Saturday, July 19, 2008

Dan Ronco - Unholy Domain (Book Review)


"Unholy Domain" (Amazon: UK, US)
by Dan Ronco
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Publisher: Künati Inc.

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A lethal computer virus roars across the Internet; more than a million people die before it is terminated. A decade later, civilisation has crumbled in an economic collapse. The world is divided between those who think technology will save them and those who believe it to be the tool of Satan. David Brown, son of the virus' creator, believes his father innocent and sets out to clear his name - but his efforts make him a target for both sides, the fanatics and the technos ...

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At first, I was a bit skeptic about the book. An author I've never heard of, an unknown publisher and a crucifix on the cover - it all made the "Unholy Domain" seem a bit suspicious. The blurb on the back, however, was promising, and so I gave the book a go.

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"It reads like a cross between Blade Runner and Angels and Demons."
-R.Douglas Weber
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To begin with, I must say that there is actually some truth in the book praise section. These are usually more or less similar, comparing the book at hand to the work of one or another famous author, and more than often the two have nothing in common. Comparing Ronco to Dick falls in the above section, but the comparison to Dan Brown hits the proverbial spot. I say 'almost' because Ronco is ... well, better, at least from what I've seen. I've read my share of Dan Brown novels and they could just as well be one and the same, sharing a predictable plot, unavoidable romance and a style that falters from time to time. While Ronco sometimes repeats some of Dan Brown's mistakes, he more often than not manages to avoid them, creating an easy, fast-paced SF thriller I enjoyed very much.

As said, there were some things that bothered me, but none spoiled the reading experience much. "Unholy Domain" can be very predictable at times - for example, it's all to easy to guess what fate befell David's father. There are other, similar occasions, when the reader can get ahead of the plot, and the most that the book got from me was a mild surprise. There is also a girl who's an obvious seducer, charming the main character in a heart-beat; a cliché if there ever was one and it doesn't really matter whether she's a good or a bad 'guy'. To his credit, Ronco pulled out the best of that one, not lingering on it and making her an 'in-between', neither good or bad. I was also glad that the romance was not playing an important part in the story - the girl stayed more or less out of the way of main plot.

Otherwise, the plot flows smoothly, including many POVs, and though it is set in the near-future, is light on inclusion of futuristic gadgetry, so there is no unnecessary info-dumping concerning technology. The style of writing is good, though a bit biased at the beginning, where the author appears to be too clearly on the side of the Technos (this evens out later on), including 'prayers' of Army of God which are not really as subtle as prayers about killing your enemies should be and therefore make a rather silly impression. Also, the ending itself surprised me, mostly because there is none. Uncle Google then informed me that "Unholy Domain" is in truth the second book of a trilogy starting with "Peacemaker" and ending with "Tomorrow's Children", the latter to be published in spring of 2009. Huh. If it wasn't for a missing ending, I'd never figure that out.

To sum it all up: "Unholy Domain" is for the most part an average thriller, but nevertheless a highly enjoyable read. I can't say it's a very memorable book, but it surely is great as a summer read.
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~ Trin ~

1 Comment:

Anonymous said...

I've never heard of this author before, but the book sounds o.k. :)

MadMax-imillian

 

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