A disgraced ex-cop desperate to survive in a world destroyed by climate change makes a terrifying discovery in this dystopian series debut. It’s the year 2031. A world decimated by climate catastrophe, where the sun’s heat is deadly and the ocean rises higher every day. A world ruled by the rich, powerful, and corrupt. A world where a good man can’t survive for long . . . Hogan Duran was a … long . . .
Hogan Duran was a good man once. He was a cop, forced to resign in disgrace when he couldn’t save his partner from a bullet. Now Hogan lives on the fraying edges of society, serving cruel masters and scavenging trash dumps just to survive.
But after four years of living in poverty, Hogan finally gets a chance to get back on his feet. He’s invited to join the National Security Council, the powerful paramilitary organization responsible for protecting the rich and powerful from the more unsavory elements of society. All he needs to do is pass their deadly entrance exam, and he’ll be rewarded with wealth and opportunity beyond his wildest dreams.
But this ex-cop’s path to redemption won’t be easy. The NSC are hiding something, and as Hogan descends deeper and deeper into their world, he starts to uncover the terrible truth of how the powerful in this new world maintain their power . . . and just how far they will go to protect their secrets.
In a world gone wrong, can one man actually make a difference, or will he die trying?
Great for fans of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, and Divergent by Veronica Roth.
Praise for Kill Code
“Well paced with plenty of plot twists and double crosses. Characters are portrayed in a realistic and relatable way. The story is a fun, fast-paced read and even hints at romance (if you’re into that sort of thing). . . . This book is a major win for Clive Fleury! You can tell that the author has passion for many of the social issues pertaining to our day. Can’t wait to see what comes next!” –Nicky Flowers, Indies Today
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Kill Code: A Dystopian Science Fiction NovelKindle Edition
by Clive Fleury
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Hogan Duran lives in our future. A future that is filled with rising oceans, deadly heat, lack of water and high unemployment. He is a former police officer just trying to survive when he gets the chance of a lifetime. He gets the chance to become a National Security Officer btu first he has to pass the training which makes Navy SEAL SERE training look like kindergarten. But not everything is as it seems.
The training and the first, final twist of the training is pretty much telegraphed if you are a fan of science fiction but that isn’t the point. This is a story with in a story with in a story and peeling back the layers is half the fun of reading Kill Code.
Mr. Fleury has some of the best, if bleakest turns of a phrase I’ve read and his touch with action is amazing. He is pulls you into a Mad Max-ish reality and into Hogan Duran’s head. That alone is worth reading this for. Just a note for the reader, while this story takes place in California, Mr. Fleury writes in British English, so be prepared for things like chips for fries and some characters statements that don’t sound quite LA Cop-ese.
The character of Hogan Duran is a strongly written character and he has a strong moral compass which makes the twist about the training more explosive. The other characters, such as that of Hunter have enough depth to make them as interesting as Hogan himself. Due to the initial twist, the villains of the piece are not obvious until you are nearly done with the book.
California, in its destroyed and sad state is something of a character in itself as is the fallen United States. The new reality of the farming Heartland is frightening, but like the rest of the ravaged world, it is very, very possible.
While not on the calibre of The Handmaid’s Tale or The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, this is an excellent male version of a desolate and frightening future. Also, Mr. Fleury seems to want to undress his characters a lot, just sayin’
4 stars out of 5
https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Code-Dystopian-Science-Fiction-ebook/dp/B07JZX5VV2
The novel revolves around the lead character Hogan Duran who was once a cop, now leads a life of poverty with his fellow ex-cop when he failed the save his colleague from a bullet. The novel is depicted from a futuristic set up where the rich controls the poor in stealth mode and mother nature is abused. ( can relate much? ) This book has a bit of a Black Mirror-ish vibe that gives you goosebumps. Clive describes how the lead goes on about his life as a poor man looking for work on a day to day basis forgoing all sense of dignity of labor and barely managing to support himself and his gambling friend that he failed to rescue. But as the story goes on, new events begin to unravel in ways that you could not have imagined or even expect. Clive goes on to show how powerful and sadistic the men with the money are and to what extent they would go to make sure that the rich remain rich and the poor remain poor. The some new unfamiliar characters unfold and drive new problems into Hogan’s life. When the opportunity to regain his life in the form of NSC, new truths are presented to him and choosing to do the right thing might be the toughest choice to make.
Clive has done a commendable job in having his readers engaged till the end. The book has truly been a page turner with new events unfolding at every other moment. The emotions and the struggles Hogan must be going through has been described in a very raw fashion that is very relate-able. Clive has managed to draw a very vivid picture of how our world would look in the future by linking it back to the current events that we over see due to our own ignorance and how the greedy will not miss out an opportunity as basic as this. His book is a melting pot covering various topics that induces spasms of guilt feelings in your gut. With a philosophical view I can see how hard it could be to choose the right option over the easier option the more comfortable one might be so tough and hard but would ultimately lead to the greater good. He points out how the destruction of evil is important, however powerful it is! I cannot see how this book could have been written in another other fashion or in any other better approach.
Clive has done a wonderful work with this book about would be happy to suggest this book to everyone!
Kill Code by Clive Fleury is a dystopian read that was equal parts engaging and unsettling, especially since the setting was both realistic and disturbing as it reflects the results of climate change. The coast of Southern California including the Pacific Coast highway have eroded into the ocean. Smog has given most people breathing problems. The percentage of unemployed people has skyrocketed.
In this world, the National Security Council (NSC) has become an elite for that purports to protect folks from the Krails, a band of Mad Max type motorcycled hoodlums. In actuality, the protect the upper class.
The characterization was fairly strong, and the main character, Hogan Duran, has enough inner conflict to make him interesting. The book is a bit slow starting as Fleury spends a fair amount of time world-building and giving readers a glimpse into the inner workings of Duran. An ex-cop with PTSD from watching his partner get shot, Duran resigned from the police force and now lives with the wheelchair-bound partner and works delivering newspapers.
Duran’s life is changed forever when he is accepted into the elite NSC. He learns that the NSC is not what he expected, and he has to make decisions that will change his life, and potentially the NSC and the nation itself. The action scenes are impeccably written. You’ll race through this book, unable to turn pages fast enough.
Divergent meets Mad Max
I enjoyed the story. It’s fast paced and engaging. Fairly short and easy read. Interesting characters and intriguing world. While this book gives us a complete story it leaves a lot of room for more, both prequels and sequels. It’s a good start to a potentially great series. I’m left hungry for additional character development, world building, and plot construct but not in a bad way. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Mad Max and/or Divergent.
I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
Clive Fleury’s fast paced action “Kill Code,” is a fascinating look at a dark future. We find Hogan Duran, a down and out ex-cop in a competition to become a member of an elite force, the NSC. The competition is fierce, unrelenting, and requires strength, stamina, and slight relaxation of morality. The NSC demands to be first, above all else, requiring your utmost loyalty.
The trials of the candidates entail tests beyond anything found in other types of police or military training. Set in the world of complete isolation from the outside, a world of technology not found in normal highly technological companies. The NSC has everything that is best and above the ordinary, including high tech virtual reality scenarios. This technology becomes critical to the successful completion of the recruiting process. And to make matters even more difficult, no matter how many candidates are accepted, there is only one that will be accepted, making the successful completion even more competitive and difficult. Hogan works toward his goal of becoming the ONE chosen.
As Duran works his way through the NSC candidate testing, he becomes entangled in betrayal, disillusion , and danger, the world as he knew it falls apart. Fleury’s characters are well described and believable. They are well crafted and bring you into their lives where you become invested in their success. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Mr. Fleury’s novels.
3.5 stars
I reviewed this via an ARC from the author, for Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team. The fact that it was free has not affected this honest review.
At some time in the relatively near future, climate change has affected the world in such a way that those who can afford good food and fresh water live in protected zones, with the majority of the population struggling to survive. Hogan Duran is a former cop scratching a living, until he is given the opportunity of a lifetime with the NSC – the all-powerful National Security Council.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first 40% of this book. The world-building was terrific, and I was engrossed. When Hogan gets his life-changing opportunity, he and many other candidates are put through a ‘last man standing’ series of tests, which was also a real page-turner; I loved this bit. Later, there is a great twist when he discovers that his experiences are not as they seem….
The second half of the book is mostly taken up with action scenes and daring escapes, as some of supposed ‘goodies’ come up against the Krails, a rebel biker gang. Here, I found that my interest wandered; I rarely find that action in books works anything like as well as it does on screen; there is too much explanation of ‘this happened then that happened’, and much of it seemed like the stuff of superheroes rather than a man who has been undernourished for years. I was also unconvinced by the escape in the last third of the book, when the all-seeing people in charge suddenly seemed not so all-seeing after all, enabling Duran and his friends to do all they did.
I thought the characterisation of Duran was extremely well done in the first half of the book; I could really see him. However, I often find in action books written by men that the women are just men with a female name, or a one-dimensional kick-ass heroine fantasy who is naked as often as the story will permit, and admonishes the hero in a feisty fashion, using his full name: ‘You’re a stubborn man, Hogan Duran’. This was no exception; Ruby was never more than a word on a page for me. Also, the story delves in and out of virtual reality, which was sometimes confusing. I liked the ending, and may possibly check out the next book in the series because I like the premise, but I’d have preferred it if the book had concentrated more on the characters and less on the outlandish action plot of the second half.
In a time when the world has gone completely dry and the heat scorches the earth due to global warming, those who are left have suffered unimaginable trials. Fights break out at the landfills over a can of beans because food is so scarce—but so too are jobs. The lucky few that are brave enough to try for an NSC, National Security Council, are the lucky ones. They live a life of luxury while everyone else suffers. Fleury pulls his readers into a life of destruction, getting readers enticed by the shear desperation of holding on to life itself. You’ll be hanging on to your seat the whole way through as there are plot twists and deviations that will throw the world that we know into chaos.
Hogan Duran is an ex-cop, a man who resigned when his partner was shot and paralyzed. Forced to forever live out of a wheelchair, Hogan helps Max as they both now scrap for food and odd jobs to survive in the tiny place that they’ve managed to hold onto. Max has a gambling problem and Hogan applies over and over for the NSC officer program, neither of them having success over the past four years. When some loan sharks find Max and decide that it’s the end of the line because he can’t pay up, Hogan’s ex-cop training kicks in and they both survive, only to be pushed out of their home and wondering the streets on their own. Hogan helps Max to Seattle and gets that final acceptance letter into the NSC program, but nothing is ever truly as it seems. When he arrives to the base, he sees that they have all of these resources that could be helping those in need outside of the base, but they keep everything for themselves. They make it a game of the wealthy verses the poor. Furthermore, there are other secrets that the NSC doesn’t want anyone to know about. As Hogan gets deeper and deeper into the program, being one of the last candidates to make it through, he starts to unravel the missing pieces and finds that he can either look the other way and live a nice cushy life on the other side—or he can make things right. Making up his mind, there is only one question left. Can he actually make a difference, or will he die trying?
Fleury has an incredible story, filled with adventure, action, desperation, and fear. There is little joy in a world that has nearly perished, but these characters find strength and bravery in the tiny things that matter. Their will to make a difference and fight for humankind when all is almost lost is what sets them aside from the lot. This story is written quite well and has little to no spelling or grammatical errors. It is a shorter story; however, the pace is quick and fulfilling. If you are a reader of science fiction, post-apocalyptic and suspense, you may want to pick this one up.
A paperback was provided to Turning Another Page by the author and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating to Kill Code by Clive Fleury.