A taut and exciting read…
Duncan weaves the strands of SF dystopia, environmental commentary, and coming-of-age in his deeply engrossing debut installment in The Soteria Trilogy, which tells the story of two young people who find themselves pit against the powerful government. It is 2059. The ruthless Humanist Union controls the continent. The air is poisonous, and the wealthy live underground in government-controlled lodging, leaving the less privileged ones to fend for themselves on the surface. As the day to take part in the compulsory Marriage Lottery, a system that unites two strangers into life-long union of marriage, approaches near, twenty-one-year-old Tyson Anderson finds himself on the brink of despair. Escaping Soteria is the only option left. Meanwhile, Brie Kallas, a young woman on run after committing a murder, is seeking freedom from the dictatorship of the Humanist Union. As their path crosses, their struggle for survival brings them face to face with a shocking truth. Duncan creates an intricate, bleak world in Soteria built upon the wreckage of a technologically advanced society. His plotting is tight, the prose crisp, and characters relatable. Tyson is driven more by emotion, and his incontrollable impulse makes him vulnerable in a dangerous way. Brie has known grief at a young age, but her resiliency and will carries her through the most harrowing of circumstances. Eli, despite his young age wins the reader’s heart with his practicality, grit, and determination. Carter shines as a hero by the time readers turn the last page. Intriguing, brilliantly constructed, and thoroughly gripping, this is a must-read for lovers of dystopia.
End of Pride
The Soteria Trilogy Book 1
By L.J. Duncan
Pub date October 24, 2020
ISBN 9780648850120
Price $15.99 (USD) Paperback, $3.99 Kindle edition
