Review of Dissonance: Volume I: Reality

[Alice Heritage]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dissonance:Volume I: Reality " by Aaron Ryan.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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"We slunk our way around onto Washington, zigzagging onto Union. ... So far, nothing but abandoned office spaces and businesses in a good mix of commercial and residential, with various windows broken out, and cars littering the street with their doors open. Occasional dried blood streaked across the windows. Whatever happened here was savage. Just like everywhere else." Dissonance by Aaron Ryan, p. 79.

Above is a description of a US town 16 years after Earth was invaded. Alien beings, known as gorgons because they mesmerize their victims before devouring them, have decimated humanity. The protagonist of the dystopian novel Dissonance, Cameron "Jet" Shipley, is an army sergeant from one of the pockets of survivors sheltering from the lethal monsters. Yet the humans are not merely hiding but researching and strategizing. Then a new arrival at Jet's blockade, Lieutenant Trudy, brings borosilicate masks that protect the wearer from the gorgon glare. When Jet learns of this and further new technology, he wonders what else he and his brother Wyatt Rutledge ("Rutty") have been kept in the dark about, and why.

Jet finds Allison Trudy more than sympathetic but mistrusts her companion Joe Bassett. This brought forth sarcastic asides from Jet as he told the story, and I enjoyed his wry humour. The developing relationships between the characters are a counterpoint to the humans' progression from surviving to fighting the gorgons. Author Aaron Ryan did a great job of creating life-like characters with distinctive voices. I felt as if I were sitting with Jet as he recounted the tale.

This use of Jet's narrative voice meant that Ryan avoided a common pitfall of speculative fiction, namely, clunky exposition and information dumping. The story opens in the middle of the action with Jet and Rutty on a mission, and I was hooked right away. Jet's commentary took me by the hand and guided me through this story's unknown and dangerous world. However, this strength of the book came with a slight problem. Jet made many cultural, social and political references to the world before the gorgons arrived in 2026, such as the major conflicts in 2023. This would make perfect sense to a "listener" in 2024, but by definition, Jet can only be recounting this to someone in a later future who would have no knowledge of the pre-apocalyptic world. Some explanations would help here.

In connection with these "anachronisms", the tale felt slightly off balance. Although it was excellently structured overall and the shocking revelations at the climax were sufficiently foreshadowed, the end felt too much like a segue into the sequel. It's not that I'm not keen to read the sequel - I am, but the final cliffhanger felt contrived.

As a result of these slight downsides to a novel that otherwise has much to recommend it, my rating is four out of five stars. The character development, pace and structure are skilfully handled, and the author's research shows. I didn't always understand the military abbreviations, so explanations would have been useful. That aside, the writing is clear and vivid, and the story raises questions about how this scenario might impact humanity. Ryan avoided black-and-white morals but rather explored the possibilities with fascinating ambiguity. For example, Jet saw beauty in the floating, misty gorgons even as he knew they were bloodthirsty and destructive.

I'd certainly recommend this to dystopian fiction fans. It is suitable for teens and up, though be warned that the events get gruesome at times.

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Dissonance
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[Bradley Twesten]

Excellent review. Very well written and has captured my imagination to want to know more and read the book. Great Job.

[Asher Justus]

I loved this book! I'm confused by your end comment though - this IS a series book, so it would have a sequel naturally, and I certainly got that from reading it through to the end. It's called Dissonance, Volume I: Reality...and he (the author) has already published Volume II. Clearly a series. So that was confusing. I loved what you said though about the gorgons...they are truly terrifying, and I won't spoil it but there were definitely some gruesome scares in there by them!

[Raymonda Onwuka 1]

This book sounds like a great read but I really don't like books which ends in the way you mentioned. I think I will pass on this one. Thanks for the honest review.

[MoeBrown]

I can definitely understand the dislike towards the book's end, but all the other aspects makes the book soun action-packed and very mysterious. Would give it a read. Good reviews

[Alice Heritage]

This book sounds like a great read but I really don't like books which ends in the way you mentioned. I think I will pass on this one. Thanks for the honest review.

The book has some exciting plots that are resolved by the end but I at least personally felt something new was opened at the very end - just my opinion, though.

Thanks for commenting!

[Alice Heritage]

I can definitely understand the dislike towards the book's end, but all the other aspects makes the book soun action-packed and very mysterious. Would give it a read. Good reviews

Well, to be fair it wasn't terrible: I've seen much worse cliffhanger endings, and all the major plots had reached resolutions by the end. It just veered off a little too much for my taste nevertheless. I do recommend the book anyway.

Thank you for reading and commenting!

[NetMassimo]

Despite the flaws you pointed out, this seems like an engaging novel in which merits far overweigh flaws. Sometimes the final twists can be annoying when their only goal is to create a cliffhanger, so it's good to know when you have one of them. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!

[Alice Heritage]

Despite the flaws you pointed out, this seems like an engaging novel in which merits far overweigh flaws. Sometimes the final twists can be annoying when their only goal is to create a cliffhanger, so it's good to know when you have one of them. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!

Yes, there were many good parts like the plot and the pacing. The premise is intriguing too. Thanks for reading and commenting!

[Sarah_Belle]

I loved this book! I'm confused by your end comment though - this IS a series book, so it would have a sequel naturally, and I certainly got that from reading it through to the end. It's called Dissonance, Volume I: Reality...and he (the author) has already published Volume II. Clearly a series. So that was confusing. I loved what you said though about the gorgons...they are truly terrifying, and I won't spoil it but there were definitely some gruesome scares in there by them!

Hi Asher,
Thanks for your comment! *I am not sure, but my best guess is that the reviewer was aware this was a series, as she to me did clearly stated that it was. I think she was just disappointed with the way the book ended. Sorry if that was confusing. @Alice Heritage could you shed some light on this for us?

[Alice Heritage]

I loved this book! I'm confused by your end comment though - this IS a series book, so it would have a sequel naturally, and I certainly got that from reading it through to the end. It's called Dissonance, Volume I: Reality...and he (the author) has already published Volume II. Clearly a series. So that was confusing. I loved what you said though about the gorgons...they are truly terrifying, and I won't spoil it but there were definitely some gruesome scares in there by them!

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear, but I didn't say this wasn't a book in a series: in fact I mentioned "the sequel". My point was a technical one concerning the way the plot branched off at the very end, in connection with a personal preference; ymmv. I can honestly recommend this book to other readers as the review made clear.

[Alice Heritage]

I loved this book! I'm confused by your end comment though - this IS a series book, so it would have a sequel naturally, and I certainly got that from reading it through to the end. It's called Dissonance, Volume I: Reality...and he (the author) has already published Volume II. Clearly a series. So that was confusing. I loved what you said though about the gorgons...they are truly terrifying, and I won't spoil it but there were definitely some gruesome scares in there by them!

Hi Asher,
Thanks for your comment! *I am not sure, but my best guess is that the reviewer was aware this was a series, as she to me did clearly stated that it was. I think she was just disappointed with the way the book ended. Sorry if that was confusing. @Alice Heritage could you shed some light on this for us?

@ Sarah_Belle Yes, that's right

[Jennifer Coxon]

Thank you for your insightful review. I'm not sure if this would be my choice of book - while I do like dystopian settings I'm not one for apocalyptic type situations. I appreciate you insightfulness to pick up on the references and that they don't quite work in this future telling without further explanation. I also agree with you about contrived cliff hangers for sequels - it's either that, or a complete lack of ending to the first so that everything needs to be resolved in the sequel. Both are pet peeves of mine.

[Alice Heritage]

Thank you for your insightful review. I'm not sure if this would be my choice of book - while I do like dystopian settings I'm not one for apocalyptic type situations. I appreciate you insightfulness to pick up on the references and that they don't quite work in this future telling without further explanation. I also agree with you about contrived cliff hangers for sequels - it's either that, or a complete lack of ending to the first so that everything needs to be resolved in the sequel. Both are pet peeves of mine.

Most things are resolved at the end. But yes, this is the type of dystopia where people are sheltering and afraid for their lives. Many thanks for your interesting comment!

[Gerry Steen]

This review of "Dissonance" is a thorough and honest review. The fact that you felt like you were sitting with Jet, while he was recounting the tale, speaks volumes about the author's talent in crafting a narrative. I like when stories start in the middle of the action. This draws me in to the story right away. I can see myself getting lost in this book. I mean lost in a good way. Hopefully your constructive criticism will help this talented author refine his endings and cliffhangers. Thank you for this great review.