The Viperob Files by Al Hodge - Sci-Fi Thriller Full Of Twists And Turns That Are Spellbinding!

The Viperob Files by Alister Hodge

Just a few weeks ago, author Al Hodge contacted me and asked if I would review his novel, The Cavern. I said I would give it a go and read it, and was amazed at the quality of the writing and how gripping the story was. I wrote my review and if you click on the title, you can read that review. After posting my review of The Cavern, Al contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reading his newer novel, The Viperob Files. As much as I enjoyed the previous story, I couldn't say no. 

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!