Age of Order

Age of Order #1

by Julian North

Inequality is a science. Giant machines maintain order. And all people are not created equal.

Daniela Machado is offered a chance to escape the deprivation of Bronx City through a coveted slot at the elite Tuck School. There, among the genetically superior highborn of Manhattan, she discovers an unimaginable world of splendor and greed. But her opportunity is part of a darker plan, and Daniela soon learns that those at society’s apex will stop at nothing to keep power for themselves. She may have a chance to change the world, if it doesn’t change her first.

Age of Order presents an unforgettable vision of a future society that echoes our own. Inspired by works as diverse as the Handmaid's Tale, Divergent, Gone and the Red Queen, fans of the sci-fi and dystopian genres will enjoy this fast-paced thriller filled with intrigue and unexpected relationships. Enter the Age of Order.

Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Novels

415 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 6, 2017

Reviews

[Core4Gore · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing debut for a new author! It's got elements of Red Rising, Hunger Games and even Ready Player One, but it's certainly its own unique story, filled with both young adult and adult themes. I was most impressed with the layers of mystery and how adeptly the author pulled back the veil. He did a great job of pulling together the various plot threads so that at the end you say "ah ha! I should've noticed that." It's also great to have a dystopian novel written in an intelligent voice. The characters are well-developed, and occasionally quite funny. Finally, scifi buffs will love the sneaky references to past classics (I saw Dune, Metropolis, Planet of the Apes, Brave New World, and Firefly among others). This is one that is definitively worth checking out. Highly Recommended.

[Lauren Hopkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you ever wanted to read a walking cliche, here you go.
Flawless love interest? Check.
Total hardass female lead with no weaknesses and who shows how much of a hardass she is at every opportunity and is a hardass in situations in which she could not have reasonably been such a hardass? Check.
And this chick has special magical powers? Check.
Ridiculous value systems that make no sense in context? Check.
"This thing is literally impossible but whoops I did it to save the day!"
Ugh.

[William Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for 2021 SPSFC

Overall Thoughts
Wow. Just wow. Take the best parts of The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Snow Crash, and Brave New World, and bundle them together. That’s what I got out of this story. This is one of those books were I was eager to dive in every time, and had to stop myself from reading “just one more” chapter. The characters are deep and have arcs, the setting is awesome, and I want to read more books to find out about the larger plot. The story takes the viewpoint of a girl in a second class society with the chance to see and experience the upper echelons of a very stratified future USA. I thoroughly recommend it, but if you need more, here are the rest of my thoughts:

Plot
The first chapter or two was a little slow, but I could already tell some of the larger social and economic issues that would be tackled in this book. Once Daniela Machado, a Latinx girl from Bronx City, accepts an invite to the most prestigious of Manhattan schools, Tuck, the story takes off. The biggest part that drew me in is that the reader can tell from the beginning that something is deeply suspicious about the whole setup, but there are enough clues to keep you just one step ahead of the characters. The plotting and tension are excellent, leaving the reader satisfied and wanting to know the answer to the next question. There is as much said in what happens as what doesn’t, and I was thrilled with a particularly satisfying plot twist near the end. The book ends in a way that could be a standalone, but leaves the larger world open for future stories, which there are, and I will be reading!

Setting
Near-future New York includes the advancement of many dystopian elements we’ve all seen increasing over the last few years, with the separation of the elite and lower class, authoritarian measures of control, and increasingly one-sided politics. The future in this book is both dystopian, and one I could believe would happen. This is often the issue I have with dystopian books, where I cannot make the connection between our current reality and the fictional one. This story did not have that problem. But there is another side to the worldbuilding as well, and that is in the awesome future tech on display. From realistic virtual assistants, to advances in genetic engineering, to new security and protection measures, all the advancements seem just as realistic as the society, and its inclusion both allows and encourages the progression of the plot in the best way.

Character
I love these characters. All of them. Even the bad ones. There are the petty rivals from many YA books, including Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, the geniuses with flaws more often seen in adult books, and those characters that are molded and expected to act one way by society, yet have secret layers to them. I won’t elaborate on this one because it’s sort of a spoiler, but such a person is my favorite character.

There are some great character arcs, especially with Daniela transitioning from the eat-to-survive, dangerous society of the have-nots to the power-grabbing, wealthy society of the genetically tweaked highborn. But all the characters have their share of growth, helping her on her journey.

My one detraction from this book, overall, is that there is no LGBTQ+ content. There doesn’t have to be a lot, especially if the authoritarian state has made that type of diversity illegal, but I would have liked at least a hint of how queer society functions in this book, whether undercover or out in the open. I can only hope that’s taken into consideration in future books.

Score out of 10 (My personal score, not the final contest score)
Temporary score until more books in the contest are read: An action packed look at future tech in a dystopian society with all the right plotting to keep you reading. 9/10. I almost gave this one a 10, but the lack of queer content knocked it down a peg.

[JFrank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Age of Order is a great ride: Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Brave New York and some Mean Girls too. The world is a very realistic version of what NYC could be in a few years, filled with great touches of technology and subtle social commentary. But what makes this book better than almost any other dystopian book I’ve read in the past 10 years are 2 things: characters and plot. Let me start with the characters. Daniela is telling us this story. She’s a hard girl, as you would expect where she comes from. But what makes her better than just about any other lead in a YA-type book is she is a real person—if she’s angry, there is a reason, if she’s happy, it makes sense. We get to know her through her actions, so we live what she lives. And she make mistakes, she loses. If you grit your teeth at the nonsense in some YA dystopian, you’ll appreciate the writing here. Top notch. The other relationships around her are believable and well-round. Scifi buffs will love Nythan Royce and his nostalgic encyclopedia of nerdiness, teens will appreciate at the well-done friendships and betrayals. The other standout element in Age of Order is the plot—original, fun and unexpected. The book takes a few chapters to get going, and a few more to lay the foundation, but wow, it’s worth it! I actually read the book twice. The second time I was able to notice all the hints about what was coming. This book works on multiple levels for different audiences. A must read for YA’s and adults!

[Shannon Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of this genre - dystopian young adult with social commentary thrown in!!

This is a debut novel so I had no expectations but I was intrigued about the premise and the story lived up to its premise.

For fans of dystopian novels, it will feel familiar but not repetitive or trite. The main character is strong and likeable (and she is a runner which is appealing to me personally!), but again not a carbon copy of other strong female leads.

I think one thing that sets Age of Order apart is the underlying (or maybe overlying?) social commentary. It is set in a dystopian future but how many of us know some of those hyphenated, better than everyone else types? (I loved the names in this book!)

Well done for a first novel and I suspect subsequent novels by the author will continue to improve/tweak/tighten any first timer difficulties.

Also, I think an audio version would be great (audiobooks are my favorite thing while running!).

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 One of the things I like best about this novel was the way that the author withheld information from the reader - things the protagonist/s knew of or discovered, without disclosing them immediately to the reader. They would get in a bind and - voila! - things they'd put into place unbeknownst to you would happen. I loved it! As for the rest of the book and its premise, I can imagine this sort of future happening, a terrifying thought. There was a lot of technical talk, both of presently-know technologies and futuristic technologies that went right over my head. I didn't want to think about them too much, so I didn't. Between the dystopian aspects and the "magical" aspects of Daniela and Andrew's reality, I can see why many young adults would love this book. Great that the main protagonist was Hispanic. And the underdog definitely wins!

[Yuyud_D2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though the opening and the climax of this book was good, I felt like the ending was rushed and a bit confusing at some parts. This book is set in the future where New York City is divided into 5 smaller cities and Daniela is accepted into Tuck a very prestigious school in Manhattan, when she starts school there she feels very left out from the "richies" and "highborns". She later uncovers a scheme that would have left certain people to control other people.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars.
This featured some interesting ideas, and should have been super awesome. The author didn't possess the writing skills to uphold his ideas, though, so...meh.

[Maureen Baggett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dystopian Dreamscape

What a wonderful imagination! I loved this glimpse into a gadget laden future. The reflection of today's society from many years in the future was good. Will human nature never change, even if other genetic modifications can be made?

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Age of Order is a young adult novel that will appeal to anyone looking for polished science fiction with a healthy dose of real-life grit. Daniela Machado might appear to be following in the footsteps of her sisters Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior, but she proves time and time again that she can outrun anyone when she’s pushed to the edge.

Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com.

[Micayla Burrows · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good beginning then boring

Honestly I think more time was probably put into the beginning and the rest was rushed/ less edited. The writing got boring/ really plain and The hunger games references were cheesy/ all the dystopian references were kinda cheesy.

[Andrea Tawney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done

For a first time author, this is a remarkably well told story. Yes, there are improbabilities, but it is, after all, sci fi / fantasy! The characters are pretty well developed and the setting is excellent. A thoroughly good read.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite book!! Age Of Order is a coming of age in a dystopia tale, with much more thought given to both the racial and financial realities of such than what is normally given. The characters are well crafted, well thought out, well executed, and you care deeply for them!

[Juile Amundson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review

It was a good book. Not fabulous but entertaining at least. I have now written enough words to complete the required 20 .

[Levi Johanon · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a few cliches, and the ending seemed to easy.

Eh, it was okay for the first book of the year.

[Austin Bates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short Review: an interesting premise that starts strong, gets stronger, then begins a rapid descent into absurdity and genre flipping. A disappointing turn of narrative despite the otherwise excellent prose and world building.

Longer Review: This novel starts out well enough. The world that the other constructs is surprisingly well-thought out, fairly original, and compelling. Rather than another dime-a-dozen dystopian novel about "the world that comes after the apocalypse", this is actually a somewhat realistic imagining of a United States that slowly descends into a libertarian-lead quasi-hegemony where California has succeeded from the union and society is run by "The Orderists". Rather than (badly) rehash the specifics here, I'll leave that to the author. But suffice to say, this is actually the strongest element of the novel, and had the author continued with these concepts, sticking to this path with eagle-eyed focus, this could have been a 4, even 5 star novel, easy.

Where things fall apart is that the author DIDN'T stick with these opening (and developing) concepts, and bizarrely begins to introduce too many other elements unrelated to the original, central premise. The first failing is that this narrative is told from the first-person perspective of a 16 year old slum kid who, through seemingly random and fortuitous events, gets pulled from her world in the dirty and downtrodden barrios to a high-society elite private school in Manhattan. This sets up for a potentially interesting spin on the story trope of "seeing society through an outsider's eyes" and then the predictable chaos that comes from this. Indeed, that starts to happen, but then, and this is where everything goes off the rails, an entirely new plot concept rams its way into the novel and shoves nearly everything else out of the way.

Obviously, in reading a novel like this, the reader expects there to be nefarious things afoot somewhere, that the events drawing the protagonist into elite society are too good to be true, so I won't even pretend like there aren't plot twists with that. The problem is those plot twists practically convert the story into an entirely different genre, and in the span of what seemed like a few chapters, you're suddenly reading a different novel altogether.

Beyond spoiler-ish talk (which I'll cover later), the novel also suffers from a lack of fully done character development. It's frustrating, because the author gets just about 85% of the way there; most of the main characters are pretty well fleshed out, if not through repeated interactions and actual character arcs, then through rich descriptions on the part of the protagonist. But then you have things like the character of Lara, whom is in multiple scenes throughout the book, is given a physical description, is the friend of a major character that interacts with the protagonist, and yet says MAYBE a dozen things throughout the book. We never really learn anything about this character, DESPITE her close proximity to the protagonist, and despite them being a student at a prestigious school. Same thing happens for the antagonist, whom is introduced clearly and early on, but otherwise just kind of flits about the edges of the novel until the very end. Repeat these same problems for a handful of other characters ... you're made to think these characters have been well developed until you reach the end of this novel and realize you hardly know anything about them, let alone care about their motives.

Finally, small stuff that kind of got aggravating. First, the author engages in way too much effort to make it clear this novel takes place in the future. She gets way too loose and liberal with future-jargon or future-slang to the point that she's using these terms for really mundane things. Like calling a VTOL aircraft (that's Vertical Take-Off and Landing; real term) a "V-Copter". Or calling a wrist-mounted computer thing a "viser" (where ever that came from, but every time I read it as "visor" and then thought of a dorky Star Trek head-gear thing). Or the worst one was calling a weapon a "force rifle" (and be honest: what's the first thing you think of when seeing the word "force" in the context of a sci-fi?), when in fact it was described as a LASER rifle (flashes of light; sizzles and burns, electronic, no ammunition). There's maybe a dozen other examples of this throughout the novel, most of which came off more annoying than clever. Secondly, while the prose in this story is, at most times, quite good and definitely better than most, the author tends to lapse into extended periods of choppy, clipped sentences on occasion. I'm talking of a lot of comma-free, dozen-word-or-fewer declarations. Third, despite the first half of this novel opening with such a wide-scale view of society, the novel wraps up entirely on the opposite end, narrowing down to the point where nothing else exists except a few protagonists, a few antagonists, and a couple of locations. Despite all of the talk of an over-arching "Authority", they make themselves less than scarce at the end of this story and all of the action proceeds inside of an apparent vacuum.

Now, the primary reason why I can't give this novel greater than 3 stars. SPOILERS TO FOLLOW !!!

So, the crux of the story arc, at least in this novel (because I see this is part 1 of a trilogy), is that the character discovers within herself a secret ability. Now, are you ready for this? It's not a joke ... the protagonist discovers she can do Jedi mind tricks. AGAIN, not even kidding with this here. The protagonist was plucked from her slums and preened by society elites because of a secret genetically engineered ability that the author calls "trilling" but which rapidly devolves into just being a Jedi mind trick. At first, I was willing to buy into this ability: the author actually does a good job of setting it up, both with foreshadowing and world-building, but also in making it believable. But after being introduced, this secret ability goes shockingly fast from "protagonist can confuse or charm a target with a verbal ability into momentarily believing something" to "you saw nothing here" or "shoot this person you were, just moments ago, allied with!" And if that wasn't enough, it reaches peak absurdity when the protagonist describes using this ability with the kind of fanciful and colorful prose appropriate to tripping on acid or the finest strain of MJ. I'm talking epically described but entirely imaginary mental battles that would be more appropriate in a dungeons-and-dragons fantasy fiction or if the characters were actually robots trying to hack into the other's OS. This is where the genre completely flips and the novel goes from being a realistic near-future sci-fi to a being an urban fantasy. I only kept reading because I had bought this book on the basis of the first half, and this goofiness doesn't occur until about 70% or so into the book.

Making this issue worse is that, while most of the novel concerns itself with the protagonist trying to fit into a new school (literally this is like one of the first events that happen in the book), once the flip comes the protagonist is now suddenly a secret agent on a mission to save the country. This gets ridiculous, because other than a couple of adults in charge of this mission, all of the heroes are 16 year old kids that talk like older college students and suddenly no longer give a hoot about continuing their education or about leaving their cushy high-society lives behind. The reader is expected to believe that a plucky and small band of kids that can't legally vote yet would be entrusted to take down a major and massive east-coast corporation currently conducting a nefarious plot to ruin lives and create a permanent ruling class, and that apparently no one else anywhere is involved in this conspiracy.

So, if a big genre switch two-thirds the way through doesn't bother you, if weak attempts at future-jargon doesn't get grating, this could be a pretty good book to read. I was actually excited to read not just this book but also the other 2 installments ... based upon the first 50% of this novel. After that, I got bored, couldn't care about the characters any longer, and, after the major plot reveal (which, itself was handled casually and poorly), was rolling my eyes and skimming the text most of the way to the end.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read and would give it 3.5 stars. It's a YA, coming-of-age story where a girl from the lower class wins entry to the elite school with the upper class. Will she be accepted and why was she so lucky? Do her benefactors have ulterior motives?

It was easy to get into. The plot moves at a good pace. The characters were interesting and the universe was interesting. I think the world building was the strength of the novel. Well thought out and it mostly seemed to make sense that society could find itself in this predicament. It was similar to other dystopian novels like The Hunger Games but had its own take.

It did hit a couple of my pet peeves. One is the computer genius who can instantly figure out how any computer system works (really any technology impediment) just by looking at it. I write software for a living and I always want to scream "It's not like that".

My other complaint is that the main character has a power, and anytime she's in trouble, she calls on that power. I felt like that made her too powerful. There really was no tension towards the end because she was invincible. There was no kryptonite. The bad guys had no hope.

Truly, I was enjoying the first 2/3's of the book quite a bit. Then the trilling concept was introduced and I didn't think it fit in this world. I thought Daniela would be fine relying on her street smarts, her friends, her determination and intelligence. It would be tough, but she could do it. She didn't need this super power.


But I don't want to sound too negative. I read this as part of the SPSFC and I think it is well deserving of its spot in the semifinals.

[Jay Brantner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Age of Order as part of a judging team for the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC), where it is a semifinalist.

I’m not sure this is a book that’s going to sell you on YA dystopias if you don’t already like them, but if you want to see a plucky teenager from an underprivileged background fighting against the evil elite, you’re in for a treat here.

Age of Order has pretty much the elements you’d expect—the heroine is extremely talented, ends up rubbing shoulders with rich people, finds herself embroiled in a plot that could change the balance of power. But the main character is easy to like, and the storytelling just keeps you turning the pages. Some of the reveals were pretty expected, but there was enough uncertainty to keep me guessing at a few elements.

I felt like the penultimate piece packed a bigger punch than the actual climax, which was introduced and dismissed more quickly than I’d have liked, and that keeps Age of Order from flirting with an even higher score. But everything that happens is really well set-up, and I can’t imagine a fan of the subgenre not enjoying it.

First impression: 15/20. Full review and official SPSFC score to come at www.tarvolon.com

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was REALLY drawn into this from the beginning and enjoyed it SO MUCH . . . until close to the end, and just a couple of things got . . . weird. I really did like Daniela and the gritty world she lived in, how hard it was when she changed to go to a rich school in Manhattan, her running and all that. LOVED it. I could even deal with the complicated plot to keep the rich folks from killing off the poor people, but . . . trilling? I'm sorry, this sounds like birds. I had a harder time with the mind control stuff and the complicated sounding viruses or genes or whatever. I'm still going to read the next one, as it appears this will be a series, but I have to confess I liked the first 3/4 better than the end. This was a fun book, and there is just a bit of an interesting tie-in--I can sort of see certain Important People loving to make Manhattan a rich white center from which to boss and subjugate all the poor and brown folks.

[Dawn Oswald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a YA book recommended to me via a Bookbub newsfeed. I thought I'd give it a try since its description reminded me a bit like Veronica Roth's Divergent series...dystopian, government overreach, teens and young people working for change to their circumstances and in their communities. To be honest, when I first began reading I found the plot a little slow. However, it started to pick up after the first 40-50 pages. From there, the plot just kept rolling. I'm interested in reading the other books in the series including some of the shorter ones. Hopefully, more of Daniela's back story will be revealed and gaps surrounding the separation of the U.S. will be filled in. While this first book left several open-ended questions and situations, the reader can read it as a stand-alone and still have the pleasure of a satisfying story.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is set in future America and has a divided population. Much of what I am seeing happening now but not to the book's degree. The book made me think about what possibly could happen. I would be interested in knowing why the author picked track as the sport that was prevalent in the book and was the MC main "power" for most of the book. The story did keep me guessing on who was on whose side and did not end on a cliffhanger. Four kept popping up in my head as Alexander. I look forward to reading more by this author. Received the book in a contest and this in no way influenced my review.

[Shubhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in such a reading slump before this book but wow this really snapped me out of it. I couldn’t put this book down! This reminds of the type of dystopian books that were popular back when maze runner or hunger games were all anyone could talk about.

I loved the story and it came with some jaw dropping plot twists. The only thing I wished was Alexander’s character was a bit more developed. His relationship with Daniela felt a bit forced in the beginning. Also I can’t actually complain about this, but all this build up and not even one kiss scene btwn the main characters 😭. It’s fine, I’m fine and I’m ready to start book 2

[Charles Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I expected, after reading the prequel, but quite an excellent read.

This novel posits the extreme, if logical, conclusion of the political and social consequences of everyone living in their own information bubble. When only few entities control all the information the rise of Oligarchy like the Orderists is entirely too plausible--and lends a Casandra-esque prophetic moral to this tale.

If you're a fan of Political/Corporate Espionage stories you'll love this novel.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent dystopian scifi series start with compelling characters

I started reading this book as part of Kindle Unlimited based on the description and subject matter. The other five star reviews do not lie: this is a great story with meaningfully deep characterization. A number of plot twists keep the reader engaged, while at the same time, the setting of the story is believable enough to seem just one small step ahead of where our society has already gone.

Highly recommended!

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood takes care of blood

Another dystopian series and a well written one. As others have pointed out not impossible to believe this could be the future. The story contains the standard characters but the story is different and I enjoyed it. I also appreciated that it didn't jump into a love story even though you are pretty sure that it's coming. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Ken Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read

Excellent characters that are instantly relatable. A gifted poor girl is given a chance to study at an elite school for the rich, what can possibly go wrong? Well, pretty much everything. Politics of the rich vs the poor abound as is the eternal craving for more power and wealth by those that are already among the elite, while the forgotten lower classes struggle to just get by. Lots of action and intrigue. Highly recommended.

[Tracy Lea Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story

A rare thing, story first, romance is either very secondary or hinted at. A fish out of water combined with a good dystopian/evil empire story touching on real concerns regarding genetic tampering and the goods and evils it could bring humankind. A school story where the involvement of students in larger world issues actually makes sense. I recommend it highly,

[Janina s. Asselin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grab this book and hang on!

What a ride. Read this in one day and sorry it is done. Great characters, strong and believable. Strong writing, great flow. Nice twists and turns. Gave this four stars which is very rare for me. Writing , story and characters must maintain their hold and strength to merit a 4 and this offering did. Looking forward to more from this gifted writer.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun fast little read, with some interesting plot twists and some predictable plot twists. Good writing for the most part. On a few occasions where our main did some self-dialog, it became stilted and awkwardly out of place. This happened seldom, which made it all the more jarring on the few occasions when it did occur.

[Kate Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

This promised more than it ended up delivering. I liked the central character, Daniella, the world setting and the poor girl goes to posh school story. But as it developed it got more caught up in descriptive action and less about relationships and characterisation. And the plot was a little shaky in parts. Enjoyable light read, but not immediately reaching for the next one.