The Price of Safety

What would you do to protect those that you love? What is The Price of Safety? This is a question that Michael C. Bland poses in the first of a trilogy set in a troubling future. It is a story about a genius, but also a family man whose inventions gets them all into danger. At what point do you decide enough is enough and fight back? This action-packed science fiction thriller suggests that some people will do anything. 

Dray Quintero is launching one of his company’s greatest achievements when a call comes in from his daughter. She has got herself in deep trouble and needs her father’s help. Dray knows that by helping his daughter cover up a crime he is putting both in danger. This is a future in which almost all crimes are solved, and the punishment is permanent. Dray could not possibly know the path he is about to take to protect his daughter. A path that leads to a global conspiracy far larger than just his family. 

Safety is the type of action science fiction book that lovers of pacy novels will adore. The pace picks up soon after the first few pages and never gives up. Dray soon becomes a man on the run up against impossible odds. Added to the mix is his desire to protect his family who are with him. This means trusting in dubious factions and terrorist groups. Dray’s life unravels quickly, and the book sometimes struggles to make sense, but by the end Bland can show that this was always part of a story larger than just one man. 

I love the central premise of what you would do to protect your family, it chimed with me, but for a genius Dray makes some daft decisions. Heart ruling the brain. The consequences of his actions put his family in far more danger than if he had handled the initial scenario better. Indeed, Dray is given numerous opportunities to make a bargain with the devil to resolve the situation. Dray is almost blinded by the love for his family, putting them at further risk. This is human and Dray is a flawed character, it makes for an exciting book and opens the world far wider. 

The world is the second element of the novel that stands out. A dystopian future of surveillance, drones, fascist police forces and a shady cabal pulling the strings. Some would say that this is not that farfetched! As the book progresses the story widens from one man to one family, to the whole of society. While the book remains a personal journey it also becomes a story about good and evil. What happens to society when good people choose to do nothing to stop the rot? 

The character development and world building are all slotted in among the pacy action set pieces. This is a book of perpetual motion. If you are a reader that likes a moment to breath, this is not the book for you. However, if you like car chases, gun battles and nefarious baddies, then this is your thriller. Book two promises to be even more epic as the world opens further.