Salford World War

by Mike Scantlebury

★☆☆☆☆

Salford World War details the buildup to the arrival of a Chinese national in the English city of Salford, the rising political tensions that result from it, and the efforts of an anti-terrorism agency to ensure the visit runs smoothly. As parallels between modern tensions and the political environment of 1914 Europe become apparent, particularly the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, whispers about the potential of WWIII rise up and the stakes escalate far beyond what the agency could have guessed.

This story's core strength is its concept, a "history-repeating-itself" interpretation of the conditions and sociopolitical environment that could plunge the world into yet another Great War. It kept my attention and urged me to read until the end, to see what would go down and unravel the tangled knots connecting all these characters together. The story was also paced well; it never felt like it was plodding, and its short length made for a slick experience.

Outside its interesting premise, however, I found an unremarkable protagonist, one-note supporting characters, and a narrative that didn't deliver on its genre prescriptions of a "romantic thriller." There is very little actual "romance" in this story apart from a handful of asides and maybe one or two instances of sultry description, and the "thrills" don't become heavily apparent until the last twenty pages or so. Without spoiling too much, there is no catharsis or well-rounded resolution after the climax, the novel just kinda "ends." It left me feeling unsatisfied and hollow, questioning what I just read rather than dwelling on the weight of the story as a whole.

In terms of writing, there were technical errors that took me out of the story, including instances of missing quotation marks (was this a stylistic choice? I'm not sure, as it happened rather inconsistently), and one instance where a character's name got swapped with another, leading me to wonder why the POV changed mid-paragraph until I realized what must have really happened. In terms of style, especially near the climax there were overtly obvious descriptions and uses of exclamation points outside dialogue that did not sit well with me.

Apparently this is Book 12 in a series, so there may be context or character development I'm missing out on that would have enchanced my experience with this book. I didn't feel like I was missing out on any information though; the story could have sufficed as a stand-alone experience. Unfortunately that experience left me feeling somewhere between frustrated and empty, and unless you're a fan of these short, slick thrillers that could be consumed in an evening, I would not recommend this book to you.

NOTE: There are two versions of this book available on Amazon, one published August 2018 and the other September 2018, the latter labeled "post-Brexit edition." They both have distinct covers and the August version was the version I received. Of note is the cover art themselves: the August edition appears to feature a photograph of the 2011 London riots, and the September edition features a painting of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by the late artist Clive Uptton. It is unknown to me whether the author/cover designer had the liberty to use these images for commercial sale, but regardless it rubs me the wrong way that no original cover art was created for this book.

The Auction

by Tom Galvin

★★☆☆☆

The Auction follows the buildup to the titular annual event where patrons from the world’s top corporations invest in the futures of promising young candidates. As the higher-ups orchestrate their bids, face internal corruption, and deal with the ever-growing crowds of protestors, the candidates navigate through their own troubled lives, each aspect of their pasts and presents scrutinized for the fate of their futures.

The novel’s biggest strength lies in its main protagonist. Sasha Cross, the daughter of a deceased Hollywood actress, must grapple with her conflicting expectations, desires, and disillusionments as she finds herself weighed down with the burdens of being a prime Auction candidate. Her characterization of a free-spirited rebel bound by her mother’s shadow is compelling enough to stick with her and root for her arc as the story progresses. The other characters endure their own trials, just as topical and well-rounded as hers. Without going into spoilers, everyone’s struggles are real, and their resolutions are cathartic.

That being said, the strength of the character arcs unfortunately reveals the novel’s weaknesses. For a story explicitly labeled as a “dystopian thriller,” the “thrills” are lacking and the “dystopian” element is relegated to the sidelines in favor of the protagonists’ slice-of-life drama. There was a point when I realized these characters’ stories would be more or less unaffected without the looming presence of the Auction, and that everything actually related to the Auction and its corporate overlords was disappointingly toothless. A novel like this could have tolerated a lot more venom, a lot more grit, a lot more bite. The social commentary is poignant and topical, but not refreshing or original enough to save the story's shortcomings. And the dramatic climax, cathartic as it is, unfortunately does not make up for the comparably anodyne story threads before it.

One could chalk up my criticisms with the novel to what I believe were misfired expectations, and they’d probably be right. With a premise like The Auction’s, I went in expecting something more along the lines of The Hunger Games or Blade Runner, but instead I got character drama that would have sufficed on the Lifetime network, with the dystopian element merely simmering in the background, not generating much heat. This isn’t so much a slam on the writing itself, as the book works on a technical level and the dialogue was realistic and immersive. Rather, I found myself let down by what I saw as misplaced narrative emphasis.

In short, while the novel sports well-rounded character drama, readers looking for a gripping, edgy (self-purported) dystopian thriller will find themselves disappointed.