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The Enemy Within: A Dystopian Thriller
A car crash, an old suitcase and a dark secret leads to a story of arson and murder.Simon Reece's journey through this dystopian crime thriller, searching to find his identity, draws him into a world of lies, danger and murder. This is a world controlled by evil policemen, corrupt politicians and all seeing computers, a world where fiction and science come together, of suspense and action where vulnerable citizens are mere pawns in a terrible experiment. As Simon Reece fights to expose the truth he faces mortal challenges, deadly enemies who will stop at nothing and a state which will do everything in its power to destroy him. Reece's quest is a story of Orwellian madness writ large in the 21st Century.Paul White's review says all;Revelations in the aftermath of a tragedy, lead Simon Reece, cyber-security entrepreneur, to embark on a quest to discover his true identity. This personal catastrophe intersects with national calamity – a fractured country, paralysed by rioting, plagued by terrorist violence, struggling to find its own new identify; a nation highly susceptible to the arguments of a populist movement that offers an apparently surefooted pathway amidst the sinkholes of a collapsing society and body politic.
The book’s author, Watkins, masterfully taps into the zeitgeist of potentially post-Brexit Britain, immersing the reader in a maelstrom from which the lead character and the country are co-joined in a struggle in which so-called “special relationships” are exposed as ephemeral window-dressings concealing shady goings-on where vested interests are ruthlessly pursued. Watkins takes us on a journey at which every twist and turn leads to revelations that shatter the very foundations of what might be considered normal, both for the individual and for society at large.
At the heart of the book lies a fundamental in highly volatile times, how much “collateral damage” to our freedom and civil liberties are we prepared to accept in return for state protection from myriad threats and dangers?
In a book that combines Buchanesque plot lines with Orwellian dystopia, every reader will surely find themselves reflecting on how Watkins’ vision could all too easily become a devastating reality.
The book’s author, Watkins, masterfully taps into the zeitgeist of potentially post-Brexit Britain, immersing the reader in a maelstrom from which the lead character and the country are co-joined in a struggle in which so-called “special relationships” are exposed as ephemeral window-dressings concealing shady goings-on where vested interests are ruthlessly pursued. Watkins takes us on a journey at which every twist and turn leads to revelations that shatter the very foundations of what might be considered normal, both for the individual and for society at large.
At the heart of the book lies a fundamental in highly volatile times, how much “collateral damage” to our freedom and civil liberties are we prepared to accept in return for state protection from myriad threats and dangers?
In a book that combines Buchanesque plot lines with Orwellian dystopia, every reader will surely find themselves reflecting on how Watkins’ vision could all too easily become a devastating reality.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2019
8 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 19, 2020
First book I've read by this author. Really enjoyed it and if he writes more in this genre, I'll certianly grab it.
November 1, 2019
Truly Orwellian
Graham Watkins, author of The Enemy Within, does a marvelous job of creating a truly realistic, dystopian world.
This story asks the question, what is the citizenry willing to trade for safety? Truly, a lot. And a tech company, lead by Simon Reece, has exactly what the government needs: the ability to control the population. Only, things go seriously sideways when Reece starts to dig a little too deeply into classified material. Soon he’s imprisoned and the story becomes a desperate attempt on his part to escape, clear his name, and bring to light the truth of a little bit more than the heinous activity of top tier government officials.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and Graham Watkins’ narrative style. While all story and character arcs are nicely concluded by the end, it all happens very suddenly in the last 20% of the story. But, the build in the story and the surprise twist at the end, make up for what feels like a slightly rushed ending.
The Enemy Within: A Dystopian Thriller, is a compelling and timely look into what could be a potential and scary future for many developed nations in our world today.
Graham Watkins, author of The Enemy Within, does a marvelous job of creating a truly realistic, dystopian world.
This story asks the question, what is the citizenry willing to trade for safety? Truly, a lot. And a tech company, lead by Simon Reece, has exactly what the government needs: the ability to control the population. Only, things go seriously sideways when Reece starts to dig a little too deeply into classified material. Soon he’s imprisoned and the story becomes a desperate attempt on his part to escape, clear his name, and bring to light the truth of a little bit more than the heinous activity of top tier government officials.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and Graham Watkins’ narrative style. While all story and character arcs are nicely concluded by the end, it all happens very suddenly in the last 20% of the story. But, the build in the story and the surprise twist at the end, make up for what feels like a slightly rushed ending.
The Enemy Within: A Dystopian Thriller, is a compelling and timely look into what could be a potential and scary future for many developed nations in our world today.
December 10, 2019
Len Deighton Step Aside
The Enemy Within by Graham Watkins hits the ground running. Ripped from Brexit headlines, Watkins' eerie story rings true. The underlying thread, security versus freedom, weaves into the stuff of Simon Reece's nightmare journey into a technologically driven totalitarian state running amok in near-future Britain.
Readers in tune with Len Deighton's books will enjoy the way Watkins lays out the complex interplay of human relations in a stressful environment. The bad guys tend to get hung by repeating earlier offenses from their sordid past lives while the good guys struggle and stand together when confronting a repressive enemy. Though the main woman character demonstrated courage, she could have been fuller, had a more proactive roll.
The Enemy Within pulls you into its vice and never lets you go. Highly recommended.
The Enemy Within by Graham Watkins hits the ground running. Ripped from Brexit headlines, Watkins' eerie story rings true. The underlying thread, security versus freedom, weaves into the stuff of Simon Reece's nightmare journey into a technologically driven totalitarian state running amok in near-future Britain.
Readers in tune with Len Deighton's books will enjoy the way Watkins lays out the complex interplay of human relations in a stressful environment. The bad guys tend to get hung by repeating earlier offenses from their sordid past lives while the good guys struggle and stand together when confronting a repressive enemy. Though the main woman character demonstrated courage, she could have been fuller, had a more proactive roll.
The Enemy Within pulls you into its vice and never lets you go. Highly recommended.
March 6, 2021
It's 4.30 a.m
I stayed up all night to finish the book, the story was exciting and imaginative, the characters were believable, there were times when the book made me feel anxious, thinking what if this was real, I like when a book gets under my skin, this one did, I think it will be in my head for a while. Highly recommended.
I stayed up all night to finish the book, the story was exciting and imaginative, the characters were believable, there were times when the book made me feel anxious, thinking what if this was real, I like when a book gets under my skin, this one did, I think it will be in my head for a while. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews