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The Detainee by Peter Liney Published by Jo Fletcher Books on 2014-03-04
Genres: Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Fiction, Science Fiction
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Jo Fletcher Books
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The Island is hopelessness. The Island is death. And it is to this place that all the elderly and infirm are shipped, the scapegoats for the collapse of society. There’s no escape, not from the punishment satellites that deliver instant judgement for any crime—including trying to get off the Island—and not from the demons that come on foggy nights, when the satellites are all but blind.
But when one of the Island’s inhabitants, aging "Big Guy" Clancy, finds a network of tunnels beneath the waste, there is suddenly hope, for love, for escape . . . and for the chance to fight back.
I received this book for free from Jo Fletcher Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I also recommend:
- Fallen by Traci Slatton
- Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
I was really, really hooked by the premise of The Detainee. I’ve been in the mood for a good, gritty, adult post-apocalyptic book and, having read Traci Slatton’s work in the more recent past, I really wanted to get a fix of the genre before her next book releases. I’m impatient like that sometimes. So The Detainee by Peter Liney looked like it just might satisfy my craving and, for the most part, it definitely did.
I will say this, however, before I get into the praise-worthy bits. There were times that things seemed just a bit implausible. The entire explanation for all the fear, and the subsequent complete change of atmosphere later on in the book pushed the boundaries a bit for me. But, the good in the book was strong enough to overcome those little nagging thoughts in the back of my mind. I pushed them aside and continued to read in gleeful pleasure.
The Detainee isn’t really a thriller or suspense novel. It may seem like that, at the get-go, but I believe that sort of beginning is necessary and that Liney did a great job setting the mood for the book as a whole. ”Big Guy” Clancy is living a miserable excuse of a life on an island in an age where Big Brother is even more invasive then the loudest-mouthed privacy advocates today could dream of. Imagine being completely policed, at all time, and not only policed, but arrested, tried, and potentially executed all in the space of mere minutes, or even seconds? That’s the world that Clancy is living in throughout the story of The Detainee.
There’s also quite a bit of the survivalist feel throughout the book. Between the tinkering of one character, the assured actions of another, and finally, the take-action attitude of Clancy, I felt myself getting caught up in the day-to-day details of living in a place, or a world, like that described in The Detainee.
I’m glad I requested to read The Detainee by Peter Liney. It seems to be running a bit under the radar and I hope it gets more attention as time passes. It certainly kept a grip on me and I’m looking forward to seeing what Liney comes out with next.
Check out these reviews!
- “What you’ll find here is a compelling story about adaptability, compassion and courage. ” – The Bibliosanctum
- ‘”The Detainee’ is a fast read, and one I certainly enjoyed, though I have some remarks about certain things.” – Draumr Kopa
- “There are lots of things to love above this story.” – And Then I Read a Book