I received an advance review
copy of Entropy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
It is always a great day when I
open my email and find a note from an author asking if I would be interested in
reading their new book. When author Dana Hayward, who appreciated my review of
another person's work, offered to send an advance copy of his new work,
Entropy, along with a synopsis, I was more than happy to oblige.
There is nothing about this
book I didn't enjoy. It is a fast-moving piece set in a not-too-distant future
where there has been a lot of scientific advancement. The characters are well
developed and display growth as the story advances. Most are easy to relate to
and might be people I would want to know. But, while the story is fast-paced,
and I enjoyed reading it, it is also quite disturbing, as I am sure it is meant
to be.
While set in the future, many
of the ideas in Entropy could be headlines from today. There are many plot
points that felt all too real as I read and make me realize how easily fiction
can become reality. In that way, this was a frightening read because the author
takes us to possible new realities even beyond what are in current headlines.
The name of the game in Entropy
is survival in a seemingly unsurvivable situation. There won't be many winners
in this game, and the losers will just be dead.
For some mysterious reason, the
Earth has lost its ability to sustain itself as a viable system. Everything is
breaking down as the planet seems to approach a dangerous equilibrium of nothingness.
Life is disappearing at an alarming rate and the human population is
experiencing shortages of everything, including breathable air, potable water,
and food. Chaos is rapidly becoming the order of the day as a few people try to
address the problem, or become predators, taking from those who have without
regard for others.
Governments cannot help and
determine it is time to look to alternate living arrangements such as moving
out into the solar system, leaving the Earth behind.
U.S. President Myung Kim
determines the only course is to give people hope by first establishing a
permanent colony on the moon to be used as a jumping off point for permanent
relocation to Mars. Much of the infrastructure for this is in place, but how
will the people be fed?
John McCabe is charged with
coming up with a solution to the food problem. He is to create a cultivar, a
type of edible plant that will grow quickly under the harshest conditions.
As conditions continue to
deteriorate, the country falls further into chaos because of famine, plague,
and civil uprising. Also looming on the horizon is an inevitable confrontation
with the Chinese government.
There is hope when a new
republic form on the moon and decides to strike out for their inevitable
destination to begin life anew on Mars.
There are several characters in
Entropy one may consider being principal to the story, but I have to admit,
President Myung Kim is my favorite.
Kim, a solid female character
who is not affiliated with any political party, works to surround herself with
the best possible people to address all the problems. She prioritizes well and
addresses each problem that comes up as best she can. Even with everything
happening, she remains calm and relies on her expert advisers to help with
decisions, but she still has the vision to see what the future will bring. By
recruiting the best people to handle the problems, she can stave off starvation
and jumpstart a solution to solving problems with science as her central tool.
She is a truly refreshing character
who faces a tragic end, but not before she can make things right amidst seeming
impossible odds.
My favorite point of plot in
Entropy is how science emerges as the best way to come up with answers to
problems. In this time where there seems to be an attitude that science is some
kind of sinister plot to control people, it is good to see there is hope that,
one day, we may realize it is through science we get the answers to the really
hard questions.
Growing up during the 60s and
70s, I was part of the movement to educate the public on the benefits of
science. To my deep dismay, it is alarming to see the current trends of the
21st century denial of empirical evidence right in front of our eyes. It is
encouraging to read a story where science is valued by political leaders.
My takeaway from Entropy is
hope for the future. While recent historical events, such as the COVID
pandemic, created, at least in me, a deep sense of hopelessness for the future,
Hayward shows that no matter how bad things get, there is still the possibility
of making a better world.
Beyond the message of this
tale, Entropy is just a great read, and I recommend it for that alone. It is
truly a novel that sustains suspense, and I hated putting it down when I had to
and was aching to get back to it when I had the time. According to the author,
this is just the opening to a saga, and if it is any indication of the quality,
I am also eager to read the next book in the series.
The characters are well
written, each with their own clear voice, the descriptions of the settings are
vividly colorful, and the situations will have the reader experiencing a
plethora of emotions. This is a novel of epic proportions and has the making of
an amazing series of books I want to read. I give Entropy my highest
recommendation as a Sci-Fi apocalyptic thriller that moves along like a chess
match between characters and their environment.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
MARK MUSE has researched,
written, edited and published original works in the area of clinical
psychology, psychopharmacology, chronic pain, health psychology and
psychosomatic medicine.
(https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Muse/e/B007P2ZKSS)
DANA HAYWARD is Mark’s alter
ego, who writes fiction, science fiction; as in “ENTROPY”.
Please follow my blog at:
https://danahayward@blogspot.com
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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