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Publication Date: June 25, 2022
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian
List Price: $22.99 trade paperback
Page Count: 566
ISBN: 978-1-63988-413-1
McBee aims high with an ambitiously complex plot, a multilayered cast, and relentless tension in his latest novel. With the end of the Information Age, the world has entered a new dark age in which humanity has lost its dominant place in the world. Simon Crandall was merely a child when all that happened; he is used to this new reality. When he comes across the key to a powerful weapon that can destroy the world, he finds himself being pursued by dangerous enemies. With the survival of his people and the world in limbo, Simon must find the weapon soon. McBee builds a dystopian world with an expansive history and countless creeping horrors hiding in its shadows. Bleak memories of humanity’s yesterday and of its struggle in the aftermath of the life-changing gene mutation surface in intermittent flashbacks. The plotting is tight and tension relentless. However, McBee’s greatest strength is in narrative voice: he renders the grim situation with laser precision. He sends his characters careening through a horde of impossible situations as they struggle for their survival. Loneliness, grief, longing, and loss pervade the narrative as Simon attempts to locate the powerful weapon. What emerges is a prime testament to the young man’s resilience. This is a must-read for readers looking for something different from the dystopian genre.
***
Categories: Science Fiction
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