, power outages, and her family dead in a world gone silent . . . Carson tempers a grim, death-laced future with pragmatism, an athlete’s awareness of bodily limits, and an uplifting belief in people’s capacity for good. Fans of Megan Crewe and Susan Beth Pfeffer will relish this timely update to classic postapocalyptic YA.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“High school senior and WNBA hopeful Paige wakes up from a coma to find herself the only living person in her Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood. . . . [A] smart, suspenseful thriller. . . . Paige’s tenacity is appealing, and her relatable first-person narration shines when observing tiny details of her surroundings and matter-of-factly processing topics like privilege, menstruation, and reproductive rights. . . . Totally un-put-down-able.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Carson steeps her writing in the physicality of bodies and societies breaking down . . . [Any Sign of Life] mines the very real fears seeded by COVID for tension . . . [and] it’s almost a relief, then, when the plot takes a marked turn into science fiction and focuses on the adrenaline rush of surviving a direct violent attack and not an insidious pathogen. While the immediate threat is eventually vanquished, there’s no guarantee of long-term safety, a disquieting situation readers may recognize.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"As soon as Paige Miller wakes with a pulsing headache and parched mouth, she knows something's wrong. . . . Eventually, Paige comes across other survivors, Trey and Tanq, and they follow a lead to Sandusky for answers. The truth, however, about why they survived, where the virus came from, and what the future holds may not be something they're ready for. Carson has created a terrifying postapocalyptic world marred by the scent of rotting flesh and a threatening new entity. . . . Stories such as this are sure to have readers thinking about their own purposes, impacts, and legacies.” — Booklist
“Ohio high school senior Paige wakes up from what she thought was just a bout of flu to discover that the sickness she has lived through seems to have killed off everyone else. . . . Carson delivers a solid end-of-the-world thriller full of vivid imagery and strong emotions. . . . Small details . . . and a clear sense of place bring the story to life. Identity issues are naturally incorporated into the narrative, showing that race and sexuality . . . still matter even as humanity is struggling to survive.” — Horn Book Magazine
“Carson has crafted an apocalypse so real it could happen tomorrow . . . With high stakes and a fast-paced survival plot line, sharp prose carries the novel . . . Vivid and well-crafted.” — School Library Journal