REVIEW: The Malaise

The Malaise
Author: David Turton

In 2038, technology runs nearly everything in the world -- from smart houses and self-driving cars to emails sent by thought and RazorVision VR glasses -- the modern world runs with technology invented by Rick Razor, Then one day the tech mogul barricades himself in his fortified glass tower and a strange video is released that goes viral. Soon the video has been watched billions of times....literally everyone with access to RazorVision has seen it. More than once. Then the killing starts..... Within 24 hours, there are very few people left alive. Can the survivors start over? Will they ever understand what happened?

For the most part, I enjoyed this story. It some exciting and gruesome moments, plus the concept of the apocalypse coming via technology is an interesting one. Although the concept of a corporation or madman ending life on earth isn't a new plot in dystopian/science fiction, I liked the fact that in this case the weapon of mass destruction was technology itself. The survivors make for interesting characters.....the group is a rag tag bunch from nearly all walks of life. They are all thrown together to start civilization all over again from the basics, while looking for answers to what caused the destruction of modern society. Strong people in a very tough time. There were some parts of the plot I found to be a bit too easy/coincidental to be realistic....but it wasn't enough cheese to pull me out of the story entirely. The plot moved along at a nice pace with good suspense. It definitely kept my interest. The ending was a bit fast for me.....I wanted the final boss fight/altercation to be a little more in-depth. But,overall, the book was an enjoyable read for me. I love apocalyptic/dystopian stories. The Malaise is definitely worth a read! The story has me re-thinking my curiosity about VR and complex, adaptable AI software!

The cover art for this book is awesome! Very eye catching. I wanted to read this story the minute I saw the cover!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from John Hunt Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**