Jamie Mollart’s Kings of A Dead World hits a weakness or two of mine.
For those that don’t know me, I should explain. I love a good book. You do too, or you wouldn’t be part 
of SFFWorld. But there are levels of effort from publishing teams that take an author’s precious novel or story and bind it with dedicated care and attention. Those levels set books apart from others they share the shelf with.
For those that have enjoyed my work and that of the other, more prolific reviewers on SFFWorld.com, you’ll know that I love finding independent publishers, debut authors, and self-published works to review. And then there are those who know my final book-based-bias, that which hails from outside the M25 in England.
My review copy, a trade paperback, is itself is a luxurious creation from established Indie Press Sandstone Press. There is a quality to it that I cannot define directly. The cover screams for attention, and the art most certainly captures the cinematic and genre influences that weave through the story. But we don’t buy books for their covers, do we?
The story itself, a combination of 28 Days Later and The Great Gatsby, is equally as strong. I wouldn’t expect anything less, considering Mollart’s background in both media and as a creative writing tutor. His love for the Science Fiction genre is woven through the book, and you’ll find plenty of pop-culture Easter eggs as well as references to established works of SF.
In an attempt to preserve the worlds resources, society enters a chemically induced sleep for months at a time, making Time the most valuable commodity on Earth. While planning their big sleep, it’s clear politicians failed to consider disabilities, or the issues of human needs and communication. This makes Kings of A Dead World a heartfelt exercise in trusting the author. Fortunately, (or maybe unfortunately if you don’t like to be too close to your characters) he knows his characters well. This is revealed in the numerous moments of intensity that balance finely on their moral boundaries. We aren’t given a cosy read. This may be because of society’s experiences of lockdown and our better understanding of how isolation affects us.
In places you will squirm.
We follow two perspectives. Ben, who leads the show, gives us an elderly view of events as he looks back on events. I found this a refreshing voice for a post-apocalyptic narrative. Painful conditions like arthritis do cause problems to a protagonist that can’t run away from (or to) trouble. That is the least of Ben’s concerns, however. His role as carer for his wife, Rose, consumes every living moment.
While Ben’s part of the world sleeps, Peruzzi has the role of Janitor. His role in life is to provide for the sleepers. His jaded and frustrated understanding of his work clashes with the luxuries his role affords him. Unfortunately, Peruzzi falls into a self-fulfilling circle.
With these two male perspectives we see the privileged feel undervalued when society grows restless as commodities disappear. Action and pace aren’t lacking, and Mollart uses the juxtaposition of the two characters to build exquisite tension, peppered with explosions, bank robbery, and the occasional tank.
The book is very male-orientated, with all the main voices being masculine. Yet the real and very discreet engine in this novel is Ben’s wife. Rose’s debilitating condition isn’t named directly, but much like dementia or Alzheimer’s, memories of her husband fade with each wakening.
As a society we’re still dealing with COVID, which also makes this a very close-to-the-knuckle reading experience. If you read for escapism, Kings Of A Dead World might not be where you want to go. However, it is critical of humanity, and highlights disability even if it is uncomfortable to read. It is a frighteningly entertaining look at how good we are as a race at isolating and destroying ourselves.
Recommended.
Author Website: https://www.jamiemollart.co.uk/
Publisher : Sandstone Press
Paperback : 400 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1914518072
Review by Shellie Horst.
With thanks to Sandstone Press for Kings of A Dead World Review Copy.
