2 out of 4 stars
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The New Order of Alexandria: The Island of Hella is a dystopian science fiction novel by Joseph Roy Wright. The book is broken into three acts spanning thirty-five chapters and 205 pages. Set in the year 2050, the United States of America is largely submerged underwater after being flooded by the North Pole's melting ice caps and now exists as a series of independent island nations. On one such island, Henry Carr and his sons, Jack and Derek, live a modest life, trying to make ends meet. Little do they know their world is about to turn upside down.
One day, Jack goes hunting in the woods and becomes lost. He eventually happens upon Littlewood, a small settlement with a close-knit community. Most of the townsfolk are welcoming and kind but Jack gets a sense there is something odd about one of Littlewood's inhabitants. As Henry and Derek frantically search for Jack, they are not immune to the perils of being in an unfamiliar environment. What follows next is a deleterious series of events including satanic rituals, slave camps, love triangles, and the military establishment known as the New Order of Alexandria.
This book is presented in third person omniscient-or at least a vague approximation of it-although we primarily follow Jack and Derek. Alternating perspectives aid in striking a balance between character development and plot progression. The author installs an expansive array of twists to keep a reasonable degree of suspense, and does a nice job of crafting the book's ending with events that will transition seamlessly into the sequel.
Unfortunately, the negatives outweigh the positives of this book in most regards. The main characters speak from a cookie-cutter script, employing the same speech mannerisms, including a maladroit usage of swear words. I would have enjoyed more thorough descriptions of the characters’ physical appearances to assist with my mental imagery. Redundancy is an ongoing issue with the writing, creating a noticeable drag in the narrative's advancement. Furthermore, many scenes are either underexplored or completely irrelevant to progressing the plot.
The book is plagued by an infestation of grammatical errors, including the frequent misuse of the word “seen” instead of “saw” (e.g., “at first he seen nothing”). Random words are capitalized indiscriminately and I was perplexed by the sudden appearance of ampersands in place of “and” in Chapter Eight. One final observation: the reactions of the characters in dire circumstances is painfully unrealistic. For example, one of the characters is informed that his loved one had a “bit of an accident” (said “accident” was a bear mauling). Upon hearing the news, his reaction was, “Alright ---, I’ll head back shortly though just to check up on ---.” He then cracks a little joke and heads to a tavern.
I believe the author has a creative mind and a general understanding of how to impart his ideas into a story but ultimately needs help with some of the fundamentals. I feel like 2 out of 4 stars is a bit generous, but do not believe a 1-star rating is appropriate, so I have rounded up. Due to the language and mature themes, this book is not suitable for a young audience.
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The New Order of Alexandria
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