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Before The Silence: Prequel to The Silence Dividend: A Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller Prequel Novella
Before the law, there was the warning. Before the quiet, there was the scream.
In the near future, freedom isn’t taken all at once—it’s sold back to you, one word at a time.
Long before the world became silent, the signs were everywhere. People vanishing in the night. Families whispered to in shadows. A government promising "safety and prosperity" in exchange for just a little less noise.
Before The Silence follows the chilling descent of a society on the brink. As the shadows of control lengthen, ordinary citizens are forced to make an impossible speak up and risk everything, or learn to stay quiet to survive.
This gripping prequel to the hit dystopian thriller The Silence Dividend reveals the terrifying moment when the world stopped talking—and the dividend began.
Witness how it all began. Enter the world before the silence.
In the near future, freedom isn’t taken all at once—it’s sold back to you, one word at a time.
Long before the world became silent, the signs were everywhere. People vanishing in the night. Families whispered to in shadows. A government promising "safety and prosperity" in exchange for just a little less noise.
Before The Silence follows the chilling descent of a society on the brink. As the shadows of control lengthen, ordinary citizens are forced to make an impossible speak up and risk everything, or learn to stay quiet to survive.
This gripping prequel to the hit dystopian thriller The Silence Dividend reveals the terrifying moment when the world stopped talking—and the dividend began.
Witness how it all began. Enter the world before the silence.
- GenresDystopiaScience Fiction
56 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2025
83 people want to read
About the author
Izzy Bond
7 books80 followersAuthor 📚 Short Fiction. Available on Amazon (Kindle, Kindle Unlimited & Paperback), and in Audiobook format (Spotify, B&N, Kobo and others)
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 13, 2025
idk dystopian stuff like this rlly freaks me out in 2025
October 2, 2025
Very fast paced, you land immediately in this world that has a sense of movement and stillness all at the same time. The missing backstory and details are intriguing, but the more you read, you realise there’s no time for the details. What will Mara do? I’ll have to read the next book.
October 8, 2025
Izzy Bond's Before The Silence: Prequel to The Silence Dividend is a brief a prequel to the novel The Silence Dividend: Science Fiction Dystopian. It offers an intriguing glimpse into a dystopian world where the government requires its citizens to stay quiet. Obey, and you get to see another day; speak, and the system takes everything. The story moves at a strong pace, efficiently establishing the oppressive atmosphere of this fantasy cityscape where making a noise puts you on the wrong side of the law.
The author is skilled at crafting tension and atmosphere, but the short format leaves some critical questions dangling. The origins of this bizarre authoritarian policy receive minimal exploration. An opening sequence seems to hint at the answer, but it remained unclear to me. Similarly, the protagonist's internal drive and backstory feel sketched rather than fully fleshed out, and the path leading to this society's current state could use more context. Why is noise considered dangerous, and how did the situation develop to this point?
These gaps are likely intentional, designed to draw readers into the full novel where presumably these threads unravel. As a teaser, it is compelling enough to whet the reader’s appetite about the broader setting and its mechanics.
The author is skilled at crafting tension and atmosphere, but the short format leaves some critical questions dangling. The origins of this bizarre authoritarian policy receive minimal exploration. An opening sequence seems to hint at the answer, but it remained unclear to me. Similarly, the protagonist's internal drive and backstory feel sketched rather than fully fleshed out, and the path leading to this society's current state could use more context. Why is noise considered dangerous, and how did the situation develop to this point?
These gaps are likely intentional, designed to draw readers into the full novel where presumably these threads unravel. As a teaser, it is compelling enough to whet the reader’s appetite about the broader setting and its mechanics.
October 10, 2025
What makes Before the Silence such an eerie read is that it seems like it could really happen in some dystopian future. The way we’re all engaged in our electronics and silent a lot of the time anyway; the use of drones all over the world, sometimes for deadly purposes; and an overreaching government that may someday just want to shut everyone up.
The government of Veyloris has its way at the start of the book, releasing a bomb in the middle of a crowded plaza where people are abuzz and having fun. The main character, Eli, sees who carried out the deadly attack and carries this burden throughout this short story, determined to exact revenge with the help of those in the growing “rebellion.” A mysterious figure named Callen pops in and out of the story, a leader of the rebellion who draws Eli toward the vengeance he craves.
A melancholy aspect of the book revolves around Eli’s wife, Mara, who urges her husband throughout to scale back his late-night antics as part of the rebellion. As Eli becomes more involved in the underworld of the city, he draws further away from his wife every day. The ending is surprising and sad.
Before the Silence might lack edge-of-your-seat action, but it is filled with cryptic government pronouncements and authentic scenes with people lurking around, silent, afraid to live in their own city. Scary stuff.
The government of Veyloris has its way at the start of the book, releasing a bomb in the middle of a crowded plaza where people are abuzz and having fun. The main character, Eli, sees who carried out the deadly attack and carries this burden throughout this short story, determined to exact revenge with the help of those in the growing “rebellion.” A mysterious figure named Callen pops in and out of the story, a leader of the rebellion who draws Eli toward the vengeance he craves.
A melancholy aspect of the book revolves around Eli’s wife, Mara, who urges her husband throughout to scale back his late-night antics as part of the rebellion. As Eli becomes more involved in the underworld of the city, he draws further away from his wife every day. The ending is surprising and sad.
Before the Silence might lack edge-of-your-seat action, but it is filled with cryptic government pronouncements and authentic scenes with people lurking around, silent, afraid to live in their own city. Scary stuff.
September 30, 2025
Before The Silence is a powerful prequel that shows how fear and control can take hold of a society. The story follows ordinary people who find themselves in a world where freedom is slipping away. People vanish, families are broken, and silence becomes the safest choice. The writing is strong and clear, making it easy to stay engaged. I liked how the book showed the shift from normal life to a darker reality without rushing. Every moment was delicate and woven well into the narrative, and the small details gave the story sustenance. The pace was steady (for a short read), and the tension kept growing with each chapter, building a world that felt both fictional and close to reality. The sense of danger is consistent, and the characters’ struggles are easy to connect with. I found myself thinking about how quickly fear can spread, and how silence can be used as a weapon. This book works as a warning and as an introduction to what is coming next. It is gripping, direct, and unforgettable.
September 15, 2025
Wow, what a great SciFi book. I am such a genre reader that when this book was recommended to me, I snatched it up and read it in one sitting in spite of the fact that I am reading a separate series right now. Well, I loved it and highly recommend it. Such a creative idea for a book by Izzy Bond, Indi-Author. This is a prequel. It is a short read at 56 pages, but let me tell you…it left me ready to read the next book in the series, “The Silence Dividend.” I want to follow Mara, and maybe Eli, through this dystopian thriller.
The chapters were pretty short at 4-5 pages, which is actually my preference. It really moves the story along. I enjoyed the author’s style of writing and the character development. The story is set in the future and is about absolute control. Silence is safety. Speaking is Power. Speaking is death.
The chapters were pretty short at 4-5 pages, which is actually my preference. It really moves the story along. I enjoyed the author’s style of writing and the character development. The story is set in the future and is about absolute control. Silence is safety. Speaking is Power. Speaking is death.
August 23, 2025
This was such an amazing story. Perfectly paced and with tension growing and simmering all the way to its dramatic (and fittingly silent) ending. With a well-crafted dystopian world and heroes struggling between rebellion and fear, this reminds me of the Sci-fi classics, like Bradbury and Orwell. I definitely want to read more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews