A review by craigwallwork
The Rebellion's Last Traitor by Nik Korpon

4.0

I have to say this isn’t a book I would normally read. If I picked it up at the book store and read the blurb I may have put it back on the shelf and walked out. That’s not a reflection on the writing, which is strong, but more personal preference. I’m not really into science fiction (I’m very picky about sci-fi in general), and having too many names thrown at me too early on leaves me disorientated, especially names that are not commonplace. But I’ve read books by Korpon before and know him to be a great writer, so I pushed on. And I’m glad I did. Korpon has a brilliant way of creating worlds and characters that are so edgy and fully formed you can’t help but get immersed. Told via two perspectives, Henreak and Walleus, you’re introduced to a city politically scared by oppression and war. Henreak is a memory thief battling his own demons and the loss of his wife and child. And its in his character I found the true heart of the book to lie. Stripping away echoes of Blade Runner (noir/sci-fi) and 1984, at its core this is a simple story of a man pursing the ghosts of his family, mourning them, and realising (much later in in the novel) the weight of being a father. This is something that will resonant with parents, and for that alone it’s worthy of your time. Korpon never takes his heel of your throat throughout this novel, creating a rich dystopian landscape for his characters to walk around, and while there are elements of noir sewn through the historical tapestry, this to me is more about loss and the scars that hold a heart together. Recommended.