Book Review: Isolated Futures (Omnibus) by Koen Martens

 

Title: Isolated Futures (Omnibus)

Author: Koen Martens
Genre: Science Fiction - Dystopian Futures
Publisher: Self-published - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: March 18, 2022
Read: September 20-26, 2022
Disclaimer: Author requested a review and sent a free paperback copy. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: If you’re a fan of thought-provoking sci-fi cyberpunk technothrillers like The Passengers and Black Mirror, then Koen Martens’ sci-fi anthology is your perfect next read! 

Story 1 - Forced to be Free: Sam, a young hacker with anger management issues, has joined

a defense initiative against the advancing Russian army set to occupy Europe. When he discovers his boss is working undercover for the enemy, he must thwart his boss and prevent the destruction of the EU’s drone defense network before it’s too late. 

Story 2 - Murder, Plain and Simple: Dr. Jennifer Mendoza is a ship physician on the interstellar luxury cruiser Christopher. When a prominent and wealthy passenger is murdered, she is called to investigate the crime. Can she identify the killer before more people lose their lives? 

Story 3 - Cima Peak: Juan, a naive adolescent growing up in a post-apocalyptic world, embarks on a dangerous excursion that strands him and his friend far from his home. Can they make it back to their base before it’s too late to save the city from incoming slavers? 

Story 4 - Negative Reinforcement: Limei is an independent app developer on an isolated space station. She is utterly dependent on and enamored with her personal AI assistant. When she learns The Algorithm is planning to destroy human life on her ship, she must find a way to take it down before her crew perishes. 

Story 5 - Eddy: Digital forensics expert Lagan has been wrongly convicted of murder, but no one is willing to believe that he witnessed his own doppelgänger commit the crime. When he learns that the doppelgänger was one of many beings created to replace humans with AI-run clones, he must prove his innocence and take down the scheme before more people’s lives are ruined. 

Story 6 - DingDong by Zhumee: When Martin’s new Zhumee smart doorbell accidentally causes his neighbor’s wrongful arrest, he must set out on a quest to prove her innocence. Little does he know, Zhumee has far more control over the justice system than anyone imagined. Can he race against the clock to take down this corrupt system?

Review: Six novellas. A total of 476 pages. Six days to read. Challenge accepted. 

Wow. Where do I start? Koen Martens' omnibus of science fiction dystopian futures offers six different and yet relatable and oddly relevant stories, each one more terrifyingly plausible than the last. I've spent the last three days since finishing Isolated Futures trying to figure out how I would describe the utter fascination, chills, and love I felt reading these novellas and the best I can do is simply.... Wow.

Each story deals with its own future--everything from the near future of Forced to Be Free to the distant future where Earth is merely an afterthought for most humans in Negative Reinforcement--and each delivers a gut punch when the reader realizes just how plausible each future is. 

Forced to Be Free has great pacing and a spy-thriller vibe with questionable characters, murky motives, and an all-too-believable invasion scenario that brings the headlines of today into very sharp focus. 

Murder, Plain and Simple is anything but plain and simple. I loved the distant future world building showcased in this story while the mystery reminded me of Agatha Christie. There's a delicate balance between the clues left for the reader and the final reveal that kept me guessing until the end. (And, for the record, I can usually figure out the Who in Whodunnits fairly quickly.)

Cima Peak has a dystopian survivor scenario, and I'll be honest, it wasn't my favorite story. I thought the tension between the two main characters could be a little tighter and more focused, especially given the high stakes set by the author. Also, I thought the "full circle" events wrapped up a bit too neatly given the story's after-the-fall-of-civilization setting, but overall, it was still a fun read.

Negative Reinforcement is a cautionary tale for the over-dependence on technology our world is already facing. Again, this wasn't my favorite story, mainly because it reminded me of The Matrix in many ways. But, I did like the arc for the main character. It was plausible, and I enjoyed the thought-provoking nature of the plot.

Eddy is a fast-paced collision between James Bond and Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, and I liked it! A lot. Science goes awry and the stakes are high for the protagonist...or is he the antagonist....could he be both? The story has a film-like quality I can easily see translating to the big--or small--screen. This is definitely my second favorite novella in the omnibus.

DingDong by Zhumee is, hands-down, my favorite and not just because its the only story in the bunch to feature a cat! (But, the cat is a delightful bonus.) Another cautionary tale that begs the reader to think about society's reliance on technology, and the vast network of devices we willingly tap into on a daily basis in the name of "security." 

Overall, Isolated Futures is an omnibus well worth reading if you're a lover of dystopian fiction, science fiction, techno thrillers, or just reading in general. Koen Martens states in the preface that he reconnected with his love of writing during the pandemic. I certainly hope he continues to love writing for many years to come because I'm a fan now, and I expect to see a lot more from Martens in the, hopefully, not-so-distant future. 

Book Review: A Grave of Flowers by Priscylla Attler

 

Title: A Grave of Flowers

Author: Priscylla Attler
Genre: YA Fantasy with LGBTQIA+ elements
Publisher: Self-published - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: May 3, 2022
Read: July 6-September 11, 2022 -- Did Not Finish
Disclaimer: Author requested a review and sent a free paperback copy via Amazon. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: 16-year old Nulla has been discriminated against her entire life for her colorism - a genetic illness that gave her bright, colorful features. While her family once sheltered and isolated her for her own protection, this seclusion was not enough to protect her from her own unusual power, a power that is both dangerous and life-saving. 

Nulla’s friend, Ani, is slated to become the next Child of Dead, a role that is feared by many. Terrified of his fate, Ani decides to escape his home country, bringing Nulla, her twin brother,
and his best friend Zephr in tow. However, their escape plans are quickly turned upside down when Nulla is kidnapped and sold to a mad scientist performing human experiments on Colors and Ani is hunted down by Dianne - a previous Child of Death wanting to punish Ani for escaping his fate. As Nulla suffers at the hands of her cruel captor, can she learn to control her power in time to save herself?

Review: When I was initially contacted by a publicist asking if I'd be interested in reviewing debut author Priscylla Attler's A Grave of Flowers, the synopsis intrigued me. I love finding new writers, especially when the story sound compelling and offers a element that is often underrepresented in fantasy and science fiction such as BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ characters. (Full disclosure: I am neither of these, however, I am a very strong believer in equality for all regardless of skin color, sexual orientation, economic status, country of origin, religion, or any of the other myriad reasons humans find to generally be assholes to one another. My personal philosophy is "Be excellent to one another and party on, dudes." If only I could apply it to this book...) Naturally, I agreed and was sent a review copy by the author through Amazon in exchange for a honest review. 

I began reading with high hopes. The prologue definitely caught my attention. Yeah, there were a few small typos and punctuation matters, but I can easily overlook such things when the characters are engaging and the story is promising. Alas, what started with such promise quickly gave way to an overly idealistic view of what was billed as an "oppressive government," zero-zip-zilch-nada tension between supposedly contrary characters, no evidence of an actual plot anywhere on the page, and a painfully obvious lack of skilled writing and editing.

Any yet, despite all these negatives, I could--and still do--see a glimmer of potential in the overall story. The biggest problem I see with A Grave of Flowers is the dreaded "Friends and Family Review Syndrome." I fully understand wanting to share your writing with those closest to you. However, unless you have brutally honest friends and family--and I mean honest almost to the point of being labeled sociopathic--those friends and family should never be trusted to give proper, authentic feedback because once they are faced with the choice of either giving impartial and possibly negative evaluations of the writer's work and potentially crushing the writer's soul they will 99.999999% of the time opt for the non-soul-eviscerating "Yeah, it's great! I love it!" If a writer hears this and nothing else, assume your friends and family are all wearing flame retardant pants.

Writing is hard, and it doesn't happen in a vacuum. As I said, I really do see potential in the premise of A Grave of Flowers. Unfortunately, the writing doesn't live up to that potential. My suggestion to the author is to look into a basic fiction workshop. Most colleges and universities offer workshop classes either as part of a creative writing program, an English department elective, or as part of a community-enrichment program. These workshops offer exposure to a variety of genres and writing styles while also providing encouragement and honest feedback. If none of these options are available, find an online critique group. NaNoWriMo, for example, offers plenty of contacts both during November and year-round. The other option is to find a freelance/independent editor. Yes, an editor, or "book doctor," will expect payment anywhere from a few hundred to several thousands of dollars depending on how they charge (per hour, by word count, or by page count). Editors can cover everything from character development, plotting, and world-building to line edits with attention paid to spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It all depends on how much the author is willing to pay and how much work the story needs.

While A Grave of Flowers joins the handful of books I sadly must file in the "did not finish" category and therefore cannot be recommended for purchase at this time, I sincerely hope the author will look into resources to develop the story and polish their writing because I believe there's potential here.