THE PRICE OF REBELLION

The second installment of Bland’s trilogy continues a dystopian SF tale set in a near-future America controlled by a totalitarian government.

Engineer Dray Quintero created a surveillance network that linked every security camera system across the country, which had the effect of radically reducing criminal activity. But unbeknownst to the sheeplike populace, the government—specifically the Agency, the government’s domestic enforcement branch—is using the system, as well as the “neural nets” implanted in citizens’ heads, to monitor everyone and everything. After Quintero tries to spread the word revealing the government’s machinations, he’s named an enemy of the state. On the run from technologically augmented Agents with a small band of rebels—including his teenage daughter, Raven, and romantic interest Dr. Anya Nystrom—Quintero must stay alive long enough to reveal the sinister truth to the world before the villainous government takes over once and for all. Bland powers this futuristic thriller with relentless pacing and nonstop action, delivering a forceful cautionary tale cloaked in the guise of an SF tale. It explores such themes as the dangers of disinformation, government manipulation, and mindless dependence on technology and highlights the power of family and community. Minor flaws, however, hamper the narrative’s ultimate impact; the worldbuilding, for example, feels rather superficial in this entry, and the characters, whether they’re heroes or villains, feel thinly developed. The character of Quintero, as a vengeful father and reluctant hero, is also a very familiar character type. However, the adrenaline-fueled, laser-focused storyline never lets up, resulting in an undeniable page-turner. Also, Bland leaves readers with a tantalizing cliffhanger that sets up the series perfectly for an explosive and potentially satisfying conclusion.

An uneven but often compelling speculative thriller.