Endgame a explosive blend of dystopian themes

5 STARS ON GOODREADS

It’s the twenty-third century and a guerrilla war is being waged between Faithcorp, a corporation offering spiritual simulation technology which claims to show its users the ultimate truth and the meaning of their lives, and the combined forces of the traditional religions, the Godly Resistance Army.

Cynthia Hemlock is a Licensed Operative for Centcom, a job that entails processing warrants for criminals by finding and killing them – for a commission.

Her current assignment has dropped her into the middle of this conflict just as the guerrilla war threatens to turn into an apocalyptic battle with civilization at stake. With time running out, Cyn finds she is unclear about the motives, hers and the combatants.

Like all good dystopian fiction, the seeds of the plot of Steve Shahbazian’s Endgame, have their roots in today’s society. The concept of Faithcorp could arguably be the outcome of the advancement of artificial intelligence and humankind’s growing dependence on this type of technology.
The story also resonates with the emergence of authoritarianism in the form of government, corporations, and religions and the relinquishing of our freedom, including freedom of thought, for the false security they offer.
Centcom is the future of policing–shoot first, don’t bother asking questions and retire with a full pension.
The Trads are today’s Christian religious right, the Muslim Jihadists and any other intolerant, fanatical orthodox religious movement.

This explosive blend of themes and the concept of connecting them through a futuristic criminal investigation carried out by a cynical, world-weary detective/operative is brilliantly conceived, well-written and immensely entertaining.