Reviews

Rule of Capture by Christopher Brown

jeremiah_scanlan's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This feels oddly early-draft - the plot ideas are there but are spliced together haphazardly, the prose is often unnecessarily clumsy. But that's forgivable, because it's the world building that counts, and it's the most believable vision of a dystopian America I've ever read.

trudy4088d's review

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

fredkiesche's review against another edition

5.0

If John Brunner and William Gibson, with a dash of Rudy Rucker, were to collaborate on a book, this frightening wake up call might be the result.

nfiertz's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

joosty's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

norma_cenva's review

4.0

This one was on my to-read-list for quite a while. I knew I wanted to read it but did not know if this would be a story for me. I was pleasantly surprised. This is a very unique blend of dystopian eco-fiction. It might not seem like it in the beginning, but the story is as much about ecology as it is about law and I loved it!

djwudi's review against another edition

3.0

It is not easy to read near-future dystopian SF set in an America waiting for the outcome of a contested election after the fascist incumbent loses but the Texas Gov. invalidates the electoral votes and it goes to SCOTUS. Complicating matters is ecological, economic, and sociological collapse brought on by losing a war with China, but if you swapped that backstory out and replaced it with a global pandemic....

While that’s background world building, and only tangentially ties to the main plot of a lawyer working to release his client, a young woman branded a terrorist for journalism work among protesters (also hitting pretty damn close to home), much of the book is remarkably uncomfortably prescient.

We came far too close to the state of the country as presented here, and could still tip over into it if the next wannabe fascist dictator is more savvy and less volatile than the last. Definitely an uncomfortable read, and if the sequel wasn’t one of this year’s P.K. Dick Award nominees, I may not have made it past the first few chapters.

That said - it was well written, and there’s an element of fighting for something better against all odds that gives it a faint hope punk feel. It was enough to get me through, and hope that the sequel continues along those lines.

vlynnk89's review against another edition

4.0

This was terrifying because we don't seem too far from this situation.

lini002's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

treyshman's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75