The Books that Stilled a Storm

I couldn't finish Divergent. Maybe I will finish it after I forgot why I don't like these mass produced repetitive dystopians stories. But I'm digressing. I hope Delirium surprises me.

Maxey's Dragon Age Trilogy is my first taste of cross genre fiction, and having finished reading Dragonseed I'm left to admire the ingenuity of the author for his weave of multiple plots and characters in this science fiction-fantasy adventure. His crisp prose made for an easy reading and the plot is packed with action. And like most plot driven stories, the characters can go on without needing much rest. There's nothing ordinary about the story events here. Everything is possible, and the power of absolute control is explained through a technology called nanites (nano robots). Sometimes, the stories are a bit far fetched for my taste. But that's how science fiction goes. I'd also point out that the trilogy, or perhaps the author shows disdain over absolute power resting on ONE supreme being, presenting them as power hungry immortals with simplistic ideals. That's how he paints most of the gods (there are many gods here). Dragonseed is a clever formulaic fiction and I like it.

Dragonforge is a cross fiction novel, filled to the brim with action and character development that gripped me to the end. Science fiction and fantasy, its story is woven tightly with firm plausibility, I just couldn't find faults to doubt its world. I love the punchy prose as well.

Blood Red Road is set in post apocalypse world where remnants of human civilization are buried beneath sands and dunes, a return to the reign of mother nature. They say this novel is dystopian. I say it’s a survivalist fantasy world devoid the comforts of fast transportation, cell phones, Ipads and Facebook. Perhaps it is dystopian - for a clueless reader removed from our present reality like say, Mongolian shepherds, slum dogs and human trafficking. Blood Red Road is ‘badass’ gritty to a less informed reader.

The pace launches early in the pages when the heroine's brother was taken from her, prompting a selfless rescue mission spanning across harsh terrain. The unfolding of the story sees the main character, Saba fleshed out through the interactions and conflicts she has with her younger sibling who resonates her loss and ambition. The story has a solid focus, credible characters and dynamics. Family conflict gets the highlight here, aside from hackneyed romance with a handsome man boy, and of course, the main character - Saba.Her dialect, with misspellings and many primer sentences, makes up the prose of the novel, as it’s read out through her POV. The story initially promises heightened tension but the momentum loses steam as contrivances surface mid-story. Saba becomes a formidable fighter that her background doesn't support jumping into the fray already a force to be reckoned with. This unfortunately blunts believability. Perhaps, Young glosses over the small developing details to befit this as a novel for the young adults, or her editor's word limit. YA novels always seem to be about love, and thoughts, and more thoughts. I have to say my partiality against first person POV is unfair to the novel but I give credit to Young for the distinct character in her POV. Back to the story, moulding a character that’s so good at something and without a strong antagonist to oppose it has made the story less thrilling even when the life of a family is at stake. Every complication is predictably surmountable and anti-climactic and this novel comes off as rather tame.The verdict: Blood Red Road by Moira Young doesn’t grip me as much as other adult thriller novels, but it was sufficely evocative. You’ll love this, if you’ve never watched or read Waterworld, Mad Max, The Road, and Battle Royale.