The Viperob Files by Alister Hodge
Viperob
Files is set in a dystopian future in the year 2194. Owing to the
overuse of fossil fuels, global warming has taken full effect, melting the polar ice caps and causing ocean
levels to rise 100 meters. A vast area of Australia (known as Australasia in
the story) has been covered by ocean water submerging once bustling cities.
This inland sea has created a completely new coastline and a series of islands
still above water. On one of these islands is a corporation called Viperob that
supplies military drones to the central government. Everyone living on the
island works for the corporation in some way. While the adults work, the
children go to school to attend classes and military training to prepare them
for following in their parent's footsteps as Viperob employees. But kids will
be kids and as they do, they tend to push the limits of what is allowed.
The story
opens as Ethan and his friend, Jaego, dive on the submerged remains of homes
and businesses in search of treasure. Meanwhile Ethan's father, Nickolai,
learns that there is a software bug in Viperob's system that could allow
foreign interests to take over operation of the drones sold to the Australasian
government. Realizing that this could destabilize what is left of the national
government, he makes plans to get the information into the right hands. This is
not an easy task because Viperob has it's own highly trained military-like
force that is fiercely loyal to the corporation.
Enter
Lieutenant Harris, a ruthless, psychopathic officer in Viperob's security force
who is assigned the task of retrieving the drone control files and eliminating
anyone who has knowledge of them. He will use any means necessary to complete
his task including torture and murder to achieve his end.
When
Harris kills Nickolai, Ethan takes on the task of getting the information into
the right hands. He has to get the Viperob files off the island, thus making
Ethan and his friends Harris' target.
One of
the many appealing aspects of Viperob are the well developed characters
in the story. Ethan and Jaego are joined by a third youth, a young woman named
Gwen. These three young people have spent their lives, up to this point,
learning to live within the confines opposed upon them by the corporation, and
didn't know that there was anything else. In their mid-teens, they are
beginning to realize that there has to be a better way of life and begin
questioning their existence as part of Viperob. They have been trained well and
when they are charged with getting the damning files off the island, they are
pretty skillful at doing what needs to be done, and they are well aware of the
consequences they face taking on the task, and the consequences of failure.
The
parents of the youthful trio are more or less going through the motions of
being loyal to Viperob, but are not above taking risks to get ahead. Viperob
appears to be aware that the little transgressions take place, but are willing
to turn a blind eye to them until they threaten the corporation.
Harris
is, by far, one of the most evil characters I have ever seen in my lifetime of
reading. He has no feelings for anyone, no compassion, and no end to his
cruelty. He has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He is like a machine, a
weapon that has been pointed in a direction and he will not give up or accept
defeat. One cannot help but hate this character.
Hodge is
masterful at making all of the characters come out of the story and become real
people a reader can care about.
Along
with great characters is the skillfulness that Al displays with world building.
Viperob provides everything its employees need to maintain a subsistence level
existence. Everyone has a place to live, food to eat, and a job. But there is
very little beyond the absolute necessities provided. The living spaces seem to
be little more than over-sized walk-in closets, the food is of adequate
nutritional value, but not very appetizing. Those that want extras have to pay
dearly for them. In order to have a better quality of life, many turn to taking
bribes or trading on the black market. What keeps the people in the story in
line is the threat of being banished from the island, which seems to be a
certain death sentence. Outside the walls of the company is a great expanse of
wasteland where survival is nearly impossible. Then there are also the monsters
that are on constant patrol.
Along
with the global warming problem comes mutations of some animals. Prominent in Viperob
are the Tri-Claw creatures that patrol the coastal areas. They are described
as trilobites that stand on six legs, move very fast, and have very large claws
that are capable of cutting their prey in half with little effort. Oh, and
these trilobites are the size of Volkswagens! They are the stuff of nightmares.
When Al
sent me the book, he described it as a young adult novel. The story does center
on how the three kids end up tasked with getting the damning files to the
proper authorities and prevent further hardship on Australasia. There are a
couple of scenes of torture in this story that might be disturbing to very
sensitive readers. Readers below the ninth grade level may want to avoid Viperob.
This is
another excellent book from Al Hodge, it is exciting from the very first page
all the way to the end. It is full of twists and turns that made me want to
read on and on, I simply did not want to put it down. This story also has a
wide open ending that screams for a sequel and I look forward to reading it
when, and if it gets written. High recommendations for The Viperob Files!
Here is a
brief biography from the author's web page...
"Alister
Hodge is a Sydney based author, writing within the genres of horror, science
fiction and young adult. He is also an Emergency Nurse Practitioner and a
Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney. As a mental break from providing
healthcare in a busy Emergency Department, Alister leaves behind the everyday
traumas and horror of the real world, by creating new ones for post-apocalyptic
and dystopian landscapes.
Aside
from fiction writing, Alister has authored numerous journal and textbook
publications, and is the co-creator of an app to support triage nurse
development in Australia and the USA."
Well,
there it is...
Qapla!
