74 BOOKLIFE, MARCH 9, 2020
SF, FANTASY, AND HORROR
Three Degrees and Gone
J. Stewart Willis | BlackRoseWriting
316 pages, trade paper, $20.95, ISBN 978-1-
68433-361-5
In the global warming–ravaged
America of 2086, jobs are scarce,
tracking implants are mandatory,
and desperate migrants are smug-
gled into Canada—now an isola-
tionist, right-wing nation with a
Trumpian border wall. Three fami-
lies meet while traveling north for
better lives. Bored Texas housewife Dana Wilkins is saddled
with her abusive, philandering husband, Frank; they hope to
give their daughter, Embrey, a chance at college. Georgia
hurricane survivor Harry Sykes and his son, Georgia Tech
student Jamie, are escaping Atlanta, which has been over-
whelmed with refugees from Florida. Chicago socialite
Cynthia Sherwood and her 12-year-old daughter, Adeliza, are
fleeing Cynthia’s husband, Desmond. They band together
against thieves, Desmond’s quest to bring Cynthia and
Adeliza home, and Frank’s destructive selfishness. When their
border crossing goes bad, the refugees must decide whether
to make another attempt or turn back.
Readers seeking nuanced characterization may struggle
with characters who habitually explain the world more than
they live in it—most notably Embrey and Adeliza, who talk like
small adults. Well-meant but clumsy ideas about race and
women’s self-images, social roles, and aspirations are often
put in the mouths of black and female characters. Desmond is
black and Cynthia is white; the scene where he explains to her
that he only finds black women sexually exciting is particu-
larly awkward.
These flaws aside, this idea-packed futuristic road trip will
appeal strongly to fans of
classic science fiction. There
are detailed descriptions of
climate change and future
engineering projects. Willis’s
Canada is a clear, direct alle-
gory for the modern U.S., and
it’s not an appealing place; the
deep sympathy for modern
migrants (“You think the
Mexicans felt this vulnerable
seventy years ago?” Embrey
wonders) will touch readers’
hearts. The book’s pragmatic,
sincere pacifism holds signifi-
cant appeal for those looking
for hard science fiction
without militarism or a right-
wing slant.MYSTERY/THRILLER
Rigged (Falling Empire #1)
James Rosone and Miranda Watson |
Front Line
553 pages, e-book, $4.99, ASIN B07NSHGYWT
Rosone and Watson (the World
War III series) launch a series set in
an alternate 2020 America where
free elections are at risk. An attack
on the email account of President
Jonathan Sachs, a Republican who
is up for reelection, is followed by
bombings of early voting locations.
Postal workers who have been bribed by the Chinese govern-
ment deliberately fail to deliver completed absentee ballots
from Republican areas. While Lt. Col. Seth Mitchell and a team
of operatives are sent to Kosovo to hunt for the people who
orchestrated the attacks, U.S. federal agencies work diligently
to unravel a worldwide plot to elect the Democratic candidate,
Marshall Tate.
The authors include plenty of realistic details of Mitchell’s
operations in Kosovo and Serbia as he captures an Islamic
terrorist leader and interrogates him (using drugs to induce
compliance). One can almost hear the IEDs exploding and the
helicopter blades whirring. The story line focusing on election
security is both believable and current. However, the narra-
tive loses some of its sharp focus following the election. All
nine Supreme Court justices are assassinated; unable to have
the election results invalidated, Sachs declares martial law.
A vast international conspiracy is gradually uncovered.
Though technically possible, these events in combination
create an air of improbability,
and a cliff-hanger ending
does nothing to anchor them
in reality.
The narrative’s sympathies
clearly lie with Sachs, but there
are moral shades of gray
throughout. Tate scolds an
aide who only cares about how
the attacks benefit their
campaign, a left-wing judge
puts aside his hatred of Sachs
in the name of protecting
democracy, and a letter carrier
takes bribes so she can pay off
her enormous student loan
debt from a Christian univer-
sity. A wide range of thriller
readers will be intrigued by
this scary what-if scenario and
curious enough to look for its
sequels.Future technology
and climate
migration combine
in this empathetic
refugee novel.Production grades
Cover: A
Design & typography: B
Illustrations: –
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-Production grades
Cover: B-
Design & typography: B
Illustrations: –
Editing: C
Marketing copy: B-This terrifying
scenario of a
global conspiracy
to throw a U.S.
election will appeal
to a wide array of
espionage thriller
fans.Great for fans of
Robert Ludlum’s The
Bourne Legacy, Tom
Clancy’s Code of Honor.Great for fans of
Kim Stanley Robinson,
Madeline Ashby,
Robert Charles Wilson.PAID REVIEWS