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The Dissonance Saga #2
Dissonance Volume II - Reckoning
They say there's nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose. Sergeant Cameron Shipley is that man.
He wants revenge for the death of his brother, and that thirst for revenge extends all the way up to the President of the United States. But some people are silver-tongues, and Cameron is swayed back to trust. Promoted back to Lieutenant, Cameron is issued a new mission and is on the hunt for answers. He must figure out who his allies and enemies are, before he winds up with a knife in his back.
The alien invasion is still a threat, and Cameron is torn between duty and doubt. His newest assignment takes him to the post-apocalyptic Blockade at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. He’s needed to train recruits, strengthen defenses, and plan a strike against the alien forces.
Love was never part of the plan, but surviving side-by-side with Allison Trudy, Cameron finds himself falling for her. Little do they know they’re walking into a trap: one that might just destroy everything they’ve built. Failure isn’t an option: a dystopian humanity hinges on their success.
The final battle looms, and redemption awaits...for better or worse.
Grab the sequel to the bestselling post-apocalyptic Dissonance Volume I: Reality by Aaron Ryan...and experience dystopian tension and terror lurking around every corner!
He wants revenge for the death of his brother, and that thirst for revenge extends all the way up to the President of the United States. But some people are silver-tongues, and Cameron is swayed back to trust. Promoted back to Lieutenant, Cameron is issued a new mission and is on the hunt for answers. He must figure out who his allies and enemies are, before he winds up with a knife in his back.
The alien invasion is still a threat, and Cameron is torn between duty and doubt. His newest assignment takes him to the post-apocalyptic Blockade at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. He’s needed to train recruits, strengthen defenses, and plan a strike against the alien forces.
Love was never part of the plan, but surviving side-by-side with Allison Trudy, Cameron finds himself falling for her. Little do they know they’re walking into a trap: one that might just destroy everything they’ve built. Failure isn’t an option: a dystopian humanity hinges on their success.
The final battle looms, and redemption awaits...for better or worse.
Grab the sequel to the bestselling post-apocalyptic Dissonance Volume I: Reality by Aaron Ryan...and experience dystopian tension and terror lurking around every corner!
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2024
7 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Ryan
36 books53 followersAward-winning and bestselling author, speaker, panelist, workshop presenter and voice actor Aaron Ryan lives in Washington with his wife and two sons, along with Macy the dog, Winston the cat, and the finches Inky, Pinky, Blinky & Clyde.
He is the prolific author of the bestselling "Dissonance" 6-book alien invasion saga, the Christian dystopian fiction trilogy "The End," the "Talisman" trilogy, the sci-fi thrillers "Forecast", "The Slide," and "The Phoenix Experiment", the nonfiction book "God Is Not Santa," the children's picture books "The Ring of Truth," "The Sword of Joy" and "The Book of Power," the business reference books "How to Successfully Self-Publish & Promote Your Self-Published Book" and "The Superhero Anomaly", 6 business books on voiceovers penned under his former stage name (Joshua Alexander), as well as a previous fictional novel, "The Omega Room."
When he was in second grade, he was tasked with writing a creative assignment: a fictional book. And thus, "The Electric Boy" was born: a simple novella full of intrigue, fantasy, and 7-year-old wits that electrified Aaron's desire to write. From that point forward, Aaron evolved into a creative soul that desired to create.
He enjoys the arts, media, music, performing, poetry, and being a daddy. In his lifetime he has been an author, voiceover artist, wedding videographer, stage performer, musician, producer, rock/pop artist, executive assistant, service manager, paperboy, CSR, poet, tech support, worship leader, and more. The diversity of his life experiences gives him a unique approach to business, life, ministry, faith, and entertainment.
Aaron's favorite author by far is J.R.R. Tolkien, but he also enjoys Suzanne Collins, James S.A. Corey, Michael Crichton, Marie Lu, Madeleine L'Engle, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, C.S. Lewis, Stephen King and Dave Barry.
Aaron has always had a passion for storytelling.
IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm5976186
Web: www.authoraaronryan.com | www.speakeraaronryan.com
Social: dot.cards/authoraaronryan
Group: www.authoraaronryangroup.com
Store: www.authoraaronryanstore.com
He is the prolific author of the bestselling "Dissonance" 6-book alien invasion saga, the Christian dystopian fiction trilogy "The End," the "Talisman" trilogy, the sci-fi thrillers "Forecast", "The Slide," and "The Phoenix Experiment", the nonfiction book "God Is Not Santa," the children's picture books "The Ring of Truth," "The Sword of Joy" and "The Book of Power," the business reference books "How to Successfully Self-Publish & Promote Your Self-Published Book" and "The Superhero Anomaly", 6 business books on voiceovers penned under his former stage name (Joshua Alexander), as well as a previous fictional novel, "The Omega Room."
When he was in second grade, he was tasked with writing a creative assignment: a fictional book. And thus, "The Electric Boy" was born: a simple novella full of intrigue, fantasy, and 7-year-old wits that electrified Aaron's desire to write. From that point forward, Aaron evolved into a creative soul that desired to create.
He enjoys the arts, media, music, performing, poetry, and being a daddy. In his lifetime he has been an author, voiceover artist, wedding videographer, stage performer, musician, producer, rock/pop artist, executive assistant, service manager, paperboy, CSR, poet, tech support, worship leader, and more. The diversity of his life experiences gives him a unique approach to business, life, ministry, faith, and entertainment.
Aaron's favorite author by far is J.R.R. Tolkien, but he also enjoys Suzanne Collins, James S.A. Corey, Michael Crichton, Marie Lu, Madeleine L'Engle, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, C.S. Lewis, Stephen King and Dave Barry.
Aaron has always had a passion for storytelling.
IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm5976186
Web: www.authoraaronryan.com | www.speakeraaronryan.com
Social: dot.cards/authoraaronryan
Group: www.authoraaronryangroup.com
Store: www.authoraaronryanstore.com
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 5, 2024
With Dissonance, Volume II: Reckoning, author Aaron Ryan solidifies his place as one of the most thrillingly uncompromising voices in modern science fiction. Picking up shortly after the shattering events of Volume I, Reckoning kicks the saga into an even darker, morally ambiguous trajectory as haunted protagonist Cameron "Jet" Shipley and his ragtag band of survivors find themselves branded as enemies of the very leadership they once served. It's a breathtakingly audacious creative choice that pays off in spades, allowing Ryan to burrow ever deeper into profoundly disquieting philosophical territory about the fragility of civilization and the ever-shifting sands of trust and allegiance in the face of apocalyptic ruin.
From the opening pages, it's clear that Reckoning will be pulling no punches in its depiction of a world that has thoroughly ceded any illusion of control to the unstoppable alien threat known as the gorgons. Reckoning opens mere days after a catastrophic military operation that has left Jet reeling from the loss of his beloved brother Rut. Worse still, he has been arrested and imprisoned by the same chain of command that duped him into undertaking the suicide mission that led to Rut's death. It's a brutal bait-and-switch that leaves Jet questioning the fundamental integrity of everything and everyone around him. Ryan deftly depicts the full psychological enormity of this spiritual shredding, forcing his battle-hardened protagonist to reckon with just how tenuous humanity's grasp on truth and meaning has become.
But Ryan is far too canny a storyteller to settle for mere existential brooding (as richly evocative as those detours can be). No sooner has Jet begun sinking into despair than an unlikely ally reemerges to detonate the narrative wide open. Enter Captain Vance Cardona, a supposedly derelict officer whose own distrust of the US government's agenda has been simmering for decades. It's Cardona who first clues Jet into the unthinkable - that the very leadership civilians are meant to look to for protection may be every bit as treacherous as the world-devouring gorgons themselves.
From here, Reckoning kicks into unrelenting high gear as Jet, Lieutenant Allison Trudy, Private Liam "Fox" Mayfield, Sergeant Joseph Bassett, Cardona, stoic Captain Miguel Monzon and the remaining members of the ragged ensemble are forced to go on the run - not just from the gorgons but from the full military might of the very government ostensibly still in power. It's an ingenious act of moral jujitsu that instantly realigns audience sympathies and raises the emotional stakes exponentially. For now, the true enemy has been unmasked - and it wears the face of the supposedly benevolent power structure we've all been conditioned to trust.
Taken in full, this entire narrative paradigm shift represents nothing less than a total dismantling of the kinds of albatross caveats and safety nets that so often compromise most science fiction tales' willingness to push past surface-level viscera into deeper thematic inquiry. By having Jet's own superiors, right up to the highest offices of government, revealed as the story's true antagonists, Ryan detonates the conventional either/or polarization of us vs. them and forces us to reckon with far knottier questions about the inexorable fracturing of society in the face of civilizational collapse.
In Reckoning's pitch-black yet harshly illuminating universe, there are no easy refuges of moral comfort to be found. It is the very mechanisms of authority and order which have been subverted from within, cracking apart the pillars of human decency and accountability meant to fortify us against the rising tides of apathy and self-preservation run amok. It is the governing class and military establishment itself that now most threatens the very survival of human society, driven to contemplate nothing less than sacrificing entire civilian populations for the unilateral pursuit of continued control and consolidation of power.
If that sounds like a brazenly provocative narrative stance, that's because it absolutely is. Yet Ryan more than earns such boldness with the sheer gutsiness of his allegorical vision and unflinching examination of how humanity confronts its most uncompromising demons and depravities when the chips are utterly down. Time and again, Reckoning depicts descents into abandon and self-annihilation that flirt with permanently shattering our already fragile grasp on shared ethics and cultural continuity. Every justification for atrocity, no matter how well-intentioned or purportedly for the greater good, carries a soul-leeching cost that calls into question the very moral purpose for humanity's continued existence.
Most chillingly of all, those twisting human civilization into monstrous new permutations are no longer the eldritch alien invaders but mankind's own erstwhile defenders - the highest governing leadership class charged with shepherding civilization through the rising ashes of post-apocalypse only to become violently dislocated from any sense of real accountability. It's the ultimate haunting embodiment of the banality of evil - a poisoned bureaucracy becoming a siloistic death cult of greed, paranoia and ruthless self-interest, willing to commit the most horrific of atrocities with clinical detachment.
As much as Reckoning expands the visceral horrors of its fiction universe with the introduction of brutish new gorgon behemoths and escalating scenes of pulse-pounding action, it's this disquieting philosophical framework that gives the book its searing power. Ryan roots his entire narrative in the mounting existential terror of seeing every supposedly unshakable bulwark of human ethics and decency starting to splinter and give way under pressure. If the edifices of governance and military order have been irrevocably compromised, what ultimate foundation does society have left to stand on? It's a question with no clear answers, one that Reckoning asks with mounting fervor.
That's not to say that Reckoning fails to satisfy on the level of sheer visceral impact and pulpy propulsion. To the contrary, Ryan unleashes a blitzkrieg of mind-boggling twists and harrowing setpieces that leave you breathless, gulping for air - and frequently slam-cutting to devastating new planes of loss. At every turn, Jet, Ally, Foxy and the others find themselves ensnared by mounting betrayals and faceoffs against impossibly terrifying new threats from all sides. Whether it's learning the gorgons are exhibiting disturbingly burgeoning intelligence or watching civilization's last line of defense collapse amid a claustrophobically ferocious siege, Reckoning positively brims with sequences of heart-stopping dread and relentless suspense. Jet's anguished howls of fury at losing yet another loved one to the monsters ring with a shattering authenticity.
But for all the refusal to compromise harsh reality, Reckoning ultimately reveals itself as a story about refusing to surrender to despair, no matter how tempting the inevitability of surrendering to darkness may seem. For even as Jet grows increasingly consumed by justified fury at the depths of human corruption he's been forced to witness, so too does he find himself having to hold fast to our species' lingering sparks of compassion and empathy - to nurture the very antidote to the soulless inhumanity driving the forces of malign leadership. In Foxy (Liam Mayfield), Jet finds a new surrogate brother to fight for, a reminder of the fraternal bonds that give purpose and uplift our resolve to endure.
It's a core relationship that becomes even more potent under the wisdom and counsel of Pastor Rosie, a quasi-angelic messenger imploring Jet to rise above mere retaliatory vengeance. For Rosie recognizes that ultimately, the preservation of moral integrity and justice are what separate humanity's struggle to survive from a descent into the oblivion of nihilistic self-destruction. If we sacrifice the ability to love, forgive and believe in something greater than ourselves, then all other victories in war are meaningless. It's an unremittingly powerful refutation of cynicism that drives the cathartic climax of Reckoning and sets the stage for the series conclusion.
In this light, Reckoning evolves into a searing meditation on the responsibility of individual conscience amidst societal collapse - an assertion of the sanctity of the human soul as civilization's last line of defense against the encroaching tides of inhumanity and reversion to the monstrous. Ryan has not just continued a rip-roaring pulp tale of apocalyptic alien invasion; he's crafted one of the leanest, most brutally uncompromising science fiction morality plays of the modern era. A humanist parable cloaked in the garb of muscular action/horror, an urgent philosophical reckoning with our age of resurgent totalitarian menace and sociocultural splintering.
Where Jet's odyssey carries us from here is anyone's guess. But based on the ever-heightening intensity of Reckoning's relentless forward momentum, the shattering revelations that await in the saga's conclusion promise to probe ever deeper into the uncompromising marrow of human morality when confronted by an existential threat. Few authors writing today have exhibited the level of philosophical ferocity and willingness to wrench 21st century science fiction out of complacency that Ryan has brought to his work. The only certainties are that concepts will be challenged, cherished assumptions obliterated and our readerly nerves strung ever tighter by the sheer, unblinking audacity of the creative mind at work.
With Reckoning, Aaron Ryan has irrevocably established himself as a bold new visionary force in imaginative fiction. Brave readers seeking soulful, ruthlessly probing genre tales that double as penetrating inquiries into the nature of human identity, accountability and the sanctity of truth would do well to dive into Dissonance's immersive depths. The waters may be murky, but the resonant enlightenment awaits.
From the opening pages, it's clear that Reckoning will be pulling no punches in its depiction of a world that has thoroughly ceded any illusion of control to the unstoppable alien threat known as the gorgons. Reckoning opens mere days after a catastrophic military operation that has left Jet reeling from the loss of his beloved brother Rut. Worse still, he has been arrested and imprisoned by the same chain of command that duped him into undertaking the suicide mission that led to Rut's death. It's a brutal bait-and-switch that leaves Jet questioning the fundamental integrity of everything and everyone around him. Ryan deftly depicts the full psychological enormity of this spiritual shredding, forcing his battle-hardened protagonist to reckon with just how tenuous humanity's grasp on truth and meaning has become.
But Ryan is far too canny a storyteller to settle for mere existential brooding (as richly evocative as those detours can be). No sooner has Jet begun sinking into despair than an unlikely ally reemerges to detonate the narrative wide open. Enter Captain Vance Cardona, a supposedly derelict officer whose own distrust of the US government's agenda has been simmering for decades. It's Cardona who first clues Jet into the unthinkable - that the very leadership civilians are meant to look to for protection may be every bit as treacherous as the world-devouring gorgons themselves.
From here, Reckoning kicks into unrelenting high gear as Jet, Lieutenant Allison Trudy, Private Liam "Fox" Mayfield, Sergeant Joseph Bassett, Cardona, stoic Captain Miguel Monzon and the remaining members of the ragged ensemble are forced to go on the run - not just from the gorgons but from the full military might of the very government ostensibly still in power. It's an ingenious act of moral jujitsu that instantly realigns audience sympathies and raises the emotional stakes exponentially. For now, the true enemy has been unmasked - and it wears the face of the supposedly benevolent power structure we've all been conditioned to trust.
Taken in full, this entire narrative paradigm shift represents nothing less than a total dismantling of the kinds of albatross caveats and safety nets that so often compromise most science fiction tales' willingness to push past surface-level viscera into deeper thematic inquiry. By having Jet's own superiors, right up to the highest offices of government, revealed as the story's true antagonists, Ryan detonates the conventional either/or polarization of us vs. them and forces us to reckon with far knottier questions about the inexorable fracturing of society in the face of civilizational collapse.
In Reckoning's pitch-black yet harshly illuminating universe, there are no easy refuges of moral comfort to be found. It is the very mechanisms of authority and order which have been subverted from within, cracking apart the pillars of human decency and accountability meant to fortify us against the rising tides of apathy and self-preservation run amok. It is the governing class and military establishment itself that now most threatens the very survival of human society, driven to contemplate nothing less than sacrificing entire civilian populations for the unilateral pursuit of continued control and consolidation of power.
If that sounds like a brazenly provocative narrative stance, that's because it absolutely is. Yet Ryan more than earns such boldness with the sheer gutsiness of his allegorical vision and unflinching examination of how humanity confronts its most uncompromising demons and depravities when the chips are utterly down. Time and again, Reckoning depicts descents into abandon and self-annihilation that flirt with permanently shattering our already fragile grasp on shared ethics and cultural continuity. Every justification for atrocity, no matter how well-intentioned or purportedly for the greater good, carries a soul-leeching cost that calls into question the very moral purpose for humanity's continued existence.
Most chillingly of all, those twisting human civilization into monstrous new permutations are no longer the eldritch alien invaders but mankind's own erstwhile defenders - the highest governing leadership class charged with shepherding civilization through the rising ashes of post-apocalypse only to become violently dislocated from any sense of real accountability. It's the ultimate haunting embodiment of the banality of evil - a poisoned bureaucracy becoming a siloistic death cult of greed, paranoia and ruthless self-interest, willing to commit the most horrific of atrocities with clinical detachment.
As much as Reckoning expands the visceral horrors of its fiction universe with the introduction of brutish new gorgon behemoths and escalating scenes of pulse-pounding action, it's this disquieting philosophical framework that gives the book its searing power. Ryan roots his entire narrative in the mounting existential terror of seeing every supposedly unshakable bulwark of human ethics and decency starting to splinter and give way under pressure. If the edifices of governance and military order have been irrevocably compromised, what ultimate foundation does society have left to stand on? It's a question with no clear answers, one that Reckoning asks with mounting fervor.
That's not to say that Reckoning fails to satisfy on the level of sheer visceral impact and pulpy propulsion. To the contrary, Ryan unleashes a blitzkrieg of mind-boggling twists and harrowing setpieces that leave you breathless, gulping for air - and frequently slam-cutting to devastating new planes of loss. At every turn, Jet, Ally, Foxy and the others find themselves ensnared by mounting betrayals and faceoffs against impossibly terrifying new threats from all sides. Whether it's learning the gorgons are exhibiting disturbingly burgeoning intelligence or watching civilization's last line of defense collapse amid a claustrophobically ferocious siege, Reckoning positively brims with sequences of heart-stopping dread and relentless suspense. Jet's anguished howls of fury at losing yet another loved one to the monsters ring with a shattering authenticity.
But for all the refusal to compromise harsh reality, Reckoning ultimately reveals itself as a story about refusing to surrender to despair, no matter how tempting the inevitability of surrendering to darkness may seem. For even as Jet grows increasingly consumed by justified fury at the depths of human corruption he's been forced to witness, so too does he find himself having to hold fast to our species' lingering sparks of compassion and empathy - to nurture the very antidote to the soulless inhumanity driving the forces of malign leadership. In Foxy (Liam Mayfield), Jet finds a new surrogate brother to fight for, a reminder of the fraternal bonds that give purpose and uplift our resolve to endure.
It's a core relationship that becomes even more potent under the wisdom and counsel of Pastor Rosie, a quasi-angelic messenger imploring Jet to rise above mere retaliatory vengeance. For Rosie recognizes that ultimately, the preservation of moral integrity and justice are what separate humanity's struggle to survive from a descent into the oblivion of nihilistic self-destruction. If we sacrifice the ability to love, forgive and believe in something greater than ourselves, then all other victories in war are meaningless. It's an unremittingly powerful refutation of cynicism that drives the cathartic climax of Reckoning and sets the stage for the series conclusion.
In this light, Reckoning evolves into a searing meditation on the responsibility of individual conscience amidst societal collapse - an assertion of the sanctity of the human soul as civilization's last line of defense against the encroaching tides of inhumanity and reversion to the monstrous. Ryan has not just continued a rip-roaring pulp tale of apocalyptic alien invasion; he's crafted one of the leanest, most brutally uncompromising science fiction morality plays of the modern era. A humanist parable cloaked in the garb of muscular action/horror, an urgent philosophical reckoning with our age of resurgent totalitarian menace and sociocultural splintering.
Where Jet's odyssey carries us from here is anyone's guess. But based on the ever-heightening intensity of Reckoning's relentless forward momentum, the shattering revelations that await in the saga's conclusion promise to probe ever deeper into the uncompromising marrow of human morality when confronted by an existential threat. Few authors writing today have exhibited the level of philosophical ferocity and willingness to wrench 21st century science fiction out of complacency that Ryan has brought to his work. The only certainties are that concepts will be challenged, cherished assumptions obliterated and our readerly nerves strung ever tighter by the sheer, unblinking audacity of the creative mind at work.
With Reckoning, Aaron Ryan has irrevocably established himself as a bold new visionary force in imaginative fiction. Brave readers seeking soulful, ruthlessly probing genre tales that double as penetrating inquiries into the nature of human identity, accountability and the sanctity of truth would do well to dive into Dissonance's immersive depths. The waters may be murky, but the resonant enlightenment awaits.
May 10, 2024
Well, damn. Just when you thought the apocalypse couldn't get any bleaker, Aaron Ryan's Dissonance, Volume II: Reckoning comes along and lets you know the real horror show has only just begun. Picking up right where the first book's shattering events left off, this mercilessly compelling sequel rips the rug out from under any comfort zones and doubles down on taking the saga's existential dread to the most uncompromising of depths.
On the surface level, Reckoning delivers all the visceral money shots sci-fi/horror fans crave - bigger, meaner aliens to shudder at; more blistering action set pieces to leave you slack-jawed; and ever-heightening doses of mayhem amped to feverish intensity. The phantasmagoric introduction of towering new "behemoth" gorgon variants, backed up by Ryan's knack for vividly unsettling biological monster renders, is alone enough to permanently sear itself into your cerebral crevices.
But as readers of Volume I know full well, this saga has always been about so much more than mere genre checkers. Reckoning continues Ryan's assault on easy escapism and creative complacencies by boldly dismantling its own narrative paradigms and subverting any remaining assumptions. Just when you think you know where the battle lines have been irreversibly drawn between humanity and the gorgon hordes, the author pulls the rug out in an audacious, game-changing pivot.
For the true villains turn out not to be the alien cosmic terrors rampaging across the earth, but rather the malignant insiders gnawing away at the governing structures of human leadership itself. In a realm-resetting reveal of blistering subversive audacity, protagonist Jet Shipley finds himself on the run and branded an outlaw fugitive by the very military command meant to be protecting the last remnants of civilization.
It's a seismic status quo shift driven by Jet's horrifying discovery that the government all the way up to the President has become utterly compromised by self-interest, sociopathy and genocidal depravity unlike anything imaginable. The obsession with preserving authority at all costs has mutated into a soulless death cult willing to sacrifice millions of civilian lives and sanction apocalyptic atrocities just to consolidated totalitarian control.
With that single masterstroke twist, Ryan takes his entire Dissonance narrative into uncharted existential territory far more daring than any conventional genre templates. For now, the urgent saga has transmogrified into an interrogation of not just the battle for physical survival, but the insidious ways moral decay, greed and corruption can sabotage civilizations from within at the most catastrophic of inflection points.
In many ways, Reckoning operates on a far more scorching philosophical frequency than most speculative fiction consumers may be accustomed to. As Jet goes on the run alongside rebel allies including the stalwart Lieutenant Trudy and the scarred, disillusioned military vet Captain Cardona, the story cycles through a constant refrain of harrowing ethical thorniness. If the salvation of the species requires surrendering our core assets of empathy, truth and human value systems, have we not already obliterated the essence of what makes our species transcendent to begin with?
It's this grappling with the most elemental questions of justice, accountability and grace under civilization's most dire pressures that gives Reckoning its inimitable smoldering power. By refusing to indulge in escapist retreats, Ryan keeps forcing his reader's consciousnesses into a near-constant existential reckoning of what lines we're willing to cross before surrendering claim to the last vestiges of moral purpose.
Staggering between the breathlessly paced action pyrotechnics and the more introspective character gravitas of figures like Jet's new mentor Pastor Rosie, Reckoning shines as the stuff of searing catharsis and bracing self-inventory. The stakes extend far beyond the cosmically operatic stakes of alien invasion narratives into the soul of human identity itself. What's worth salvaging when all norms have devolved into a state of nature? Who do we choose to become in the harshest of circumstances?
While the answers remain elusive (and likely will remain so heading into the climactic final volume), one thing has become crystalline - Aaron Ryan has forged something more than a propulsive genre entertainment here. Dissonance, Volume II: Reckoning is nothing less than an impassioned exhortation to wrestle with the daunting costs and imperatives of retaining individual ethical candor when all societal orders have collapsed. A call to keep fighting to preserve the regenerative sparks of purpose amidst the leveling ravages of authoritarianism run amok.
Or put more succinctly - this is the kind of pulse-pounding visionary fiction that essentially dares you not to blink. Challenge accepted.
On the surface level, Reckoning delivers all the visceral money shots sci-fi/horror fans crave - bigger, meaner aliens to shudder at; more blistering action set pieces to leave you slack-jawed; and ever-heightening doses of mayhem amped to feverish intensity. The phantasmagoric introduction of towering new "behemoth" gorgon variants, backed up by Ryan's knack for vividly unsettling biological monster renders, is alone enough to permanently sear itself into your cerebral crevices.
But as readers of Volume I know full well, this saga has always been about so much more than mere genre checkers. Reckoning continues Ryan's assault on easy escapism and creative complacencies by boldly dismantling its own narrative paradigms and subverting any remaining assumptions. Just when you think you know where the battle lines have been irreversibly drawn between humanity and the gorgon hordes, the author pulls the rug out in an audacious, game-changing pivot.
For the true villains turn out not to be the alien cosmic terrors rampaging across the earth, but rather the malignant insiders gnawing away at the governing structures of human leadership itself. In a realm-resetting reveal of blistering subversive audacity, protagonist Jet Shipley finds himself on the run and branded an outlaw fugitive by the very military command meant to be protecting the last remnants of civilization.
It's a seismic status quo shift driven by Jet's horrifying discovery that the government all the way up to the President has become utterly compromised by self-interest, sociopathy and genocidal depravity unlike anything imaginable. The obsession with preserving authority at all costs has mutated into a soulless death cult willing to sacrifice millions of civilian lives and sanction apocalyptic atrocities just to consolidated totalitarian control.
With that single masterstroke twist, Ryan takes his entire Dissonance narrative into uncharted existential territory far more daring than any conventional genre templates. For now, the urgent saga has transmogrified into an interrogation of not just the battle for physical survival, but the insidious ways moral decay, greed and corruption can sabotage civilizations from within at the most catastrophic of inflection points.
In many ways, Reckoning operates on a far more scorching philosophical frequency than most speculative fiction consumers may be accustomed to. As Jet goes on the run alongside rebel allies including the stalwart Lieutenant Trudy and the scarred, disillusioned military vet Captain Cardona, the story cycles through a constant refrain of harrowing ethical thorniness. If the salvation of the species requires surrendering our core assets of empathy, truth and human value systems, have we not already obliterated the essence of what makes our species transcendent to begin with?
It's this grappling with the most elemental questions of justice, accountability and grace under civilization's most dire pressures that gives Reckoning its inimitable smoldering power. By refusing to indulge in escapist retreats, Ryan keeps forcing his reader's consciousnesses into a near-constant existential reckoning of what lines we're willing to cross before surrendering claim to the last vestiges of moral purpose.
Staggering between the breathlessly paced action pyrotechnics and the more introspective character gravitas of figures like Jet's new mentor Pastor Rosie, Reckoning shines as the stuff of searing catharsis and bracing self-inventory. The stakes extend far beyond the cosmically operatic stakes of alien invasion narratives into the soul of human identity itself. What's worth salvaging when all norms have devolved into a state of nature? Who do we choose to become in the harshest of circumstances?
While the answers remain elusive (and likely will remain so heading into the climactic final volume), one thing has become crystalline - Aaron Ryan has forged something more than a propulsive genre entertainment here. Dissonance, Volume II: Reckoning is nothing less than an impassioned exhortation to wrestle with the daunting costs and imperatives of retaining individual ethical candor when all societal orders have collapsed. A call to keep fighting to preserve the regenerative sparks of purpose amidst the leveling ravages of authoritarianism run amok.
Or put more succinctly - this is the kind of pulse-pounding visionary fiction that essentially dares you not to blink. Challenge accepted.
May 13, 2024
When you pick up the second installment of Aaron Ryan's Dissonance series, be prepared for one hell of a wild ride. Volume II: Reckoning pulls exactly zero punches in ratcheting up the intensity, moral complexity, and sheer unrelenting barrage of twists and turns. Just when you think you have a grip on the battle lines in this saga of post-apocalyptic alien invasion, the author deftly upends all your assumptions in the most audacious, gut-punching ways. I'm talking jaw-on-the-floor narrative feints that had me frantically flipping back pages to see if I missed something vital. That's how donkey-kicked I got by the cascade of reveals and perspective shifts Ryan unleashes here.
The opening is a prime example - Reckoning begins mere days after the climactic confrontation of the first book, except our embattled protagonist Cameron "Jet" Shipley finds himself in the unthinkable position of being imprisoned...by his own military superiors. The very forces charged with protecting the human remnants against the implacable gorgon threat have turned on Jet in the cruelest way. It's a brutal pivot that upends everything, stripping away any remaining illusions about where the real institutional loyalties lie. Jet has been cast out into the wilderness, hunted by the very authority figures he had bled and suffered for up until now.
From this shattering opening gambit, Ryan kicks the entire Dissonance narrative into an electrifying higher gear of moral grayness and ethical labyrinths. For Jet soon discovers from a cadre of renegade insiders that the civilian leadership itself, all the way up to the President of the United States, has become utterly corrupted - a festering boil of self-interest, narcissism and genocidal depravity wrapped in technocratic doublespeak. His quest to merely survive the gorgon onslaught has transmogrified into an all-out fight to bring down a deranged military junta willing to sacrifice millions of human lives just to cling to power.
I can't express enough how destabilizing and thematically gutsy this narrative realignment is on Ryan's part. He's effectively detonated his entire saga into a subversive allegory about the precariousness of civilization's ethics and core values amidst existential chaos. More than just extraterrestrial invaders, the gravest threat now emerges as the internal unraveling of truth, accountability and moral rectitude from within the very leadership institutions we rely on to steer us through cataclysm. The aliens have almost become background creatures, present mainly to amplify the true horror - the banal inhumanity of those wielding authority for selfish ends at any cost.
Once Jet and his rebel cell go on the run, Reckoning morphs into a kinetic, white-knuckle thrill ride of a manhunt narrative, complete with harrowing chase sequences, shootouts, and exactly the kind of breathless set pieces you'd expect from a top-tier genre actioner. Except Ryan refuses to lose sight of the story's more existential dimensions even amid the perpetual-motion mayhem. Every single firefight, every pulse-pounding gorgon ambush, every time the stakes get exponentially raised - it all feeds back into the deeper philosophical inquiries rumbling underneath about the essence of ethical comportment during civilization's darkest hours.
On one side stands the scorched-earth nihilism and genocidal endgame of the shadow government leaders; their lust to preserve institutional power has metastasized into something utterly depraved and indistinguishable from the monstrosities they claim to be fighting. On the other is the increasingly haunted yet doggedly resolute quest for accountability and truth represented by Jet's cell. It's the ultimate fight for the ravaged soul of humankind itself, interrogating whether self-annihilation or regenerative purpose will win out when all societal norms have collapsed.
Using this crucible of fraught polarities, Ryan has essentially crafted a searing allegory about the perils of moral relativism in genre fiction itself. A blistering condemnation of the impulse to surrender ethics and empathy in the name of commercial expediency or cynical self-preservation masquerading as dramatic realism. Make no mistake, Reckoning flat out refuses to let its readers take refuge in easy fantasies or indulge in the very same compromises it portrays as a slippery-slope toward dehumanization. For even as the body count mounts and the violence intensifies, Ryan keeps circling back to the inviolable conviction that spiraling into the void of unrestrained venality is not the solution here.
No, Jet and his comrades - the steadfast Allison Trudy, young buck Private Foxy, even a paternal spirit guide in Pastor Rosie - represent the valiant last refusal to surrender compassion and integrity even at the apparent endpoint of all things. While the institutions and chains of command rot from the inside out, the story locates its thematic urgency in the individual's capacity to locate new unities of purpose and hang on to the radiant sparks of ethics and grace that make us transcendently human.
The opening is a prime example - Reckoning begins mere days after the climactic confrontation of the first book, except our embattled protagonist Cameron "Jet" Shipley finds himself in the unthinkable position of being imprisoned...by his own military superiors. The very forces charged with protecting the human remnants against the implacable gorgon threat have turned on Jet in the cruelest way. It's a brutal pivot that upends everything, stripping away any remaining illusions about where the real institutional loyalties lie. Jet has been cast out into the wilderness, hunted by the very authority figures he had bled and suffered for up until now.
From this shattering opening gambit, Ryan kicks the entire Dissonance narrative into an electrifying higher gear of moral grayness and ethical labyrinths. For Jet soon discovers from a cadre of renegade insiders that the civilian leadership itself, all the way up to the President of the United States, has become utterly corrupted - a festering boil of self-interest, narcissism and genocidal depravity wrapped in technocratic doublespeak. His quest to merely survive the gorgon onslaught has transmogrified into an all-out fight to bring down a deranged military junta willing to sacrifice millions of human lives just to cling to power.
I can't express enough how destabilizing and thematically gutsy this narrative realignment is on Ryan's part. He's effectively detonated his entire saga into a subversive allegory about the precariousness of civilization's ethics and core values amidst existential chaos. More than just extraterrestrial invaders, the gravest threat now emerges as the internal unraveling of truth, accountability and moral rectitude from within the very leadership institutions we rely on to steer us through cataclysm. The aliens have almost become background creatures, present mainly to amplify the true horror - the banal inhumanity of those wielding authority for selfish ends at any cost.
Once Jet and his rebel cell go on the run, Reckoning morphs into a kinetic, white-knuckle thrill ride of a manhunt narrative, complete with harrowing chase sequences, shootouts, and exactly the kind of breathless set pieces you'd expect from a top-tier genre actioner. Except Ryan refuses to lose sight of the story's more existential dimensions even amid the perpetual-motion mayhem. Every single firefight, every pulse-pounding gorgon ambush, every time the stakes get exponentially raised - it all feeds back into the deeper philosophical inquiries rumbling underneath about the essence of ethical comportment during civilization's darkest hours.
On one side stands the scorched-earth nihilism and genocidal endgame of the shadow government leaders; their lust to preserve institutional power has metastasized into something utterly depraved and indistinguishable from the monstrosities they claim to be fighting. On the other is the increasingly haunted yet doggedly resolute quest for accountability and truth represented by Jet's cell. It's the ultimate fight for the ravaged soul of humankind itself, interrogating whether self-annihilation or regenerative purpose will win out when all societal norms have collapsed.
Using this crucible of fraught polarities, Ryan has essentially crafted a searing allegory about the perils of moral relativism in genre fiction itself. A blistering condemnation of the impulse to surrender ethics and empathy in the name of commercial expediency or cynical self-preservation masquerading as dramatic realism. Make no mistake, Reckoning flat out refuses to let its readers take refuge in easy fantasies or indulge in the very same compromises it portrays as a slippery-slope toward dehumanization. For even as the body count mounts and the violence intensifies, Ryan keeps circling back to the inviolable conviction that spiraling into the void of unrestrained venality is not the solution here.
No, Jet and his comrades - the steadfast Allison Trudy, young buck Private Foxy, even a paternal spirit guide in Pastor Rosie - represent the valiant last refusal to surrender compassion and integrity even at the apparent endpoint of all things. While the institutions and chains of command rot from the inside out, the story locates its thematic urgency in the individual's capacity to locate new unities of purpose and hang on to the radiant sparks of ethics and grace that make us transcendently human.
May 17, 2024
Aaron Ryan's Dissonance, Volume II: Reckoning is one wild, unrelenting ride that'll make you question everything. I'm talking philosophies, allegiances, the core foundations of human civilization itself. By the time the dust settles on this book's final pages, you may find yourself having to put it down, take a few cleansing breaths, and re-evaluate your whole existential stance. No joke.
The sequel picks up shortly after the mindbending, heart-pounding events of the first book, thrusting us back into a world overrun by those terrifying gorgon creatures. You know, the ones that'll paralyze you into a vegetative state the second you make eye contact? Yeah, those sleep paralysis demon-looking freaks. Except now, they've got even bigger, meaner reinforcements in the form of towering new "behemoth" variants that are somehow even more nightmarish than the OG models.
But just when you think you've gotten a grip on the stakes of this alien-infested apocalypse, Ryan pulls a genius multi-dimensional chess move that shatters all your assumptions into a million jagged shards. Because it turns out the real existential menace isn't just the extraterrestrial invaders themselves, but the creeping spread of moral decay, corruption and outright sociopathic depravity from within the very ranks of human leadership meant to be protecting the last remnants of civilization.
I'm talking a full-blown, bureaucracy-cloaked death cult of self-preservation at any cost, zero ethical constraints applied. A labyrinth of deception and roundabout genocide where the obsession to accumulate power has become the only remaining raison d'etre. Up to and including the damn President of the United States herself being down with committing atrocities against civilian populations if it means clinging to authority through sheer totalitarian force.
It's a shattering narrative pivot that instantly elevates Reckoning into a whole other philosophical stratosphere way above your typical post-apocalyptic sci-fi pulp. Because once our grounded, everyman hero Cameron "Jet" Shipley gets cast out as a hunted fugitive by that same corrupt command he's loyally served, the entire story catalyzes into an interrogation of humanity's core ethical frameworks. If the governing institutions enforcing "order" have utterly surrendered accountability, truth and basic empathy in their craven pursuits, then what's even left worth fighting to preserve?
From there, Reckoning kicks into an unrelenting, kinetic overdrive that'll have you clinging white-knuckled to the pages in between deep cosmic gulps of breath. As Jet goes on the run alongside rebel allies like the steadfast Lieutenant Trudy and the gnarled, disillusioned vet Captain Cardona, Ryan fires off a blistering fusillade of harrowing chase scenes, paranoid conspiratorial double-crosses, and graphic new depictions of the alien/human battlefront.
Yet underpinning every single heart-pounding twist and turn is that same monumental philosophical exhortation to interrogate the most elemental questions of justice, human identity and where we're heading as a species if our failsafe of morality fully disintegrate. At its core, Reckoning isn't just kick-ass genre spectacle, but a screamed-from-the-rooftops reassertion of truth, compassion and ethical accountability as potent last line of defense against our own barbarism.
Through haunted yet morally steadfast characters like Jet, the young acolyte Foxy or the spiritual mentor Pastor Rosie, Reckoning argues there's always an ember of humanity's highest ideals and beliefs to keep stoking against the cruelest tides of authoritarianism and self-destruction. Even when all bridges seem burned, some ragged spirit of integrity is worth manifesting into an army unto itself.
Does Ryan pull off this high-wire act of merging rip-roaring popcorn thrills with unflinchingly weighty philosophical substance? For this reader, I'd have to say a resounding "hell yes." By searing his harrowing apocalyptic universe into our existential cores while rattling our consciousness about the imperatives of retaining personal accountability, Reckoning transcends mere genre escapism. This is potent, ethically super-charged art aimed straight at your elemental core as a person. The reckoning, it turns out, is with yourself.
The sequel picks up shortly after the mindbending, heart-pounding events of the first book, thrusting us back into a world overrun by those terrifying gorgon creatures. You know, the ones that'll paralyze you into a vegetative state the second you make eye contact? Yeah, those sleep paralysis demon-looking freaks. Except now, they've got even bigger, meaner reinforcements in the form of towering new "behemoth" variants that are somehow even more nightmarish than the OG models.
But just when you think you've gotten a grip on the stakes of this alien-infested apocalypse, Ryan pulls a genius multi-dimensional chess move that shatters all your assumptions into a million jagged shards. Because it turns out the real existential menace isn't just the extraterrestrial invaders themselves, but the creeping spread of moral decay, corruption and outright sociopathic depravity from within the very ranks of human leadership meant to be protecting the last remnants of civilization.
I'm talking a full-blown, bureaucracy-cloaked death cult of self-preservation at any cost, zero ethical constraints applied. A labyrinth of deception and roundabout genocide where the obsession to accumulate power has become the only remaining raison d'etre. Up to and including the damn President of the United States herself being down with committing atrocities against civilian populations if it means clinging to authority through sheer totalitarian force.
It's a shattering narrative pivot that instantly elevates Reckoning into a whole other philosophical stratosphere way above your typical post-apocalyptic sci-fi pulp. Because once our grounded, everyman hero Cameron "Jet" Shipley gets cast out as a hunted fugitive by that same corrupt command he's loyally served, the entire story catalyzes into an interrogation of humanity's core ethical frameworks. If the governing institutions enforcing "order" have utterly surrendered accountability, truth and basic empathy in their craven pursuits, then what's even left worth fighting to preserve?
From there, Reckoning kicks into an unrelenting, kinetic overdrive that'll have you clinging white-knuckled to the pages in between deep cosmic gulps of breath. As Jet goes on the run alongside rebel allies like the steadfast Lieutenant Trudy and the gnarled, disillusioned vet Captain Cardona, Ryan fires off a blistering fusillade of harrowing chase scenes, paranoid conspiratorial double-crosses, and graphic new depictions of the alien/human battlefront.
Yet underpinning every single heart-pounding twist and turn is that same monumental philosophical exhortation to interrogate the most elemental questions of justice, human identity and where we're heading as a species if our failsafe of morality fully disintegrate. At its core, Reckoning isn't just kick-ass genre spectacle, but a screamed-from-the-rooftops reassertion of truth, compassion and ethical accountability as potent last line of defense against our own barbarism.
Through haunted yet morally steadfast characters like Jet, the young acolyte Foxy or the spiritual mentor Pastor Rosie, Reckoning argues there's always an ember of humanity's highest ideals and beliefs to keep stoking against the cruelest tides of authoritarianism and self-destruction. Even when all bridges seem burned, some ragged spirit of integrity is worth manifesting into an army unto itself.
Does Ryan pull off this high-wire act of merging rip-roaring popcorn thrills with unflinchingly weighty philosophical substance? For this reader, I'd have to say a resounding "hell yes." By searing his harrowing apocalyptic universe into our existential cores while rattling our consciousness about the imperatives of retaining personal accountability, Reckoning transcends mere genre escapism. This is potent, ethically super-charged art aimed straight at your elemental core as a person. The reckoning, it turns out, is with yourself.
April 4, 2024
Aaron Ryan’s first Dissonance novel was very good and also showed a clear understanding of how stories work, particularly when it comes to sci-fi. Therefore, when I heard the second volume was already out, I wanted to know what was going to happen in the series, which is probably the best compliment a writer can get when it comes to his or her work.
The second volume shows the consequences and the aftermath of the first one, which is a smart move by Ryan to showcase the stakes at the moment. Furthermore, as I mentioned in the first review of the series, the world in the Dissonance books feels alive and ever-growing, which makes the reader feel a lot more captivated, thus leading to a much more enjoyable reading experience.
Sergeant Cameron “Jet” Shipley was a compelling protagonist in the first book, but I feel he truly came into his own with this new release. The reason for that is the stakes and odds are stacked against him, making every little victory he gets feel a lot more worthwhile and impressive, a positive aspect for storytelling.
The series progresses and the pacing also improves considerably, partially because this is the second book in the story, meaning there is no need to further establish the initial elements of the series. The first book always has to deal with this, often leading to a disjointed feeling due to the high amount of exposition required, although the series managed well in that regard.
Another good element was having Jet as the narrator, making certain plot points in the story more captivating. The audience only knows what Jet knows, for the most part, leading to compelling moments where readers are in the same position as the protagonist in terms of wanting to find out what will happen, always great.
Ryan is a very good author when it comes to building suspense and anticipation, leading to many moments in the series where the reader will want to know what is going to happen. Add to that a sci-fi setting with a strong dystopian element and a decaying society, leaving you wondering how things ended up this way.
It is a strong second release and would be considered a superior effort to the first book, especially considering that the pacing issues were pretty much resolved at this point. The book is also fairly accessible in terms of descriptions and dialogue, making it a sort of entry-level option for people who perhaps don’t read much but want to get into the habit.
All in all, this second volume of the Dissonance series is a very welcomed upgrade to what happened in the first book and is also a very good showing from Ryan when it comes to his writing abilities. Definitely a story that deserves a lot more attention.
August 1, 2024
Great book into what may seem closer to our reality.
This book maintains a captivating and skillfully crafted narrative. Similar to its predecessor, I was engrossed throughout and particularly intrigued by the new plot element introduced towards the conclusion of the previous installment - highlighting how humans can often be their own greatest adversaries.
This book maintains a captivating and skillfully crafted narrative. Similar to its predecessor, I was engrossed throughout and particularly intrigued by the new plot element introduced towards the conclusion of the previous installment - highlighting how humans can often be their own greatest adversaries.
February 26, 2025
Dissonance Volume 2 is an excellent continuation from the events of volume 1. An emotional roller coaster from start to finish. Full of twists and action that will keep you hooked. If you like a great plot, layers of background, great world building, a host of great characters, and suspense, this is a book for you. Can't wait to start Volume 3.
October 22, 2024
Picks up right where Volume I left off and doesn't disappoint. Some really good action scenes in here, and the tunnels and caves are sccccccaaaaaarrrrrrry. Be prepared with the knowledge that no one is safe in this series. You'll see. Totally sets the stage for Vol III.
November 26, 2024
This is great! It kicks off at a 100 miles an hour & just keeps going! Fast paced action, so much adventure & tension, at moments it had my head spinning! A well written alien invasion but with so much more going on in the plot! An incredibly fun read! I do recommend all that I have read so far!
May 24, 2024
Have you ever read something that just grips you by the soul and forces you to confront harsh truths about yourself? Like, it doesn't let you off the hook or allow for comforting delusions? Well, Aaron Ryan's Dissonance, Volume II: Reckoning did exactly that for me in the most profoundly unsettling yet revelatory way.
As someone who's been really into post-apocalyptic fiction since I was a teenager, I've spent a lot of time pondering how I might react if thrust into those nightmarish scenarios of civilizational collapse. I'd like to think I'd rise to the occasion with bravery and fortitude. But reading Reckoning made me seriously question whether the ethical fiber would hold.
See, this book doesn't pull any punches in depicting the full bone-chilling depravity that emerges when all governing norms and institutions rot away. Our hero Jet is still battling those terrifying gorgon creatures that paralyzed humanity, but it soon becomes horrifyingly clear that the true villains are much closer to home.
In one of the ballsiest narrative pivots I've ever encountered, Reckoning reveals how even the highest ranks of leadership have become utterly corrupted by their thirst for power and control. I'm talking the leadership itself decreeing genocides and atrocities against civilian populations - the complete dissolution of ethics, truth, and accountability.
Suddenly Jet finds himself branded an enemy insurgent by the very system he was defending. The high-stakes mission morphs into this primal battle to keep individual conscience intact as the rebel alliance tries to resist the regime's mind-bending depravities.
From there, the book just puts you through an unrelenting gauntlet that shreds your nerves and shakes your principles to their core. Ryan unleashes paranoid twists, shocking atrocities, and ever-escalating action set pieces filled with cosmic horror and gut-punch casualties.
But underpinning it all is this unflinching philosophical exhortation to never surrender your ethical boundaries, no matter how apocalyptic the pressures. Characters like Pastor Rosie and Lieutenant Trudy shine as beacons of grace and moral fortitude amid the scorching devastation.
And I'll admit, some of the nightmarish scenarios Ryan depicts here gave me full-on crisis-of-faith moments where I wondered if I could hold the line like Jet. Could I steel my resolve against totalitarian malignancy, even if capitulating felt like the easier path? Or would I start cutting ethical corners, rationalizing depravities for survival?
The fact that I'm still wrestling with those questions is a testament to how viscerally Reckoning got under my skin and compromised any complacent assumptions. This isn't just pulse-pounding genre entertainment - it's an unflinching mirror forcing you to interrogate the most primal depths of your humanity.
By sustaining that moral urgency even amid the blistering action pyrotechnics, Ryan has forged something that transcends escapism and repositions sci-fi as an elemental trial by fire. The reckoning with your conscience has only just begun.
As someone who's been really into post-apocalyptic fiction since I was a teenager, I've spent a lot of time pondering how I might react if thrust into those nightmarish scenarios of civilizational collapse. I'd like to think I'd rise to the occasion with bravery and fortitude. But reading Reckoning made me seriously question whether the ethical fiber would hold.
See, this book doesn't pull any punches in depicting the full bone-chilling depravity that emerges when all governing norms and institutions rot away. Our hero Jet is still battling those terrifying gorgon creatures that paralyzed humanity, but it soon becomes horrifyingly clear that the true villains are much closer to home.
In one of the ballsiest narrative pivots I've ever encountered, Reckoning reveals how even the highest ranks of leadership have become utterly corrupted by their thirst for power and control. I'm talking the leadership itself decreeing genocides and atrocities against civilian populations - the complete dissolution of ethics, truth, and accountability.
Suddenly Jet finds himself branded an enemy insurgent by the very system he was defending. The high-stakes mission morphs into this primal battle to keep individual conscience intact as the rebel alliance tries to resist the regime's mind-bending depravities.
From there, the book just puts you through an unrelenting gauntlet that shreds your nerves and shakes your principles to their core. Ryan unleashes paranoid twists, shocking atrocities, and ever-escalating action set pieces filled with cosmic horror and gut-punch casualties.
But underpinning it all is this unflinching philosophical exhortation to never surrender your ethical boundaries, no matter how apocalyptic the pressures. Characters like Pastor Rosie and Lieutenant Trudy shine as beacons of grace and moral fortitude amid the scorching devastation.
And I'll admit, some of the nightmarish scenarios Ryan depicts here gave me full-on crisis-of-faith moments where I wondered if I could hold the line like Jet. Could I steel my resolve against totalitarian malignancy, even if capitulating felt like the easier path? Or would I start cutting ethical corners, rationalizing depravities for survival?
The fact that I'm still wrestling with those questions is a testament to how viscerally Reckoning got under my skin and compromised any complacent assumptions. This isn't just pulse-pounding genre entertainment - it's an unflinching mirror forcing you to interrogate the most primal depths of your humanity.
By sustaining that moral urgency even amid the blistering action pyrotechnics, Ryan has forged something that transcends escapism and repositions sci-fi as an elemental trial by fire. The reckoning with your conscience has only just begun.
June 26, 2024
I was a beta reader for this one as I was the first one, and first off, let me just say that the writing style has definitely improved. Aaron does a much better job with action sequences, and getting us into his head. HO-LEE-COW there are some intense scenes in here...the highway scene...the cave scene...who doesn't like being trapped in the dark with gorgons around? There are some awesome new characters too, and my favorite part is the backstory introduced in the chapter "Cardona". WOW. Just blew me away....reminded me of "The Shadow of the Past" by J.R.R. Tolkien in "The Fellowship of the Ring." Really exhaustive description of the lead up to present day. And there's a huge sadness in this story - won't spoil it - that will catch you by surprise. Just amazing all around and a totally awesome sequel to Volume I!
August 3, 2024
Action packed
This book is action packed and it will keep the reader in the edge of their seat. The author has brought to life an amazing book that I’m sure is just as good as the first one. Every character is well developed and the character development is very visible as the book moves along. I like the post-apocalyptic style that the author has created. Personally, I definitely enjoyed this book.
This book is action packed and it will keep the reader in the edge of their seat. The author has brought to life an amazing book that I’m sure is just as good as the first one. Every character is well developed and the character development is very visible as the book moves along. I like the post-apocalyptic style that the author has created. Personally, I definitely enjoyed this book.
August 3, 2024
Amazing book
This book was given to me by my cousin and let me tell you it was the best gift I could have received. What a great book!
From the beginning, it keeps you attentive and believe me when I tell you that you won't want to sleep until you finish it. The whole plot is excellent and every character is important for the outcome that will leave you surprised.
I recommend it 100%.
This book was given to me by my cousin and let me tell you it was the best gift I could have received. What a great book!
From the beginning, it keeps you attentive and believe me when I tell you that you won't want to sleep until you finish it. The whole plot is excellent and every character is important for the outcome that will leave you surprised.
I recommend it 100%.
October 22, 2024
In Dissonance Volume II: Reckoning, Aaron Ryan thrusts readers back into the heart of his dystopian world, where danger and intrigue collide. Fresh out of detention, Cameron faces a daunting new assignment from President Jean Graham: train recruits at Mammoth Cave and eliminate an AWOL captain. Cameron's mistrust of the military runs deep and this mission only intensifies his suspicions. But with the Gorgons still threatening humanity and a new family to protect, he reluctantly takes on the task, unaware that this decision will alter the course of his life and the war forever.
Ryan wastes no time cranking up the tension in this second installment, seamlessly blending key moments from the first book with fresh narrative threads. His skillful integration of past events ensures that both returning fans and newcomers can follow the story with ease, creating an immersive experience from the first page to the last.
As the plot unfolds, new characters are introduced, adding complexity and raising the stakes. While Cameron continues to develop as a central figure, other returning characters sometimes take a back seat, like Ally, whose presence is pivotal during specific emotional and plot-driven moments, yet she is not consistently at the forefront of the narrative. Still, the dynamic between the characters remains compelling, with enough tension and intrigue to keep readers hooked. Like with Pastor Rosie, who plays a crucial role in guiding Cameron through some of his most challenging moral and emotional conflicts. She is a well-written character who adds depth to the story by balancing the protagonist's emotional intensity with spiritual wisdom.
The author's vivid descriptions of the setting further elevate the action. From the cavernous depths of Mammoth Cave to the battlefield scenes, the environments play a critical role in the story’s intensity, almost making each scene feel cinematic in scope. Every moment crackles with energy as if you’re watching a high-stakes thriller unfold before your eyes.
The ever-present threat of the Gorgons, with their eerie telekinetic powers, adds an unsettling layer of horror and suspense. Their looming menace keeps the tension high, making it impossible to relax as the plot twists toward its unpredictable climax. The sense of impending danger propels the story forward, ensuring readers remain on the edge of their seats.
For readers who enjoy science fiction laced with dystopian themes and a touch of faith, Dissonance Volume II: Reckoning delivers an exhilarating and high-octane adventure. The blend of suspense, complex character development, and sci-fi horror elements makes this a highly recommended read.
Ryan wastes no time cranking up the tension in this second installment, seamlessly blending key moments from the first book with fresh narrative threads. His skillful integration of past events ensures that both returning fans and newcomers can follow the story with ease, creating an immersive experience from the first page to the last.
As the plot unfolds, new characters are introduced, adding complexity and raising the stakes. While Cameron continues to develop as a central figure, other returning characters sometimes take a back seat, like Ally, whose presence is pivotal during specific emotional and plot-driven moments, yet she is not consistently at the forefront of the narrative. Still, the dynamic between the characters remains compelling, with enough tension and intrigue to keep readers hooked. Like with Pastor Rosie, who plays a crucial role in guiding Cameron through some of his most challenging moral and emotional conflicts. She is a well-written character who adds depth to the story by balancing the protagonist's emotional intensity with spiritual wisdom.
The author's vivid descriptions of the setting further elevate the action. From the cavernous depths of Mammoth Cave to the battlefield scenes, the environments play a critical role in the story’s intensity, almost making each scene feel cinematic in scope. Every moment crackles with energy as if you’re watching a high-stakes thriller unfold before your eyes.
The ever-present threat of the Gorgons, with their eerie telekinetic powers, adds an unsettling layer of horror and suspense. Their looming menace keeps the tension high, making it impossible to relax as the plot twists toward its unpredictable climax. The sense of impending danger propels the story forward, ensuring readers remain on the edge of their seats.
For readers who enjoy science fiction laced with dystopian themes and a touch of faith, Dissonance Volume II: Reckoning delivers an exhilarating and high-octane adventure. The blend of suspense, complex character development, and sci-fi horror elements makes this a highly recommended read.
September 6, 2024
The battle to save humankind and the planet from the Gorgons, as the alien invaders spread around the globe, continues, but it is now complicated by a conspiracy involving human subversives across a broad spectrum of surviving humans, up to and including the top political leaders. Sergeant Cameron Shipley, aka Jet, has nothing left to lose when promoted to Lieutenant and charged with a special mission. However, mission success is complicated by growing crevices separating his duties, the urge to avenge his brother’s death, and the growing attraction for fellow survivor Allison; the tension is palpable, and the outcome is in doubt.
Author Aaron Ryan is an expert in establishing true-to-life, action-packed suspense and adventure that creates, within well-defined realities, a story with ever-changing highs and lows in a future world where extraordinary alien creatures have conquered much of the planet and the extinction of humankind is a distinct possibility. Ryan is adept at building a believable story where human sensibilities, emotions, and actions are superimposed over a world gone mad, a world where the impossible, the horrible, and the existential realities are beyond imagination. His human characters are true to life and relatable, while the Gorgons are beyond imagination but equally authentic as a foreign life form, and the storylines are exceptionally persuasive. Dissonance Volume II – Reckoning is addictive, and it’s good to know that there is no waiting time for the series to continue as the subsequent two novels are also published. Highly recommended, I’m eager to tackle Volume III thru to the end of the series.
Author Aaron Ryan is an expert in establishing true-to-life, action-packed suspense and adventure that creates, within well-defined realities, a story with ever-changing highs and lows in a future world where extraordinary alien creatures have conquered much of the planet and the extinction of humankind is a distinct possibility. Ryan is adept at building a believable story where human sensibilities, emotions, and actions are superimposed over a world gone mad, a world where the impossible, the horrible, and the existential realities are beyond imagination. His human characters are true to life and relatable, while the Gorgons are beyond imagination but equally authentic as a foreign life form, and the storylines are exceptionally persuasive. Dissonance Volume II – Reckoning is addictive, and it’s good to know that there is no waiting time for the series to continue as the subsequent two novels are also published. Highly recommended, I’m eager to tackle Volume III thru to the end of the series.
March 12, 2025
I think it's sad when no one is safe. That's my only critique. Like "Game of Thrones," no one is really safe in this series. But I think that's also true to life. That being said, I LOVED the action scenes in here. They are utterly unputdownable. Seriously compelling and scary, especially the flight through the cave and the highway battle. Crazy scary and unnerving. I would NOT want to be trapped in the dark with gorgons coming. Reminds me of that scene in the last Hunger Games with the mutts coming after them in the tunnels. Freaky. Also the backstory given by the new character toward the end really explains a lot and makes the prequels a lot more grounded. I think this was really executed well.
April 24, 2024
The saga continues in this exhilarating sequel. Brooding yet determined to beat the gorgons who have already cost him so much, Jet sets out on another highly dangerous mission. Now with deep suspicions about those in the higher echelons of power, Jet and his team join up with another embedded military unit to fight a common enemy. The introduction of new characters allows Ryan to explore more deeply the effects of living through ongoing trauma, thirst for revenge, and the pursuit of justice; all while weaving an action-packed and emotional punch of a sequel. The ending was truly breathtaking. Can’t wait to read the finale!
May 13, 2024
The fight for survival continues…
In "Dissonance: Volume II: Reckoning," Aaron Ryan continues the riveting story of Sergeant Cameron "Jet" Shipley and his crew in a post-apocalyptic world on the verge of extinction. As Jet deals with grief and treachery, he must unite his allies against corrupt forces while avoiding brutal extraterrestrial opponents. Ryan's excellent narrative and furious action make this sequel an absolute must-read for fans of military thrillers and post-apocalyptic literature. With its mix of suspense, drama, and high-stakes struggle, "Reckoning" elevates the series to new heights, leaving readers anxious for the final volume. Highly recommended.
In "Dissonance: Volume II: Reckoning," Aaron Ryan continues the riveting story of Sergeant Cameron "Jet" Shipley and his crew in a post-apocalyptic world on the verge of extinction. As Jet deals with grief and treachery, he must unite his allies against corrupt forces while avoiding brutal extraterrestrial opponents. Ryan's excellent narrative and furious action make this sequel an absolute must-read for fans of military thrillers and post-apocalyptic literature. With its mix of suspense, drama, and high-stakes struggle, "Reckoning" elevates the series to new heights, leaving readers anxious for the final volume. Highly recommended.
April 17, 2024
If you like science fiction, aliens, the battle of good vs. evil, dystopian worlds, action, and adventure, then this book could be for you. Find my full review here: https://likelystory.blog/2024/04/16/r...
April 24, 2024
I.Love.These.Books! #SciFi #DistopianFuture #PageTurner
These books are non-stop; Action, Characters, Plot. Do not start this at bedtime or you'll be late to work the next day. Seriously! Aaron Ryan is the breakout author of the year with this series.
These books are non-stop; Action, Characters, Plot. Do not start this at bedtime or you'll be late to work the next day. Seriously! Aaron Ryan is the breakout author of the year with this series.
January 3, 2025
I'm enjoying this series. If you love dystopian Sci-Fi tales, you will to! I read the first two books, just bought book three and followed the author on Amazon.
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