Cult by Michelle Hand

Cult, Michelle Hand. self-published via Smashwords, 2013. 268 pps.

     The novel Cult starts off with an interesting premise. Katelyn lives in a village. She is meeting with the elders who are chiding her for being seen with a a specific boy in the woods. They don't care that there is a good reason for her apparent disobedience. As a female, she is expected to be subservient, more so than the males of the village.

     There is no privacy in the village. Everyone lives in tents. Everything is done in the open. Since Katelyn's father had died, her family did not have enough food to eat. Cult is a full novel and goes into depth of detail about the lives of people who live in the tents and are subjected to the whims of their elders.

 sapphoq reviews says: I found Cult to be a very interesting read. The description of the events kept me reading until the end. Some of the issues identified in the novel are very similar to the things that we citizens of the United States are dealing with in respect to our government, such as the frontal assault on our privacy by the N.S.A. and other three-letter agencies. The characters were individualized. I could understand their motives and their reactions to situations. For fans of dystopian literature, recommended.

The Hunt for Pierre Jnr by David M. Henley

The Hunt for Pierre Jnr, Henley, David M. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2013. e-book, 253 pps.

     In the remnants of a world with a controlling government that forbids psi or any sort of occult gifts is a sort of child. He is only eight years old, human perhaps, but very powerful. Some children are able to hide their special abilities and some adults do also. If caught, they are "masked" and then eventually banished to a set of islands, out of the sight of everyone else. A select few of the adults are recruited to serve on one of the teams that seek out and bring into custody others who have psi abilities.

     Some of the special people are hiding in pockets of resistance on one of the mainlands. Perhaps they are plotting some sort of revolution. Perhaps Pierre Jnr will lead them on. Or perhaps not.

sapphoq reviews says: This book moved a bit slowly for me. I wanted more blood and guts. I did like the premise though and I also liked the ending. Recommended.

Free Radicals by Zeke Teflon

Free Radicals: A Novel of Utopia and Dystopia, Zeke Teflon. Tucson AZ: See Sharp Press, 2012. e-book, 245 pps.

     Kel Turner is suddenly exiled off of planet earth. He has to make his way around a new planet. In his travels, he encounters a variety of religious cult-like communities and problems. There is much more to Free Radicals but I don't want to give it away.

     The cult-like community that I laughed at the most was a variant of Alcoholics Anonymous. The adherents refer to their founder as Will B. Their rituals are outrageous.

     
sapphoq reviews says: Zeke Teflon had me hooked from the dedication. I love Anonymous and was very glad to read the inclusion of both Anonymous and the surviving members of LulSec.
     Free Radicals is witty. I enjoyed the off-beat qualities of it-- the star travel, the hooded references, the anarchists. Zeke Teflon is right up there with Cory Doctorow. Highly recommended to fans of well-written adult dystopian fiction.

Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver

Delirium, Lauren Oliver. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2012. 480 pps.

Pandemonium, Lauren Oliver. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2013. 375 pps.

Requiem, Lauren Oliver. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014. 432 pps.

Lauren Oliver is on Twitter (tm) as https://twitter.com/OliverBooks

The Delirium Trilogy opens in Portland, Maine. It is a city that the author appears to have intimate familiarity with. I recognized it. That Lauren Oliver was able to re-create a Portland in her trilogy [albeit a dystopian Portland] made me warm up to the writing immediately. She displays the same knowledge of all of the geographical locations she uses in her books. And I like that. A sense of place adds depth to any story.

In the trilogy, love is a disease. There is big government, censorship, messing with brains, and dictates that must be followed on a very large scale. Some readers may only be interested in the love story. But there is much more here than that.

                 ~ Less Government, More Fun ! ~

sapphoq reviews says: Although the Delirium Trilogy was written for teens, there is much in these books for astute adults to love. Fans of Veronica Roth [yes, I am!] will love this very different view of a dystopian world. Highly recommended.

Fluke by Christopher Moore

Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, Christopher Moore. New York: HarperCollins e-books, 2002.  340 pps., including excerpt from another book.

     Fluke is set in Hawaii. It starts off as a story about researchers studying whale song. There are the good guys-- which include a hot chick and a howlie who wants to be an Hawaiian Rastafarian-- and the bad guys and some neutral folks all studying whales for their own purposes.

     Something happens when you don't expect it. Fluke suddenly becomes a tale involving an underwater dystopia, weapons-testing, and captivity. People who were given up as dead grace the pages. And there is a genetically engineered race of a human-whale hybrid.  Plus a nice twist at the end.

sapphoq reviews says: Christopher Moore did quite a bit of research in order to make Fluke feel realistic before the reader is swallowed up into the belly of a whale. After that, the reader has to adjust to a changing fictional reality. My favorite character is Kona, the pot-smoking young man. And yes, there is something appealing about the tail of a whale that reads "Bite me." (That's on the cover of the book).  The reason given for the singing of the whales felt contrived and almost spoiled Fluke for me. But I stuck through it and thought it was a worthy investment of my time. Recommended to those who like the ocean, whales, and dystopian fiction.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant, Veronica Roth.  New York:  Katherine Tegen Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, 2013.  e-book, 343 pps.


@VeronicaRoth on Twitter

http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/ 


Living in a fishbowl is awkward and can lead to suicide a la Sylvia Plath.  Or it can make you stronger, possibly braver.  Or perhaps your world will implode.  Revolution is composed of blood and guts and ideology.  The rebels know they are not in for a walk in the park or a picnic.  Only fools imagine otherwise.

Allegiant is the third book in the popular Divergent Series written by Veronica Roth.  The factions have been broken apart and the power seat has shifted.  Lovers Tobias and Tris find themselves at the Chicago Airport along with their friends and frienemies Christine, Uriah, Peter, and Caleb.  There are other people there also.  The other people all seem to have important functions in this new temporary holding place.  Outside the airport, danger lurks.  Inside is not really any safer.

The airport has been reworked into a patrol station and genetics laboratories.  D.N.A. has been unraveled and those with superior genes are endeavoring to fix the mess that is the United States since the Purity Wars.  Tobias/Four is haunted.  By today's standards, some clinician would diagnose P.T.S.D. and offer him drugs and some kind of therapy.  Nothing of the sort exists.  There is only the promise of love and some sort of freedom to sustain him.  But it may not be enough.  It takes extraordinary courage and bravery to truly let go of old dreams and move forward into the unknown.

sapphoq reviews says:  The explanations about the genetics behind the divergent series in Allegiant may be tedious to those who are not science-minded and not expansive or precise enough to satisfy the fans of hard sci-fi.  There is however, much for the geek to love about the series and this book.  Because a revolt is in progress, blood and guts and battle-cries echo throughout Allegiant.  Plenty of action and trickery abound.  Allegiant is a deeply satisfying and unsettling read.  The entire series is highly recommended to those who love an intricate plot and lovers of dystopian fiction. 

Hangover by Duane Schlitz

Hangover (caricature of a retarded hack), Duane Schlitz.  Self-published, 1996.  e-book, 88 pps.

http://archive.org/details/Hangover_by_Duane_Schlitz


Yes, it is under a creative commons license and legally free to download!


This 88 page story was a fascinating blend of word salad, puke, farts, and action.  Finding that the hawt chick's boyfriend was violent, the friends did the only thing that they could be realistically expected to do.  Full of blood and other bodily fluids.  Sex and rugs and junk food and beat-up old cars and Denver and the outskirts.  What is there not to love?  Even the random substitution of q for g and g for q added to the atmosphere.

sapphoq reviews says:  Duane Schlitz has written a startling e-book in a distinct style reminiscent of a Martin Millar, Joe Hill, Kurt Vonnegut, and Jeff Jacobson.  Hangover is a unique slice of life that will appeal to readers who celebrate counter-culture.  I adored this book.  And I highly recommend it to adults who can handle it.
Duane Schlitz, please write some more!

21 days in May by Crispy Sea

21 days in May, Crispy Sea.  self-published: Smashwords Edition, 2013.  3-book, 474 pps.

http://crispysea.blogspot.com/
@CrispySea on Twitter
Crispy Sea is also found elsewhere on the Web.


I first became aware of Crispy Sea on Twitter.  I found Crispy to be an engaging, forthright, and intelligent atheist.  I read Crispy's blog and discovered a book there.  So I bought the book.  I was not disappointed.

     Crispy describes 21 days in May as being "hope fiction."  The hope is in the revolt, not in the status quo.  Business as usual sucks and the people don't yet know that.  Martha knows that.  Martha is doing something about it.

 

 

Martha has given her life to the work she is doing.  It is very important work involving genes.  Martha's company is the hope of humankind.                                                                                       

 

 

 

sapphoq reviews says:  Crispy Sea has penned an extraordinary tale of the future.  The hope of the earth-- modeled after our earth-- is in genetic modification, vaccination, and population control if the human race is to survive.  I've heard it said that science fiction writers are great predictors of the future.  21 days in May is that kind of a novel-- containing hints of what our present technology can flower into-- for passionate fans of possible futures.  Highly recommended.  Up the rebels!

The Rapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross and Cory Doctorow

The Rapture of the Nerds:  A tale of the singularity, posthumanity, and awkward social situations, Charles Stross and Cory Doctorow.  New York: Doherty, Tom Associates, L.L.C., 2012


Huw Jones is sort of a Luddite.  He's not really into helping to build a Mothership in order to leave the planet Earth and technology behind.  But he certainly doesn't want to upload into the Cloud, like so many of his contemporaries are doing, leaving his dead body behind him.  His parents are rather opposite in their worldview and indeed have done so, dumping him for the wild hedonism and freedom promised by the Singularity.  Huw Jones likes his body and his appearance just fine, thank you.

But there is a party and an ex whose name is Bonnie.  And a sort of traveling tattoo that insinuates itself on Huw's forehead and several other places, a call to jury duty, and an unwelcome gadget that deep throats Huw without permission.  Huw it turns out is a fall guy.

There are fundamentalist post-rapture christians who have their own designs for Huw, a Libyan courtroom, and a djinn in a teapot.  Many djinns in teapots as it turns out.  Huw is forced by the circumstances to rent out his bicycle, a symbol to him of Luddite pride to a sort of hippie going off into the desert with two beautiful women.  His bike is like an old friend.  His old friends and party buddies appear at times to not be trustworthy.  And Huw is forced to go to the one place that he doesn't want to go to.

sapphoq reviews says:  Charles Stross and Cory Doctorow have produced a winning entry in cyperpunk fiction.  Huw Jones is a different kind of character than the ones we are used to Cory Doctorow creating, yet I liked him just the same.  There are several exciting scenes-- including ejection over a swamp somewhere in the Carolinas-- which add to the twists of this novel.  This is the stuff that I can relate to.  Keeping in mind that both authors write for audiences which are technologically sophisticated, absolutely highly recommended for the hip and the anti-Luddite crowd. 

An Inconvenient Terrorist by Stephen R. Bailey

An Inconvenient Terrorist, Stephen R. Bailey.  self-published, 2009.  e-book, 423 pps.


An Inconvenient Terrorist takes place in Australia, although with trepidation I quickly realized that this story could have just as easily been told in the United States.  The thing is, Stephen R. Bailey has written a fiction.  The fiction seems believable to me precisely because of our political climate these days.  This could happen to any one of us.  And perhaps already has.

There is a guy and his wife.  They are Muslims, born and raised in Oz.  They have a restaurant.  There are some drunken kids.  One of them accuses the fellow of being a terrorist.  

There is also a Prime Minister singularly lacking in common sense.  He is running on fear and on his dad's name.  Laws are passed.  The laws don't strike me as very different from some of the laws that we now have over here.

There is an arrest.  There are disaffected Muslim youth.  There is a contingent of flaming gayfolk that get involved.  Because folks who are oppressed for being who they are wind up better off being out rather than hiding.  The politicos and the military types and the perps count on shame and silence to keep people under.

The folks in this book are anything but quiet.  At some point, each of them has had to make a life-altering decision. 

sapphoq reviews says: Some of the book was funny.  Some of it was scarey.  All of it was delightful and certainly deserves more attention than it has been getting.  An Inconvenient Terrorist is bound to appeal to folks who like Cory Doctorow, Chuck Palahniuk, and Veronica Roth.  Highly recommended.   

Little Brother and Homeland, both by Cory Doctorow

Little Brother, Cory Doctorow.  New York: Doherty, Tom Associates, L.L.C., 2010.  ebook, 833 pps.

Homeland, Cory Doctorow.  New York: Doherty, Tom Associates, L.L.C., 2013.  ebook, 826 pps.

In Little Brother, Marcus Yarrow is a 17 year old hacker living in San Francisco.  Homeland Security has pretty much locked down the city into permanent surveillance.  But the surrender of privacy in exchange for "security" is not enough because some nnamed terrorist bombs the city anyways.  

Marcus is hauled off to a prison where he is detained for awhile, even though he is innocent of any part of the terrorist plot.  There is a big meanie there whose love for water-boarding complements her vitriole hatred of her prisoners.  He gets out and swears revenge.

Homeland picks up the store at a Burning Man Festival in Nevada. Marcus and his cool girlfriend are there with the other techno-hippies.  No surprise that Burning Man is infected with Homeland Security agents, including the big meanie from Little Brother.

While stumbling around in a dust storm, Marcus and girlfriend stumble into the yurt of some techno-legends and he actually ends up with a job offer.

Back in San Francisco, Marcus is on the job but bad stuff keeps happening to him.  He goes to an Occupy protest, during which the cops kettle the people in.  Doctorow describes kettling perfectly for those readers who don't know what that is.  Doctorow also describes the Peoples' Mic for those not in the know.  Stuff happens and Marcus is involved with the Darknet and lives are altered.

sapphoq reviews says:  Both Little Brother and Homeland were very satisfying reads, again rendering hacker culture in superb detail and in a colorful fashion which left me both proud and breathless.  Both books had the gritty feel of a very possible future where people continue to mistake the very essence of the word "security."  Doctorow uses dystopian fiction extremely well as a device to educate those who wish it about the drive for gathering information and what that particular drive can mean as we continue to lose our freedoms in a post 9/11 world.
                                      Although some critics have a problem with the characterization of older folks as mostly accepting and embracing surveillance and younger folks remaining skeptical, my personal experience is that most people that I've encountered are either ignorant of what our government is doing to us the citizens or know and don't particularly care.  This apathy to me seems to be widespread regardless of  the age of the people involved.  The recently [officially] begun practice of The Big Five [cable companies] performing deep packet inspections is an indicator of this apathy.  There was no grand outcry among the masses and indeed this matter hardly made the news.  I've noted with alarm that some journalists on the Internet are reporting that the use of V.P.N.s. render us safe-- it does not.  The Big Five are also capable of meddling with them.  I'd bet my last dollar that they probably are.
                                     Kudos to Cory Doctorow for Little Brother and for Homeland.  Highly recommended to anyone who wants to know a bit more about what drives some hackers and why people like me no longer trust our government.