Suspense by Jason Letts
Released: September 3, 2011
Series: Spencer Nye Trilogy [Book One]
Format: eBook edition
Source: Author
Buy it: Amazon
Spencer Nye can’t control the rage bubbling under her skin over the world around her. The trouble is, by the year 2102, the world has solved most of its great problems. Without hunger, war, greed, or even money, people obsess over the glamour of the Culture Industry and its mega-celebrity Idols, who vie for followers over the social networks of Connect.
But Spencer discovers there is plenty to fix within the Idols’ competition for more popularity. She becomes a diehard and promises to do anything to help her Idol, a dreamy movie star named Cleary Mintz, bring his vision of hope and purpose to the world. When she stumbles onto a threat against his life, she’ll have to fight harder than she ever thought possible or lose the man who means more to her than any other.
Suspense was an entertaining, and very unique story. There is so much action, and this picks up almost immediately and the fast-pace helped in making this book a quick and easy read. The world in which the story is set, is digitally advanced, full of intriguing technologies and devices including "Connect", which is pretty much the ultimate social networking/internet database, the ability to defy gravity and walk on walls and molecular synthesisers which can produce anything and everything.
I loved the loyalty evident between the trio, Spencer, Patch and Jetta. Spencer has her flaws, and doesn't always make the right choices, but her friends still stand by her through everything. I would have really liked to get to know these three characters a little better -not so much with Spencer, as she narrated the story and you learn more about her than the other characters.
I found Suspense a fairly deep story. The messages brought up by the mass of technology reflect modern society issues and threats. Firstly, there is no need for money. The lack of money results in equality in socioeconomic status amongst everyone, as the molecular synthesisers are able to produce anything someone could want or need, for free. There is also the reflection upon how technology is an integral part of human life, and I think this is a realistic commodity for the future of humanity. We become so incredibly dependant that we are unable to fend for ourselves.
Lee, the antagonist, has motives which derive from the comparison and choice between what life is today, and the today ideas I described above. He tried to strip the humans of their dependency on technology, and awaken them to some unknown truth. So basically, the choice is between equality and sufficient resources for life, and our current state of living where we have more freedom, being able to rely on ones self and each other, and being able to set goals for ourselves and challenge our abilities. Alongside these positives, are the negatives to each society - becoming weak and solely dependent on technologies which can be taken away in a moment, or on the other hand - inequality and having to work for ones survival.
The ending of this book leaves you wanting more, as it finishes with a huge twist that explains the source of the technologies available in this world. Look out for Expense which will be released in a few days!
I also had the honour of interviewing the author, Jason Letts. Click HERE to take a look!