FALL OF THE IRON GODS

In this sequel to 2021’s Rise of the Red Hand, separated teens work together to stand against government control.

Six months after the fall of the Narrows, the members of the rebel group Red Hand face an ongoing threat from the South Asian Province’s government and the Planetary Alliance Commission in the form of an ominous mind-controlling program called Solace. Ashiva struggles to become an inspiring hero for the Red Hand, despite being unable to fully sync with her new SynGenesis, a deadly and advanced bio-mechanical arm. When their base is targeted, Ashiva, Synch, and Taru, along with the remnants of their Red Hand teams, strive to complete their respective missions and take down Solace. Although the South Asian leads’ individual voices are differentiated, Synch’s and Taru’s character development is lacking. The three different points of view become repetitive, and the pacing builds within each chapter and then slows when the perspective shifts. Social inequality is clearly depicted through technology; for example, in the contrast between the prosthetic limbs required by wounded residents of the Narrows versus the cosmetic neural-synchs used by those in Central. Similarly, Chadha explores the necessity for human oversight of machines in a well-developed way. The story is grounded in parallels to other real-life concerns, such as worldwide environmental destruction, political truth-spinning, and a space colony that’s “a big escape pod for the rich.”

Thought provoking and intriguing despite the slightly repetitive narration and uneven pace.