FUTURE’S ORPHANS by A K Alliss, Book Review
Future’s Orphans is the second title in AK Alliss’ cyberpunk series Ouroboros Cycle.
Future’s Orphans Synopsis:
In an uncertain future, the truth can get you killed.
Cassidy Nolan is a drug addicted journalist, disgraced after releasing one of the most iconic images of the new millennium. Fourteen years later, the world teeters on the verge of ecological collapse. A chance encounter with a sociopathic street kid will send her on a journey into chaos that may lead her to uncovering the biggest story of her career. Pursued by a burnt out ex-military contractor determined to earn his reward, there are no guarantees that she will live long enough to reveal what she has found.
Blade Runner meets Mad Max in this action packed near-future thriller from the author of Frame.
(Ouroboros Print, A K Alliss)
Genre: Action-Adventure, Thriller, Sci-Fi-Fantasy, Mystery
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BOOK REVIEW
Let’s face it, when one sets out on this book reviewing journey, you quickly learn that accepting manuscripts from independently published authors can often lead to frustration or disappointment. But in my time I have come across some wonderful exceptions such as the work of Australian author AK Alliss.
It was clear from my reading of the first title in his Ouroboros Cycle Series, Frame earlier this year, that he had more highly entertaining and thought provoking tales to tell. So I recently purchased a copy of Future’s Orphans (Ouroboros Cycle Book 2) with complete confidence.
Does this series need to be read in order?
No, each title reads as a standalone thriller. But since Future’s Orphans is set within the dystopian Ouroboros world already established in Book 1, more than a decade after the concluding events in that novel, those who have read Frame will find the societal structures that have evolved in response very interesting.
The vehicle whines as it pushes through the crowds, its outdated electric motor struggling with the heat that slowly cooks its transformer. Behind the meat wagon, along a cross street, Paco witnesses a black town car glide past. A sound like running water marks its progress, the hydro intakes of its engines, making Paco think of a beast stalking its prey.
The O.
Ouroboros. Some said that they were real power that governed the walled city that Paco and millions of others occupy. The corporation ran independently of the laws that governed regular citizens, operating from compounds out in the wastes beyond the wall. Its reach was unfathomable, and like many other things, the ONI had proven incapable of managing the unquantifiable threat that Ouroboros represented.
Dystopian world building
I was once again impressed by the calibre and credibility of Alliss’ world building. He displays a real eye for detail in setting a scene, evoking mood and tension. The only weakness in prose, for my personal tastes, is a tendency towards over specification. But those niggles can easily be put aside in light of the layered development and emotional anchoring of characters which makes for such compelling reading.
Future’s Orphans is another great read from Alliss. So I now look forward to reading Book 3 in this series, Gravity’s Truth which has only recently been released.
BOOK RATING:Â The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 3 / 5
Get your copy of Future’s Orphans from:
This review counts towards my participation in the Aussie Author Challenge 2017.
Related Reading: Thrill Switch by Tim Hawken | Bald New World by Peter Tieryas | The Miracle Inspector by Helen Smith
About the Author, AK Alliss
AK Alliss writes. Anytime. Anywhere. He’s writing. Scifi sagas, domestic thrillers, even slice-of-life coming of age stories. All from the heart. All breaking barriers from the mainstream genre tropes. He lives with his wife, children and his dog, Bratwurst.
He has written the semi-autobiographical memoir A False History and the psychological domestic thriller, Kill Your Darlings. He is also the author of the open-ended Cyberpunk series, The Ouroboros Cycle, (FRME: Ultra Edition,  Future’s Orphans and Gravity’s Truth).
Connect with Adam via his aptly named personal website Worlds of Difference, Facebook and Twitter.
