Pacific State Review

 

The Sundown Series: Book Two

Writer: Grant Price

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Price: $22.95

Kindle Price: $6.99

Kindle Unlimited: Free

Release Date: December 21, 2023

 

In Grant Price's novel Pacific State, Faye Mao’s daughter played a Cristal Baschet. Her music swept across countries, cultures, race, religion, and economic status. But stardom could not protect the girl from predators. Luc Benz performed illegal experiments on the media sensation without an anesthetic. Faye found her daughter’s tortured body in a dump. To whom could Faye turn for justice?

 

Mia Warsaw has toppled corrupt government ministers, battled strikebreakers, and served in the Ziranese Liberation Army. But those victories came with a price. She’s indebted to people for reconstructive surgeries. Mia balks at Faye’s offer to kill Luc Benz. She is not a paid assassin. Nor could she survive the wrath of his father, the owner of the powerful Habanik Entertainment Corp. Plus, Mia’s taken the teenage street thief Janeane under her wing. She’s no good to anyone dead. Still, Mia needs money to buy her freedom. She'll need experienced help to take down such a powerful man and make his death appear accidental. To whom can Mia turn?

 

 

 

 

Owen Resler works for Scopo Industries. The company produces an adaptogen that helps managers and executives put their consciences on hold. The adaptogen programs the users’ neural chips to transmit geographical, communication, and biometric data to Scopo. Owen studies the data for information Scopo can use or sell. An implant helps his brain sniff out details Scopo can exploit. Owen often relies on drugs to stay awake or foregoes sleep altogether. Thanks to Scopo, Owen doesn’t rely on handouts or pity anymore. But what happens when the Scopo executives decide he’s too good at his job?

 

In Grant Price’s novel Pacific State, refugees flee flooded coastlines and desertification. They overtax cities like Berlin while awaiting legal status. Good souls like Owen's sister lend what help they can. But overcrowding and dwindling resources mean that even the well-off may eat insects instead of meat. Some refugees become fodder for gladiatorial games. The rest camp in tent cities, minimally protected by robots and drones. Those granted legal status can live in containers or pods, subsist on food pills, or even eat laboratory-grown food. Like Owen, they can work long days for little money and even less hope of bettering their lives. Or they can join the rejected and journey elsewhere, hoping for a better welcome.

 

In this dismal future, biotech offers spectacular enhancements. Yet most people can barely afford visits to shoddy backstreet clinics. The rich get richer, the poor grow more desperate, and the effects of global warming ripple through Berlin, eroding the middle class. Still, Mia’s got a mission. Her young charge yearns to prove her capabilities. And Owen's fragile world trembles on the edge of collapse. Grant Price's novel Pacific State decries our casual disregard for climate change, reminds us of the dangers of unrestrained commerce, and argues that risking our lives to stamp out cruelty can be a noble cause.

 

Thanks to Grant Price, Black Rose Writing, Black Phoenix Book Tours, and Henry Roy PR for providing a copy for review.

 

Discover Grant's novel Pacific State at Amazon.com

 

Discover more books and stories at Grant Price's website.

 

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Grant Price is a writer of climate fiction. His debut novel, By the Feet of Men (Cosmic Egg, 2019), was submitted for consideration to the Arthur C. Clarke Award. His second novel, Reality Testing (Black Rose, 2022), is part of the Sundown Cycle and was listed in Kirkus's Top 100 Books 2021. Due for publication in December 2023, Pacific State (Black Rose, 2023) is his latest release and the second book in the Sundown Cycle. Grant is currently based in Berlin, Germany.