The Price of Safety by Michael C. Bland

If the current virus crisis hasn’t done enough to freak you out, then read this book.   It is a frightening look at a possible future where privacy it truly non-existent.   Dray, an engineer, fights to protect his family and discovers secrets about his world that were unexpected.

Bland portrays a reasonably plausible projection of our electronic future.   Consider the number of people you see daily  (prior to self-quarantining) who are constantly connected to their phone.   It isn’t much of a stretch to see implanted phones.  Lasik surgery, it isn’t too much of a stretch to see vision improvement with computerized adjustment of biological lenses. There are a substantial number of people who feel that Alexa and Google are always listening and recording. 

Consider the last paragraph and Bland’s book isn’t farfetched.   That makes it a bit terrifying.  Self determination figured prominently in the founding of our nation and yet our personal freedoms are being abridged due to terrorism, crime and now disease.  

Bland postulates one future and hopefully the second and third books in his trilogy would provide a positive path out of this dismal projection of our future.

I found this book one of the more thought-provoking books I have read in quite a while.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Race the Sand by Sarah Beth Durst

Socks knocked off!  I have read Queen of Blood, The Reluctant Queen,  The Queen of Sorrows, The Deepest Blue and Spark all by Durst.  She never ceases to impress me but this book really grabbed me by the throat and shook me.   Perhaps it is the climate we are currently living in with lots of depression and fear but this book was a burning light of hope and redemption.  A tough trainer, a loving mother, a runaway and a kingdom in disarray are the characters and the setting.  

Durst shows that entrenched bureaucracy however enlightened may conspire to spread mediocrity as a means to hold power.   Reincarnation and auras are tools that promote the story.   To me, the building of self-confidence, the belief in one self and loved ones, the awareness that recognition of self-worth may be frightening to petty and venal despots are fruits of this splendid learning tree.   A learning tree because reading this may help kids and adults realize that their dreams are important and that holding on to dreams and persevering to success is possible.

Well done Durst, well done, I feel the wind in my face and the sand in face!

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Waterdown by Anastasia Slabucho

In the near future Fusion (an AI) is controlling the planet.   Geo, his creator, is having second thoughts about his ethics.

There is a lot of work coming out questioning the use of artificial intelligence.   Watching the daily news, one can help agreeing with the pundits that it wouldn’t take much for Ais to be smarter than their creators.   This author postulates that an AI with unlimited authority would make many decisions for the “greater good” that might be disastrous for the populace.

The effort was there and I wanted like the book better, particularly as the author is a vocal proponent of literacy. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag

I really wanted to like this book, it is trying to show women as strong protagonists. It may do that but it does it in such a convoluted way that it was hard to read. An eventual battle between siblings is the conclusion of the story.

The characters in this book are supposed to discover who they are and find their strengths and it does that but I really felt it was disjointed and I had trouble reading it. I am sure that this book will resonate with some people sadly I'm not one of them. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett

This is a sequel to Foundryside.
Sancia, who has an embedded plate in her head which allows her to see scribing which could be defined

as magical writing, is the main character.  She and her band of misfits are faced with an extremely powerful villain, who may be the originator of scribing.

The story is colorful with a wealth of interesting characters. There is plenty of action but perhaps the more interesting aspect of the story is the ability of the people to form a collective mind and what that would mean to social issues.  The story sets up for the next in the series.  It does have somewhat of a conclusion which really doesn’t satisfy any of the protagonists.

I really enjoyed the book and I  highly recommend the series. 
Trailer Link: https://twitter.com/i/status/1245804834512650241

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.