Paul Benedict is not like his fellow Utopians, immortals who live in absolute peace and love. He possesses the will to fight back, and he knows he must do so in order to protect his wife and daughters.
When alien scouts terrorize Paul's planet, he and his family work together to engineer a nonlethal battle suit designed to stop the attacks. The source of the invasion is a man named Shadow who is intent on eliminating the Utopian race, whom he calls "violators of God's power of life." He is also the game master of Divine Might-a gladiator game that may represent the Utopians' only hope. Using his invented suit, Paul embarks on a journey to gain mercy for his race by conquering the game, in which the champion's wish comes true. Only time will tell if he will survive and manage to do what is right when everything around him is wrong.
From the Author:
If you've felt the anguish of Star Wars Anakin in his journey to become Darth Vader, felt the adrenaline of The Hunger Games Gamemakers's arenas tormenting tributes, felt the love of Blade Runner 2049 AI Joi for her replicant companion K, was amazed by Marvel Cinematic Universe's Iron Man Mark 50 armor (Avengers Infinity War), and found humor in Atlas and Smith's relationship in the recent Netflix sci-fi movie Atlas, put all of those feelings into a blender and you get Raise Your Weapon: Variance.
Check out a sample of the first 50 pages today on Amazon!
Science-fiction topics in Raise Your Weapon: Variance: action and adventure, utopian and dystopian societies, artificial intelligence, AI symbiosis, pacifism, peacemaker, family and love, battle suits, mech armor, military technology, futuristic technology, nanotechnology, electromagnetic technology, physics and science, nuclear warfare, space travel, gladiator sport, battle royale, battle arenas, terraforming, new and distant worlds, future of mankind, aliens, epic battles, transformation, survival, survival games, augmented and superimposition realities, higher dimensions, and more.
Josen Llave is the author of Variance: Raise Your Weapon, an epic science fiction novel about utopian pacifists adapting to worlds that hate their perfect society. It is fast-paced action covering AI, future tech, gladiator arenas, sacrifice, and family. He is also a Senior Product Director at CBRE, holds a master of science degree in engineering management and bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and was an infantry sergeant for the US Army. He and his wife have five children. They live in Tennessee.
If you've felt the anguish of Star Wars Anakin in his journey to become Darth Vader, felt the adrenaline of The Hunger Games Gamemakers's arenas tormenting tributes, felt the love of Blade Runner 2049 AI Joi for her replicant companion K, was amazed by Marvel Cinematic Universe's Iron Man Mark 50 armor (Avengers Infinity War), and found humor in Atlas and Smith's relationship in the recent Netflix sci-fi movie Atlas, put all of those feelings into a blender and you get Raise Your Weapon: Variance. Check out a sample of the first 50 pages today!
Key subjects in Raise Your Weapon: Variance: utopian and dystopian socieities, artificial intelligence, pacifism, family and love, battlesuits, futuristic technology, nanotechnology, electromagnetic technology, physics and science, space travel, gladiator sport, battle royale, battle arenas, terraforming, new and distant worlds, future of mankind, epic battles, transformation, augmented and superimposition realities, higher dimensions, and more.
Visit www.josenscifi.com for events, writing resources and tips, and more! Visit https://a.co/d/cjlgcdk to check out Raise Your Weapon: Variance (Kindle, hardcover, or softcover) on Amazon!
“Variance: Raise Your Weapon,” by Josen Llave is an energetic and fast-moving sci-fi thriller. Intriguing, non-stop action, set in an extraordinary alternate world, this space opera will satisfy newbie and hard-core sci-fi fans alike.
Scientifically blessed with Cellular Infinity, Utopians of Azure enjoy immortality, living in total peace and love. When confronted with danger, they simply smile and turn the other way. This becomes a problem when the Kazats of Crimson, who believe Utopians are pure evil, vow to completely annihilate the race.
Paul Benedict is a different sort of Utopian. Paul possesses independent thinking and free will and knows he must fight against the norm to save his family and the Utopian race from total extinction. With the help of his family, an AI named Siren, and a few unlikely cohorts, Paul sets out on a mission doomed from the start. For in order to accomplish his task, he must fight and win the gladiator game called Divine Might, a seemingly impossible feat, where he will face every conceivablechallenge, and some beyond the wildest imagination.
Intellectually stimulating and captivating, Llave’s writing style really sets the tone for non-stop entertainment. The setting is quite unlike anything I could ever imagine–both unique and customary at the same time, as distinctive out-of-this-world machinations combine with an almost old-fashioned sense of family and tradition. The story is full of action, and great detail is shown in the battle scenes, providing intensity and moving the plot along nicely.
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in “Variance.” The Utopian citizens created lemming-like images in my mind, while the character of Ryan is hilarious, providing engaging sarcasm and almost unintentional comic-relief. Siren–the AI, was the most captivating character in my opinion. She completely unnerved me, as I likened her to the AI in the movie, “Ex Machina” by Alex Garland. Paul Benedict as a protagonist grew on me as he developed with the progression of the story. There are some cheesy moments with Paul and his daughter involving a somewhat grating catch-phrase they use between them but hey, it does establish a sense of familial tradition.
Overall, I highly recommend “Variance” by Josen Llave as a thrilling sci-fi experience, and look forward to the sequel, “Celestial” coming soon.