By: Kevin Laymon
Genre: Science Fiction
Set in a science fiction setting with elements of twisted horror, Future Winds is a strange yet wondrous tale of species self-preservation and the all-out moral cost of survival.
Forced to leave earth, humanity discovers a planet capable of supporting life and hatches an audacious plan that will warp them across the universe to settle and begin anew.
There is a darkness that resides below the planet's surface, but with no option to turn back, humanity must find a way forward.
Review by Coll
My Rating: 4.5 Coffee Cups!
**I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an
honest review.**
Science Fiction has always been one of my true loves when it
comes to literature. Now mix in some horror, a genre that I hold so much
affection for, well then you can pull me into a story instantly. That is what
Future Winds did for me. Humans find Earth to be no longer habitable and are
forced to spread out into the galaxy in search of a new home that can sustain life.
Enter planet Flare, a planet with many key similarities to Earth, but also with
many visible dangers such as high temperatures and brutal fire storms. What is
important though is that Flare can sustain human life, and with the
technological advances humankind has made the planet can be shaped to fit the
needs of humans. What cannot be shaped and changed is that danger that already
lurks deep down in the planet, a danger that humankind if about to meet face to
face.
It is a common theme among sci-fi novels to have a story of
humankind needing to colonize a new planet, but this book threw in so many
twists and changes to that theme that the story told was unique. Whatever you
go into this books expecting, I can promise you that it will not be what you
get. I found myself constantly shocked and surprised by plot twists and the
direction the story took, which made this book incredibly hard to put down. Future
Winds is brutal, violent, smart, and exciting. It does not sugar coat the idea
of relocating humankind to a new planet. Instead it introduces so much danger,
so many mistakes, and shows the violence that can come about when a species
decides to take over a planet with wanton disregard for its nature and the current
inhabitants.
Future Winds involves many different characters and
throughout the course of a chapter it will switch from the point of view of
one character to another. I was impressed with how seamlessly Laymon did this
and never once was I confused or thrown off by a character switch. This writing
style introduced so many different views and it made it hard to see any main
character as solely a good guy or a bad guy. The book gives not only narration
and dialogue from a character but it also their thoughts, which are written in
the book in italic text. This delivers an intimate glimpse into the minds of
the characters and what they are thinking that they dare not say out loud.
The one thing I found myself wishing for in the book was a
little more character development. I wanted to learn more about the cast of characters and what made them who they are. I love when I am able to have a deep
connection with one or more individuals in a story and this was something that I
felt was missing at times. There were also moments when I sensed a slight disconnect between the
characters and their emotions, but in the long run that did not impact the
story negatively for me. I looked at it as though the characters in the book
had a job to do and were so focused on sustaining their world and their lives
that there was not always time for sorrow or sentiment.
A characteristic we always expect from science fiction
writing is an underlying lesson, and this is a point that Laymon definitely
delivers on with Future Winds. It tackles political corruption, nepotism, division
of classes, military atrocities, and the self-importance humankind tends to
have towards itself. To me the book warned of the blight that we could face if
we continue to make “progress” through war and if we do not learn to treat all beings
and lifeforms with respect. Overall I really enjoyed this book. It shocked me,
made me laugh, made me cringe, and forced me to think about the world around me
and our possible future. If you are a science fiction fan, a horror fan, or
someone who is looking for something different and shocking then definitely
check out Future Winds.
“Nature cared not for imaginary borders. These were but
lines drawn in the sand by man.”
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Buy Links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1OAQs5t
