W.G. Hladky’s The Book of Ruin series explores a world hundreds of years after modern technology has been eradicated. The fifth book in this series, IN THE TIME OF THE FLASH, takes readers to the moment everything changed: the day a series of coronal mass ejections destroyed Earth’s tech infrastructure, plunging humanity into a new dark age. For those who have been following the series, it’s a surprisingly relatable piece of fictional prehistory. For newcomers to Hladky’s work, it’s an on-ramp—almost entirely set in the not-too-distant future, with a prologue and epilogue tying the story back to the series proper.
The heroine of the novel is Abigail, a street-hardened Chicago girl whose life is turned upside-down when her birth father suddenly wants to come back into her life. He sends her to college, changing Abigail’s life from a series of shady deals to a series of potential opportunities (and some extra cash for her mother). Things are so good, in fact, that the overnight collapse of technology doesn’t even stop plans for spring break in Miami.
What does shake things up, however, is Wisht: a new drug that can literally morph the human body into any form the taker wishes. But it’s not just for frat boys who want low-effort muscles. Cults of so-called “Malforms” have been morphing themselves into orcs, lizard-people, and furries. And they’re not the only ones causing problems: a religious cult is genetically modifying and breeding their own population. In the midst of the chaos and ever-collapsing infrastructure, all Abigail wants is to find her half-sister. She finds support, friendship, and even love amidst a group of Miami-Dade police, but every step forward takes her deeper into a growing government conspiracy.
IN THE TIME OF THE FLASH is surreal, intriguing, and darkly humorous as the effects of Wisht take hold. Even without knowledge of the book series as a whole, the reader finds Abigail’s journey engaging. The only slight disappointment is that many of the most interesting things about her character are answered late in the story. For instance, she only mentions her deep knowledge of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien once she sees an army of orc Malforms. While this fact may have had no bearing on the plot until that point in the story, it adds a little shine to her street-hardened persona that could have brought her fully into three dimensions much earlier.
That aside, the book never shies away from the ridiculous (a cult of furry Malforms, for instance). Nor does it shy away from gore and deep consequences (such as a certain grim character death that is best left unspoiled). Readers sensitive to sexual violence against women might want to skip this one, as the translucent-skinned cultists of this tale commit atrocities that are described unflinchingly. In that respect, though, this dystopian tale bears more in common with classic gritty fantasy than it does with other stories of the genre. Orcs march to war, strange alligator-men speak in riddles, and a mysterious woman weaves her way in and out of the narrative, spreading prophecy wherever she goes. Fortunately, every potential loose thread is tied up in a series of epilogues.
IN THE TIME OF THE FLASH is alternately silly, dry, grotesque, sad, and hopeful. It doesn’t require a knowledge of Hladky’s previous books in the series to be enjoyed. If anything, the teasing threads of far-future action that bookend the story could attract new fans.
A thoroughly modern addition to W.G. Hladky’s dystopian series, IN THE TIME OF THE FLASH presents an intriguing puzzle piece for long-time readers and a stand-alone action blockbuster for newcomers.
~Kara Dennison for IndieReader