Stephanie Jane recenzis Sovereignty de Anjenique Hughes
Military action adventure
3 steloj
Sovereignty is set in a 23rd Century city that used to be Los Angeles and is now the place from where a dictatorial leader named Davio controls all the people left on the planet. Hughes mentions a global war that more than halved the present-day population levels and Goro's society consists of the second and third generations since that genocide. Much has changed socially and perhaps the most different aspect of life is a small computer chip in everyone's wrist, similar to the way dogs are microchipped now, but with these futuristic chips having a far larger capacity to track and record their wearer's actions and behaviour. We learn that some people are resistant to the idea of the chips and others are inured and I would have been interested to learn more about the psychological effects of living under such a degree of observation.
Our main protagonist, Goro, is …
Sovereignty is set in a 23rd Century city that used to be Los Angeles and is now the place from where a dictatorial leader named Davio controls all the people left on the planet. Hughes mentions a global war that more than halved the present-day population levels and Goro's society consists of the second and third generations since that genocide. Much has changed socially and perhaps the most different aspect of life is a small computer chip in everyone's wrist, similar to the way dogs are microchipped now, but with these futuristic chips having a far larger capacity to track and record their wearer's actions and behaviour. We learn that some people are resistant to the idea of the chips and others are inured and I would have been interested to learn more about the psychological effects of living under such a degree of observation.
Our main protagonist, Goro, is an immature and incredibly self-centered young man who comes of age during the course of the novel. I admit I did struggle with the book primarily because of his abrasive attitudes to everyone around him. He spends most of his time either shouting or sulking and is always convinced of his own righteousness despite all evidence to the contrary! It's a wonder Goro keeps any friends at all, but fortunately for him the ones he does have turn out to be fiercely loyal. Sovereignty is militaristic science fiction with an emphasis on the training undergone by the recruits in the expectation of their world-changing battle to come. Hughes describes their underground accomodation and life in detail so we get a good idea of what it will take to overcome the despised Regime.
The novel is told mostly from Goro's first-person perspective with brief chapters glimpsing other aspects Hughes' imagined world. I could imagine the story translating easily to a movie version and there were nods to similarly genred films which are fun to spot. The story had too much machismo and posturing for my tastes, but if you enjoy reading military action stories then give Sovereignty a try.