Cutting the Bloodline
by Angeline Trevena is a great novella about a crime-free society and the chaos and repercussions it causes.’
It’s an inventive storyline, set in the future 2052 England, a society that decides that a crime-free environment is worth the segregation of certain types of people, based solely on a DNA test that hasn’t been fully studied in an honest effort. Today as a modern society, we’ve already been exposed to political agendas that have turned out horribly wrong. We’ve seen affected factions of society, who are left in dire consequences because of faulty policy and laws. Think of the leprosy colonies and their segregation from normal society over the centuries, as an example. In this plot, the agenda for power creates a struggle between sides, some calling for a revolution.
The turmoil comes to a head when the protagonist, Journalist Kenton Hicks, decides to write a tell-all book. This story thread, of course, has my full attention at this point.
The author did a great job with the characterizations. Kenton’s personality is fleshed out well, and we experience his struggle as a writer, and his ability (or lack thereof) to accept his work as merited and needed. He interviews the lost generation, those shunned by mainstream society. He questions how far society should be allowed to go—using advanced technology to label babies as criminal before they are even born.
The characters feel authentic, the situation defined. More development and transition in the relationship between Kenton and Amie would have been nice, since both characters are so wonderful. They went from a hostile first interview to Kenton becoming too involved. The growth of the relationship between them is implied, and because it’s a novella, less words available for it to evolve. The reader needs to embellish the love interest a bit. Fair enough, this is not a romance but a Sci-Fi Utopia story, after all.
The plot thickens and as policy makers are challenged, they react as if threatened. Soon Kenton’s life is in danger. The people who follow his cause are also vulnerable.
The scenes are action packed and will keep you reading . . . This is a refreshing plot and begs us to question—that bad things will develop if we are not careful about the policies we back. I enjoyed reading this story and found the characters engaging, and hope to read more about these characters and more stories from Angeline Trevena. Well done!
#dystopian #scifi #thriller #indieauthor
Find Angeline's other great stories here:
https://www.amazon.com/Angeline-Trevena/e/B00BK9UVYU/Including the series
The Paper Duchess Complete Series Box Set Nov 22, 2017
The Notary of Gotliss Street
