At a convention in Las Vegas, 70,000 people are murdered in a brutal terrorist attack using stolen nanotechnology. As a result, a concerted effort is made by political activists to destroy the nanotech industry. The man who invented the stolen technology is the only person standing in between a government witch hunt and the forward progress of scientific development.
Ok. That, I think, is an interesting premise for a book. That’s the premise that led me to pick this book up. The belief that this is the idea behind the book is what kept me reading.
However….
At the heart of US society is a secret organization made up of wealthy, powerful elites. They have been at the center of world affairs for 200 years, and following the worst terrorist attack in history, they step in to help revitalize the career of a man wrongfully blamed for the deaths. But they may not be who they seem…
That premise is not as interesting to me, but that is precisely what this book is. It’s more Da Vinci Code meets The Count of Monte Cristo than it is a techno-political thriller. And, frankly, I’m just not the audience for this book. I generally roll my eyes at conspiracies, and secret societies elicit a yawn from me. I simply can’t suspend my disbelief enough to stomach those kinds of stories.
I read this last month (along with An Honest President and a few other books I’ve yet to publish reviews of), and it was the first in a long line of books that struggled to rise above “meh” level. I’d probably check out more of PJ Manney’s work when she’s done with this trilogy, but I doubt I’ll read the other books in this trilogy. The second installment, called (ID)entity, is going to be published this year.
So take my opinion with a healthy dose of skepticism, I guess. If you’re the type of person who does like these kinds of stories, this one was interesting enough, I suppose. The “science fiction” part of the book is pretty detailed and believable. It was enough to keep me reading close to 600 pages, at least. If you aren’t the type of person who gets into conspiracies and secret societies, however, it’s probably best to stay clear.
This was reviewed in CBR7 by kfishgirl, but no star rating was given. She seemed to enjoy it more than I did.
