Life First- R.J. Crayton


This is a very well written fiction story that adds interesting fuel to the debate between those that support the `rights' of the individual and those that put the rights of community ahead of those of the individuals. Should the individual be expected to suffer, even to risk life, for a common good? Should we all, ultimately, be conscript soldiers of society?
The principle character is fascinating, complex, and totally credible. Whether she is actually a hero, a coward, or a genuine conscientious objector, each of us has to decide for ourselves. For me Kelsey was a mix of all three, just as most of us would probably be, depending on the degree and type of cultural indoctrination we had experienced.
The only flaw of the plot was for me the over close relationships of all the principle characters in Kelsey vs The State. This tightness helped drive the intensity of the drama, but it all proved to strain my buy in to its plausibility. Wouldn't the prosecution have ripped the defence case apart even more effectively than it did as a consequence of the degree of nepotism? I think so.
This is a really good read and an excellent affirmation of competence amongst independent writers. We should all be grateful that the fall of old-publishing through the rise of the net has allowed writers like Crayton to be heard.

PS- I really dislike the new cover. The generic, sultry beauty has no relationship to the story. I guess the change is a crass marketing ploy. The old hollow dice image was far more relevant and original.

Commentaires

Enregistrer un commentaire

Posts les plus consultés de ce blog

The Last Days of Night- Graham Moore

Image
     I found this to be a very entertaining read, which helped give me a real feel for the period when the electricity cables started to connect the cities and then towns of North America. Moore did a great job of invoking a sense of place and time. I felt the magic of those times, so appropriately generated, by profound technological progress. The alchemy of turning night to day was of an order of wonder only matched in my lifetime by the Apollo missions to the Moon.      My difficulty with this reading is small and to many will seem pedantic. That being my strong preference that writers of historical fiction never play fast and loose with the known timelines of events. Facts and the time on which they act should be sacrosanct in the reporting of history. The writer should only weave his fiction, his story, on the solid framework of all commonly accepted truth. He may of course dispute details if there is a case to be argued, such that perhaps in one infamous earlier history ‘th
Lire la suite

Memory Factory: Heist of the Century- Russ Golish

Image
Golish has produced a technically well-written science fiction, based on near future power politics and warfare. The twist with a difference is the medical enhancement of two rival leaders brain function; enhancements that has been compromised by the Perfect Recall team for a third superpower. Doctored memories are replayed in the protagonists’ minds, upsetting mental balance and so altering tactical decisions. One is eventually driven to a mental and physical breakdown, but only after his has ruined any chance of military success. We are in a post polar ice-caped world, which has managed to maintain current levels of technology, but at great cost to humanity. The world is in power blocks based on existing geo-political realities, projected forward through the growing climate and general environmental crisis. The blocks are in an almost constant state of military rivalry that breaks out into regional war. The book has very much a male mindset, relying to a high degree on the esca
Lire la suite

Another Space in Time, Returns

Image
Amazon Link This is the standalone sequel to "Another Space in Time" My latest book, is a full length speculative fiction read- running to over 120.000 words. So it has length for the money. Has it got excellent content for your hard earned money? Obviously I think so. I can't guarantee that any individual will like it, but I can hope and say a very sincere thank you to all those who buy my book.  This is the continuing story of a murdered man's new life on another earth-like world. Rodwell is engaged by the local police of Axa-Goranas to help them capture or kill his twin brother's terrorist/gangland  boss. Rodwell replaces his brother as one of Youzhny's principle thugs. Discovery and pursuit soon follow, across land and sea, whilst Rodwell struggles to ensure that his new family are safe. I would love feedback from readers. Obviously I hope for praise, but I will be pleased to engage in a conversation if that is one's wish.  However you
Lire la suite