Official Review: Under the Light of Vega by J. Henry Dowd

[jhollan2]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Under the Light of Vega" by J. Henry Dowd.]

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Under the Light of Vega by J. Henry Dowd is a futuristic dystopian narrative written in the third person. Tyler and Cam, two teenage boys from Arizona, are on their way home from school when they are plucked up by a phenomenon known only as “The Bubble.” They are transported through time to a distant future where the only inhabitants of America are victims of the anomaly themselves and their descendents. The boys find themselves caught up in the middle of a viscous power struggle between the enlightened Free West and the militaristic Middle Kingdom, both of whom seek to control the technological and scientific progress that comes from each new drop-in’s knowledge and belongings. Tyler and Cameron are rescued by representatives of the Free West, who take them in and give them a home. On a trading expedition to the Middle Kingdom, they discover an old friend, Morgan. She was also a victim of the anomaly, and she is a guest of Queen Alexis. Their reunion sets off a chain reaction of events that topples the fragile peace between the two factions and leads to a brutal confrontation no one is prepared for.

The story takes place in a society, fifteen hundred years in the future, which is completely isolated and uniquely comprised of only those random individuals who were taken from their own timelines. Dowd has fused an interesting mixture of technological and cultural advancements from across the centuries. Horse-drawn carts and telegraphs are found alongside laser sights and laptops. There are airplanes and dirigibles, heat seeking missiles and barbarian hoards. The conflict is an old tale, with the Middle Kingdom proceeding from a stance of manifest destiny. Interesting parallels are drawn to the original American colonists, who also fought the French and the “free peoples,” such as the Native Americans, out of their desire to expand from one coast to the other.

Interspersed with the main tale are personal journal entries, military surveillance reports, and flashbacks, which are some of the more compelling parts of the book. In particular, Morgan’s journal entries were first person narrative and were much more engaging and flowed better than the main plot. The two main female characters, Morgan and Queen Alexis, are interesting foils, both strong women who make difficult and horrible choices to survive in the new world they find themselves in.

Under the Light of Vega is similar to the rash of dystopian fiction which has become popular recently. The writing is painfully juvenile and appears to be unedited. Dowd has clearly overused a thesaurus in his writing, creating a book that is stilted and awkward, overloaded with adjectives and multiple descriptions of the same scene. There is also a lack of even token research into elements of the book like horsemanship and certain scientific aspects. The first half reads like a children’s book and the second half is riddled with memories of prolonged gang rape, men being cut in half by cannon fire, and kamikaze pilots.

I am giving this book 2 out of 4 stars. Despite its poor writing and editing, the plot is intriguing and some of the characters are engaging. It starts to pick up at the end and come together more cohesively, and the last chapter will leave readers curious about how events unfold in the upcoming novels. If you are a fan of futuristic dystopian fiction with a penchant for adjectives, alliteration, and plot holes, this is a story for you.

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[jhenrydowd]

It is 15,000, not 1500, thus the associated realignment of the skies is in order. "Research into scientific aspects? I'm a physicist. You may want to do a little remedial study yourself.
Editing is woefully lacking (circumstance and time prevent outside intervention currently.)
I don't used a thesaurus. Do you prefer colorless writing? Or, perhaps, the endless redundancies of "favored" descriptions?

[Ealasaid]

Interesting review. Thank you for sharing. I am always interested in books that transport people into the past or future.