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Terminal State
Britain, 2050. Driverless cars and bullet trains; drones and cameras watching the streets; the nation’s borders sealed.
State-sanctioned murder.
To combat antisocial behaviour, the Government allows certain people - legals - to carry concealed weapons and to kill anyone committing an offensive or objectionable act. Surveilling the legals and the general population, the Department of Social Order is the most powerful organisation in the country. Close to destitute and too young to apply for legality, Kara Niven has little to do with lawful killing or the Department. That is until she breaks off her relationship with her violent boyfriend Adam.
Convinced she is seeing someone else, seething at an imagined betrayal, Adam is desperate to have his revenge on Kara even if he isn’t legal. Yet. At the same time, someone is systematically assassinating the people who created authorised murder ten years ago – and the killer’s path will lead him right to Kara’s door. Targeted by men who know nothing but violence, faced with threats from all sides, Kara won’t be anyone’s victim.
The law calls her a statistic.
Kara calls herself a survivor.
State-sanctioned murder.
To combat antisocial behaviour, the Government allows certain people - legals - to carry concealed weapons and to kill anyone committing an offensive or objectionable act. Surveilling the legals and the general population, the Department of Social Order is the most powerful organisation in the country. Close to destitute and too young to apply for legality, Kara Niven has little to do with lawful killing or the Department. That is until she breaks off her relationship with her violent boyfriend Adam.
Convinced she is seeing someone else, seething at an imagined betrayal, Adam is desperate to have his revenge on Kara even if he isn’t legal. Yet. At the same time, someone is systematically assassinating the people who created authorised murder ten years ago – and the killer’s path will lead him right to Kara’s door. Targeted by men who know nothing but violence, faced with threats from all sides, Kara won’t be anyone’s victim.
The law calls her a statistic.
Kara calls herself a survivor.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 6, 2024
Rob Harrison’s futuristic techno-thriller kept me guessing until nearly the last moment!
Harrison has created a world that seems plausible. A world where cameras dominate everything and are everywhere. A world where certain people are deemed “legal,” meaning they are lawfully able to buy guns and weaponry. A world where anyone not deemed “Legal” is not allowed weaponry of any kind. A world where violence has been deemed illegal, except for when done by “Legals.” In thinking about what this world would really be like to live in, I was afraid. Very afraid.
Kara and Adam have been dating for a while, but Adam has been…changing. He’s not himself anymore. Adam is also the daughter of Zoe, the woman who changed the world by creating the “legal” system. When Kara breaks off her relationship with Adam, he reacts poorly and begins a downward slide. A slide into what, you might ask? You’ll have to read this to find out!
In addition to Kara and Adam, we follow a man named Kehoe, ( a legal, in fact, the very FIRST Legal), as he goes on a killing spree. We don’t know why at first, but as the story progresses it all becomes clear. It seemed that a meeting between Kehoe and Adam was inevitable from the very start, and I was eager for it to happen.
The downslide of Adam was really something to see. His growing addiction to illegal, violent videos, (not to mention drugs), seemed to fuel his evil desires. His reaction to his breakup with Kara is something we see nearly every night on the news. Stalking, via texts, calls and in person, Kara is left with little to defend herself. Adam being the son of the most powerful woman and Kara being…no one. She is left with little to defend herself-even knives are only sold to Legals. I genuinely felt her fear as Adam spiraled further and further down.
The world building here got me to thinking a lot about the current state of world affairs. Even an idiot can see that things are not good, no matter where in the world they are located. Hate seems to be on the rise as well as the usual “rich getting richer, poor getting poorer” themes.
What would happen if only the rich and powerful could have weapons? Would they exploit their enemies? Would they exploit the poor? I think you know the answers already, since some of that is already happening.
Overall, I enjoyed the hell out of this! It got me thinking, and even though my thoughts were on the dark and depressing side-mostly because I see nuggets of truth here, I enjoyed TERMINAL STATE. Maybe you will too?
Recommended to all, but especially those who enjoy getting a glimpse of our possible dark future.
*Review copy provided by the author. Thank you*
Harrison has created a world that seems plausible. A world where cameras dominate everything and are everywhere. A world where certain people are deemed “legal,” meaning they are lawfully able to buy guns and weaponry. A world where anyone not deemed “Legal” is not allowed weaponry of any kind. A world where violence has been deemed illegal, except for when done by “Legals.” In thinking about what this world would really be like to live in, I was afraid. Very afraid.
Kara and Adam have been dating for a while, but Adam has been…changing. He’s not himself anymore. Adam is also the daughter of Zoe, the woman who changed the world by creating the “legal” system. When Kara breaks off her relationship with Adam, he reacts poorly and begins a downward slide. A slide into what, you might ask? You’ll have to read this to find out!
In addition to Kara and Adam, we follow a man named Kehoe, ( a legal, in fact, the very FIRST Legal), as he goes on a killing spree. We don’t know why at first, but as the story progresses it all becomes clear. It seemed that a meeting between Kehoe and Adam was inevitable from the very start, and I was eager for it to happen.
The downslide of Adam was really something to see. His growing addiction to illegal, violent videos, (not to mention drugs), seemed to fuel his evil desires. His reaction to his breakup with Kara is something we see nearly every night on the news. Stalking, via texts, calls and in person, Kara is left with little to defend herself. Adam being the son of the most powerful woman and Kara being…no one. She is left with little to defend herself-even knives are only sold to Legals. I genuinely felt her fear as Adam spiraled further and further down.
The world building here got me to thinking a lot about the current state of world affairs. Even an idiot can see that things are not good, no matter where in the world they are located. Hate seems to be on the rise as well as the usual “rich getting richer, poor getting poorer” themes.
What would happen if only the rich and powerful could have weapons? Would they exploit their enemies? Would they exploit the poor? I think you know the answers already, since some of that is already happening.
Overall, I enjoyed the hell out of this! It got me thinking, and even though my thoughts were on the dark and depressing side-mostly because I see nuggets of truth here, I enjoyed TERMINAL STATE. Maybe you will too?
Recommended to all, but especially those who enjoy getting a glimpse of our possible dark future.
*Review copy provided by the author. Thank you*
Displaying 1 of 1 review