| Publisher | Pulcheria Press |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 21 January 2019 |
| ISBN-13 | 979-1097310134 |
| Format | paperback |
| Pages | 356 |
| Price | £ 8.99 |
Inceptio
by
In an alternate reality, Karen Brown’s ordinary life is swept away as a series of incidents reveal her association with high-ranking families in Nova Roma and her life changes forever.
Review
It all started to change for Karen Brown, a young woman living in New York, when she upsets a leading politician by punching his son who was behaving very inappropriately in the park in the centre of New York. This is not Central Park as we know it because the whole novel is set in an alternate reality.
The ensuing notoriety leads Karen to be discovered by Conrad, a handsome and charismatic officer from the state of Nova Roma. Karen is not who she thought she was. The cousins who adopted her after the death of both of her parents had hidden her identity and heritage. Karen is, in fact, a very high-ranking aristocrat from the matriarchal society of Nova Roma.
Karen has to escape New York, she has to acclimatise herself to a very different way of life, and she also discovers that she has skills and talents and a highly developed need to control her own life and to make a difference.
Along the way she alienates the violent and aggressive Renschman who pursues her with an overwhelming desire to destroy her.
Karen’s journey involves her developing highly refined physical skills, becoming a member of the police force, an undercover agent and a member of the elite SAS equivalent as well as the heir to the leadership of Roma Nova.
The book is very engaging. The alternate reality aspect is handled particularly well, mingling explanation, where necessary, of the origin of the ‘new’ states with cultural references which would apply in our current reality. This creates an interesting edge to the plot and underlies it very well.
The story is very sequential – there are no really clever or challenging plot lines, and the edge is provided by the context of the setting. Karen, later Carina, is a believable and likeable woman. The society in which Karen moves is matriarchal and allows for the development of some very non-stereotypical female characters. This is handled very well.
The physical, woman of action aspect is well done, although the romantic interactions are rather too stereotypically handled, But this did not stop me racing through the book, enjoying the story and the atmosphere rather than seeking to know what will happen in the end. This is the first of a series of novels and sets a scene with which it will be interesting to continue to engage.
The ensuing notoriety leads Karen to be discovered by Conrad, a handsome and charismatic officer from the state of Nova Roma. Karen is not who she thought she was. The cousins who adopted her after the death of both of her parents had hidden her identity and heritage. Karen is, in fact, a very high-ranking aristocrat from the matriarchal society of Nova Roma.
Karen has to escape New York, she has to acclimatise herself to a very different way of life, and she also discovers that she has skills and talents and a highly developed need to control her own life and to make a difference.
Along the way she alienates the violent and aggressive Renschman who pursues her with an overwhelming desire to destroy her.
Karen’s journey involves her developing highly refined physical skills, becoming a member of the police force, an undercover agent and a member of the elite SAS equivalent as well as the heir to the leadership of Roma Nova.
The book is very engaging. The alternate reality aspect is handled particularly well, mingling explanation, where necessary, of the origin of the ‘new’ states with cultural references which would apply in our current reality. This creates an interesting edge to the plot and underlies it very well.
The story is very sequential – there are no really clever or challenging plot lines, and the edge is provided by the context of the setting. Karen, later Carina, is a believable and likeable woman. The society in which Karen moves is matriarchal and allows for the development of some very non-stereotypical female characters. This is handled very well.
The physical, woman of action aspect is well done, although the romantic interactions are rather too stereotypically handled, But this did not stop me racing through the book, enjoying the story and the atmosphere rather than seeking to know what will happen in the end. This is the first of a series of novels and sets a scene with which it will be interesting to continue to engage.
Reviewed 27 July 2019 by John Barnbrook
