The first in a dystopian trilogy, Prometheus Rising begins in a Britain of sealed cities and barbaric Outer Areas. Adama, a doctor, finds himself outside London and soon embarks on a quest to find his old love through bloody battle. The concept, whilst not fully fresh, is a beguiling mix of futurism and archaism, and the many battle scenes are vigorously and effectively drawn. The settings, in classic rural British sites, are evocative. The author’s pacing is so assured that it took me half the book to realize why it failed to fully engage, and I think there are two reasons. Firstly, clunky prose glitches occur often enough to annoy, and secondly, the overall earnest, portentous voice never rings quite true. Overall, I’d recommend this for dystopian fiction fans, with caveats.
Book, movie/show, and album reviews
