Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Kill Code: A Dystopian Science Fiction Novel, by Clive Fleury {ends 5/5}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley
If the day had been difficult so far, things got increasingly competitive as the hours wore on. After the meal, the candidates who had passed the truth test were led into the gym again. I had tried to view the contest as being solely about my own abilities rather than the others. I liked Ruby from the start but was now resigned to her having to leave in order for me to win.

Jake was another matter. He was charm itself to the NSC officers and seemed to be popular with most of the other candidates. But there again, they hadn’t seen the real Jake. I’d met him, though – the asshole lurking under the smiling mask.

In the gym, Commander Beecham ordered the remaining candidates to form a circle around a featureless mannequin, which he referred to as a Hand-to-Hand Combat Simulation Unit. Beecham explained that the Unit was programmed to train in several different forms of hand-to-hand combat, including Aikido, Tai Kwon Do, Kung Fu, and good old-fashioned street fighting. Once activated, the Unit could only be turned off by lethal blows applied to the Unit’s throat, base of skull, or center of spine.

“Anything else,” said Commander Beecham, “will only piss it off.” So the object of this next test, he explained, was to defeat the Unit. Taking off his shirt to reveal an impressive physique, Beecham ordered the Unit to engage. On the command, its eyes glowed green.

Hogan Duran is the greatest action hero to be seen in ages – he has integrity, street-smarts, and physical abilities that he isn’t afraid to push to their limits. With Duran’s non-stop action, this book was hard to put down.

Official synopsis:

It's the year 2031. Our future. Their present. A world decimated by climate catastrophe, where the sun's heat is deadly and the ocean rises higher every day. A world ruled by the rich, powerful, and corrupt. A world where a good man can’t survive for long.

Hogan Duran was a good man once. He was a cop, forced to resign in disgrace when he couldn't save his partner from a bullet. Now Hogan lives on the fraying edges of society, serving cruel masters and scavenging trash dumps just to survive.

But after four years of living in poverty, Hogan finally gets a chance to get back on his feet. He's invited to join the National Security Council, the powerful paramilitary organization responsible for protecting the rich and powerful from the more unsavory elements of society. All he needs to do is pass their deadly entrance exam, and he'll be rewarded with wealth and opportunity beyond his wildest dreams.

But this ex-cop's path to redemption won't be easy. The NSC are hiding something, and as Hogan descends deeper and deeper into their world, he starts to uncover the terrible truth of how the powerful in this new world maintain their power...and just how far they will go to protect their secrets.

In a world gone wrong, can one man actually make a difference, or will he die trying?

The disparity in society in 2031 is staggering, and well-told by the author. His detailed descriptions make it easy to imagine the despair in which Hogan Duran and his best friend live. The environment is physically hot, all the time, with limited water supplies. To feed them both, Duran has to hustle to try and get a job for some money each day, and follow that up with foraging at the dump for food. It’s easy to see why Duran would be willing to do nearly anything to get a coveted job with the NSC.

While the action was nonstop in this book, the characters were also well set-up. The three main NSC candidates (out of a whole transport full initially) are Duran, Ruby Mason, and Jake Teerman. There were also commanding officers overseeing their entrance exams. The Krail start out as the bad guys, but more is told about them and their missions as the book continues.

Overall, I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars. While this book was published in 2018, there is still no further information about a sequel, although the author’s page does say this is the first in a dystopian series. Hopefully another story about Hogan Duran will be announced soon.

{click here to purchase}

Becki Bayley loves Cherry Coke, Better Made White Cheddar popcorn, and delicious meals cooked by someone else. She spends most of her time reading and posting at SweetlyBSquared.com.

Click here to visit TCK Publishing.
Click here to visit the author's website.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Kill Code!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Tuesday, May 5th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Kill Code, by Clive Fleury