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ISBN 978-1733670821

Price $23.00 (USD) Paperback, $7.99 Kindle edition

Brigham’s series kicker in The Scarecrow Trials immerses readers in the dystopian depths of Hebanthe Falls, a city shrouded in perpetual mist, brimming with metallic grates, and suffocating under authoritarian rule. At its heart is Rhyd Ballard, a man haunted by the night Venn disappeared, which transformed him into the Scarecrow—a lone vigilante battling the Founder’s oppressive regime and its masked enforcers, the Crows. When the Outside infiltrates their insular world, it unearths secrets that may determine Hebanthe Falls’ fate—either ruin or redemption.

Brigham crafts a richly layered industrial landscape where despair permeates every corner. The labyrinthine Levels, oppressive and sprawling, pulse with life, while the eerie presence of the Crows heightens the sense of menace. Rhyd’s journey blends personal grief with resistance. His alliances with characters like Skelter and Tox add layers of tension and camaraderie, while his memories of Venn infuse the story with emotional depth. The pacing is measured, and the combat scenes are visceral. At its core, the novel explores the crushing weight of authoritarianism and the resilience needed to defy it. The stark divide between the Uppers and the Levels lays bare the societal inequality, while the enigmatic Founder and the Doctet force readers to confront the price of power and rebellion. Brigham seamlessly weaves these themes with Rhyd’s personal struggles, grounding global stakes in human emotion. 

Fans of tense, taut dystopian fiction will find much to admire in this powerful story of resistance and redemption.

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