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A review by arkron
The Velocity of Revolution by Marshall Ryan Maresca
4.0
Synopsis: The country Pinogoz has racist oppressors, implementing a harsh caste system. Out in the suburbs, people give "happily" their food and petrol for the oversea military, and starve thereby.
Nália is a member of a Robin Hood like motorcycle gang who rob petrol from government trains. But Wenthi, a police officer, arrests her despite of her superior ability with her modified bike.
Never before has anonye managed to catch those thieves, and Wenthi gets another chance to proof himself to his superiors. He gets the mission to infiltrate the undercaste suburb and find the head of the rebels.
A special mushroom drug merges Nália's consciousness with his own so that he can access her knowledge and abilities. Slowly, he works his way from the bottom of society into the center of the gangs.
What he finds there makes him ask his own history, convictions, and his country's foundations.
Review: Motorcycle, mushroom drugs, racing ladies, and mixed gender romances - how cool is that?
Maresca shoots off a high velocity plot which never lets you off from start to finish. The atmosphere is thick and stylish with pimped motorcycles, high-stake races, police hunts, and mushroom loaded Bacchanalia.
The LGBTQIA folks will cheer at this novel, which conjugates each and every letter of the acronym, up to a well integrated asexual woman who heavily dislikes those sexual activities.
It is not that easy to classify the work into one of the typical subgenres. First of all, it is a Dieselpunk story - think of technology equal to the 1940s, i.e. without computers, surveillance drones, or mobile phones. Together with the police state, racial discrimination, and caste system, you'll get a rich dystopia full of comments about social systems. Adding to that is the fantasy like magic of joined group consciousness induced by the mushroom which lets Wenthi develop to a superhero.
There are rough and criminal acts, but one can easily identify with Nália, because her folks are so heavily oppressed and in high need of her "good" deeds. On the other side, it would be easy to just hate the oppressors, if Maresca wouldn't have done such a fine job with the other main protagonist Wenthi. He represents the orderly type, the hope of the middle class, and caring for the all the people of his country. He doesn't like the idea of a civil war, and sees himself torn between several front-lines - that of his own family, his police friends, and the insights into the rebellion's background.
This action stuffed novel works very well as a standalone, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see a sequel.
Recommended for readers of high-octane character-driven dystopian Dieselpunk.
Nália is a member of a Robin Hood like motorcycle gang who rob petrol from government trains. But Wenthi, a police officer, arrests her despite of her superior ability with her modified bike.
Never before has anonye managed to catch those thieves, and Wenthi gets another chance to proof himself to his superiors. He gets the mission to infiltrate the undercaste suburb and find the head of the rebels.
A special mushroom drug merges Nália's consciousness with his own so that he can access her knowledge and abilities. Slowly, he works his way from the bottom of society into the center of the gangs.
What he finds there makes him ask his own history, convictions, and his country's foundations.
Review: Motorcycle, mushroom drugs, racing ladies, and mixed gender romances - how cool is that?
Maresca shoots off a high velocity plot which never lets you off from start to finish. The atmosphere is thick and stylish with pimped motorcycles, high-stake races, police hunts, and mushroom loaded Bacchanalia.
The LGBTQIA folks will cheer at this novel, which conjugates each and every letter of the acronym, up to a well integrated asexual woman who heavily dislikes those sexual activities.
It is not that easy to classify the work into one of the typical subgenres. First of all, it is a Dieselpunk story - think of technology equal to the 1940s, i.e. without computers, surveillance drones, or mobile phones. Together with the police state, racial discrimination, and caste system, you'll get a rich dystopia full of comments about social systems. Adding to that is the fantasy like magic of joined group consciousness induced by the mushroom which lets Wenthi develop to a superhero.
There are rough and criminal acts, but one can easily identify with Nália, because her folks are so heavily oppressed and in high need of her "good" deeds. On the other side, it would be easy to just hate the oppressors, if Maresca wouldn't have done such a fine job with the other main protagonist Wenthi. He represents the orderly type, the hope of the middle class, and caring for the all the people of his country. He doesn't like the idea of a civil war, and sees himself torn between several front-lines - that of his own family, his police friends, and the insights into the rebellion's background.
This action stuffed novel works very well as a standalone, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see a sequel.
Recommended for readers of high-octane character-driven dystopian Dieselpunk.