Kill Code is a dystopian novel which takes place in 2031, and falls into the pile of books written over the last decades that deal with the results of climate change, societal upheaval, the rich living well in areas where the poor cannot, while the poor do their best to survive among the ruins of coastal cities, high unemployment, death and disease. As such, it serves as yet another novel warning us about the rich, the perils of climate change, and the deviousness of governmental elites. The novel offer nothing new in terms of its setting.
Having set that, the story itself is well-done, with numerous plot twists and surprises. The characters are fun, though a bit flat and stereotypical in many cases. The world is peopled by the elites (government and the rich, who never appear in the story); the poor who scrabble out an existence, an elite military organization (the NSC), and societal rebels, known as the Krail, who live outside the towns and cities. Think Mad Max.
The protagonist is Hogan Duran, an ex-army ex-cop who lost everything (including his confidence) when he blamed himself for his partner getting severely injured and. Confined to a wheelchair.
Duran has the option to join the NSC as one chosen among a group of applicants. The competition is intense, including a technology-induced dream event that appears real to the participants. Fleury uses the latter event to cause the reader (and the protagonist) to wonder what is real and what is fake for much of the rest of the story.
As Duran finishes the competition (with two other surviving competitors), the Krail attack, killing and kidnapping some NSC officers. The results are a chance for Duran to show his abilities in real life, but also question both the real identity of the NSC, the Krails, and even the events that are happening that might be computer-generated.
The novel began slow, with a bit too much exposition, much of which could have been discovered through dialog and action—Fleury does this well with slowly revealing Duran’s background.
Despite the unremarkable setting with nothing new to offer, and the occasionally flat characters, the plot structure, unexpected turns and revelations make this story enjoyable. It is neither deep nor literary, but it is an engaging story. If I want a fun, easy, and entertaining story, I would read the next in the series.
Clive Fleury is an author, screenplay writer, and a television and film director and producer. His YA book, The Curse of The Four was a semi-finalist in Kindle’s Best Indie Books.
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