Michael C. Bland’s THE PRICE OF FREEDOM, the final instalment in his Price Of trilogy, is set in a techno-futurist mid-21st century. A lengthy infodump in the form of a chronology sets the scene. America has been decapitated by a deadly pandemic for which millions of Americans refused the cure. In the nation’s interest of regaining its position in the world, brain implants are later taken up en masse and forced on those who refuse. Computer engineer Dray Quintero recognizes the danger of mass mind control and surveillance of the population by the population, so he becomes the reluctant leader of a rebellion against the government.
Quintero is also a penitent. Having been contracted by the government to wire together all the private and public surveillance systems in the US, he now sees the error of his ways and wants to smash the system—if only he can escape captivity, rescue his wife and daughters on the way, and somehow thwart masses of AI-powered drones (as well as the surveillance implants in his brain by directing his thoughts away from ideas of sedition). These days, Black Mirror has the monopoly on such dystopias, and Quintero’s world is just as cheery.
Bland has a good ear for natural dialogue, and the action scenes come thick and fast. Once Quintero and his family are on the run, there are Terminator-esque vibes—with Quintero’s teenage daughter Raven playing the Sarah Connor part. But sustaining this for over 200 pages is an ask. The bad guys, particularly Zion (Quintero’s college buddy-turned-nemesis) and malicious government agent Kieran, are well drawn. However, the tension doesn’t build and ebb as it might. This can probably be attributed to Bland trying to do too much with the characters at his disposal, especially as they get put repeatedly through the wringer; the number of injuries sustained by the protagonists over the course of the book is well into the double figures. Still, THE PRICE OF FREEDOM is a thoroughly thought-provoking read, and one that—given the tumult currently sweeping America—is at least a tad less far-fetched now than any of us might like to believe.
If prepared to suspend disbelief, readers will find that Michael C. Bland’s THE PRICE OF FREEDOM offers nonstop action in a near-future dystopia.
~Craig Jones for IndieReader