My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(Note: I received an e-book ARC of this book from the author. The views written in this review are my own and do not reflect that of the author or publisher.)
If you're a country that has just pulled itself out of a devastating civil war with a fragile peace, what would you do to maintain that peace? And if your a scientist that has possibly developed the answer through the use of a wonder drug that isn't quite ready yet, what would you do to protect it? This is the basic set up for this taut sci-fi political thriller.
Set in the fictional nation of Naijan, Jehan Fasih is a brilliant scientist that has developed a drug that can either curb violent tendencies in a population, thus significantly reducing violent crimes in a country just coming out of a civil war, or make people compliant. Fasih wants to keep this project out of the wrong hands and bloodlessly seizes the reins of power in his country to ensure that. But the family he betrayed and disgraced will not forget what has been done to them so easily. Thus the stage is set for a wonderful sci-fi political thriller.
The story is top-notch as the author weaves a very good plot through many twists and turns. At the same time, each of the main characters have their own personal reasons for doing the things that they do, so it feels like there are real stakes involved with each characters' decision. While this book is a little exposition heavy, there are moments of pure action that break up all the talking just enough to keep the story from being weighed down. Sometimes, I really didn't want to put this book down.
For those of you who like a like political thrillers a la James Patterson or a sci-fi lite read, I would highly recommend this book.
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