Payback (Lockdownland Book 2) by
Michael Botur picks up with the life of 20-year-old Eden Shepherd as she is released
from jail early. Her sentence has been suspended for crimes committed during the
year-long biodome experiment of book one, Moneyland. As she steps into freedom,
she tries to pick up her middle-class life with her daughter, Hope, who was
born under the dome and raised by Eden’s Mumshine during her incarceration. All
she wants is to get back to normal life. But normal isn’t coming back to her
dystopian world where the technological growth of AI has become uncontrollable
and irreversible.
Eden’s father has given himself over
to The Cloud (virtual world) along with half the people she knows. She is
determined to rescue her father and bring him home. This one task works as a
springboard for the entire plot. When she makes it to the Cloudport, she
witnesses the sad reality of the existence of row upon rows of victims of The
Cloud. Before they can return home, Eden, her Mumshine, and daughter are
trapped within another biodome where Eden’s new arch-enemy is a vengeful father
out to make her pay for the death of his child in the first biodome experiment.
Eden hooks up with feral kids who have
made a life in the old mall, scrounging for what they need for daily life. As
Eden works to find her place in this new social order she searches for a way of
escape and quickly runs into trouble with adults who have turned against their
children and mindlessly follow the vengeful “Father.”
Book Review: Payback
Payback is the second novel I’ve
read featuring Eden Shepherd. There is no dead space in this relevant, action-packed
dystopian fiction that shines a light on why we are right to fear things like government
mass surveillance or living in virtual reality. Eden Shepherd is a strong
female protagonist who continues to grow and build on skills learned in book
one, Moneyland. She discovers more about her family history, faces tough decisions,
more loss, and the reality that her world is under constant surveillance. But
Eden is a fighter. She will resist.
Payback is dark, and often painful
as it paints a vision of a totalitarian future, but it also provides a ray of
hope in Eden Shepherd who believes she can forge a way to a new beginning with
her daughter. It reminds us that we still have a chance to change things for a
better world. A future where factions learn to live in unity, democracy restored,
and AI’s function is limited. I recommend this book to those who enjoy dystopian
fiction like The Hunger Games series or The Maze Runner books.
I received a copy of this book through Black Phoenix Book Tours and
have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this
post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC
Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a
means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.
About Author Michael Botur
Michael Botur, born 1984, is a writer originally from
Christchurch, New Zealand, who now lives in Whangarei with his wife and two
kids. He is author of four short story collections and published Moneyland in
2017.
Botur holds a Masters in Creative Writing from AUT
University and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from Massey University,
as well as degrees in arts and literacy. He has been making money from creative
writing since the age of 21 and was in 2017 proud to be included in the
University of Otago collection 'Manifesto Aotearoa: 101 political poems'. Today,
he makes his living from writing as a columnist, corporate communications
writer, blogger, advertising writer and journalist. He has published creative
writing in international literary journals Newfound (US), Weaponizer (UK), The
Red Line (UK), Swamp (Aus) and most NZ literary journals including Landfall,
Poetry New Zealand, 4th Floor, JAAM and Tākahe. Botur has published journalism
in most major NZ newspapers including New Zealand Herald, Herald on Sunday,
Sunday Star-Times, as well as many magazines.
Botur has a long history of volunteering, including working
with Maori and Pasifika literacy, Youthline, ESOL refugee tutoring, and
assisting stroke patients, and in Whangarei is involved in improv theatresports
and performance poetry.
Botur’s books include 'Moneyland,' ‘Payback,’ 'LowLife,' 'Spitshine',
'Mean' and 'Hot Bible’ and all available
on Amazon.com. Most of Botur's short fiction is offered for free at
https://nzshortstories.com/
For information on Michael Botur’s writing services, head to
http://www.michaelboturwriter.com/
