Review by Space_Rats -- Genex of Halcyon by Joshua Stelling
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- Latest Review: Genex of Halcyon by Joshua Stelling
Review by Space_Rats -- Genex of Halcyon by Joshua Stelling
[Following is a volunteer review of "Genex of Halcyon" by Joshua Stelling.]
In the year 2043, the World Database was hacked and everyone’s secrets were leaked. The exposure of widespread corruption led to government collapse. Shedding light on the fact that the vast majority of the population broke the law, and that serious harm and violence were rare, put an end to the carceral system. The society that resulted continued using the technology, and operated without privacy or government.
The story opens in 2051, when Harmony, her brother Azad, and her partner, Orion, meet Day, a winged 17 year old, while traveling, and invite her to stay with them. Over the course of three days, surrounding an abrupt death, we learn the characters’ histories, family relations, and life philosophies as they grieve and search for the truth of what happened.
I found the themes of technology and surveillance compelling and resonant, and enjoyed imagining a future without government or prisons. The characters were well developed and the writing style was poetic and packed with imagery. I enjoyed seeing the characters move through the city on magnetic railcars, playing in a team laser tournament, and interacting with robots who appear all-knowing.
Although the worldbuilding was thorough and enjoyable, the plot was often difficult to follow. The novel introduced new terms without completely defining them early on. I often found myself confused, searching back for several “blink and you’ll miss it” moments of exposition. New terms are sometimes abbreviated after initial use, which adds to the confusion.
I would have stopped reading this book due to offensive content, if not for the fact that I was reading it to write a review. The male gazey depiction of female characters rises to the level of sexualizing a teen girl while she’s sleeping. The sex scenes depict questionable consent negotiation at best and frame a sexual assault as cheating at worst. Apart from these glaring issues, these scenes are well-written and I was disappointed that I was not able to enjoy them. As a content note to the reader, this book also contains drug use and graphic violence, in addition to sexual content.
I rate Genex of Halcyon two out of four stars. The concept was engaging but I felt that the execution needs more work. I did not notice any spelling errors or typos, but this book could certainly use more editing for clarity. Despite the pleasing writing style, certain aspects of the book were offensive or confusing. With more focused editing on these issues, this book could be very enjoyable and compelling.
******
Genex of Halcyon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In the year 2043, the World Database was hacked and everyone’s secrets were leaked. The exposure of widespread corruption led to government collapse. Shedding light on the fact that the vast majority of the population broke the law, and that serious harm and violence were rare, put an end to the carceral system. The society that resulted continued using the technology, and operated without privacy or government.
The story opens in 2051, when Harmony, her brother Azad, and her partner, Orion, meet Day, a winged 17 year old, while traveling, and invite her to stay with them. Over the course of three days, surrounding an abrupt death, we learn the characters’ histories, family relations, and life philosophies as they grieve and search for the truth of what happened.
I found the themes of technology and surveillance compelling and resonant, and enjoyed imagining a future without government or prisons. The characters were well developed and the writing style was poetic and packed with imagery. I enjoyed seeing the characters move through the city on magnetic railcars, playing in a team laser tournament, and interacting with robots who appear all-knowing.
Although the worldbuilding was thorough and enjoyable, the plot was often difficult to follow. The novel introduced new terms without completely defining them early on. I often found myself confused, searching back for several “blink and you’ll miss it” moments of exposition. New terms are sometimes abbreviated after initial use, which adds to the confusion.
I would have stopped reading this book due to offensive content, if not for the fact that I was reading it to write a review. The male gazey depiction of female characters rises to the level of sexualizing a teen girl while she’s sleeping. The sex scenes depict questionable consent negotiation at best and frame a sexual assault as cheating at worst. Apart from these glaring issues, these scenes are well-written and I was disappointed that I was not able to enjoy them. As a content note to the reader, this book also contains drug use and graphic violence, in addition to sexual content.
I rate Genex of Halcyon two out of four stars. The concept was engaging but I felt that the execution needs more work. I did not notice any spelling errors or typos, but this book could certainly use more editing for clarity. Despite the pleasing writing style, certain aspects of the book were offensive or confusing. With more focused editing on these issues, this book could be very enjoyable and compelling.
******
Genex of Halcyon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Genex of Halcyon by Joshua Stelling
