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Son of Sedonia
Imagine growing up in the largest slum on the planet in the year 2080AD. Twenty million people are your neighbors, huddled together in an ocean of rusted dwellings made from whatever Sedonia City, the towering metropolis in the distance, decides to throw away. Gang members, known as the T99s, are the heads of your community: smuggling tech, trafficking drugs, and fighting a constant guerilla war with the City’s bio-augmented EXO police force. There is little hope for survival. None for escape to a better life beyond the half-mile high Border between city and slum. This is Matteo’s world. A bright kid, but sick and weak since childhood, he is painfully dependent on Jogun: loving older brother, and hardened soldier for the T99s. When a luxury transport from Sedonia’s aerial traffic crash-lands in Rasalla, it threatens to change Matteo and Jogun’s fate forever. And all fates are connected.
The Dwellers of Rasalla, bound by family in the scrap, ashes, and dirt.
The Citizens of Sedonia, oblivious to danger in the buzzing twilight of the Neuro-Social Revolution.
The EXOs, placing themselves in harm’s way to perform their duty to protect their homes and fellow officers.
And The Ruling Elite, whose long-buried secrets and desperate plans could spell the end of civilization...or a new beginning.
Son of Sedonia is an action-filled science fiction epic with a soul and a clear message. Its characters live, breathe, suffer, and love in their different worlds, each brought to the brink as the Third-World collides with the First. Their future could well be ours.
The Dwellers of Rasalla, bound by family in the scrap, ashes, and dirt.
The Citizens of Sedonia, oblivious to danger in the buzzing twilight of the Neuro-Social Revolution.
The EXOs, placing themselves in harm’s way to perform their duty to protect their homes and fellow officers.
And The Ruling Elite, whose long-buried secrets and desperate plans could spell the end of civilization...or a new beginning.
Son of Sedonia is an action-filled science fiction epic with a soul and a clear message. Its characters live, breathe, suffer, and love in their different worlds, each brought to the brink as the Third-World collides with the First. Their future could well be ours.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
300 pages, ebook
First published December 12, 2012
12 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Ben Chaney
1 book11 followersBen Chaney grew up with a passion for SciFi and Fantasy that led him to study visual storytelling and illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design. After graduation, he worked his way up through the video game industry; QA testing at Epic Games and Redstorm Entertainment, game art production at Schell Games in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then art direction at Villain LLC in Cary, North Carolina.
But storytelling had taken a hold of him at SCAD, and manifested in a pet writing project. Often neglected or pushed aside for other things, “Son of Sedonia” grew slowly over six years. Somehow, the image of the boy on the slum rooftop endured. As Ben honed his craft, the world changed. America plunged into recession, political discord, and uncertainty, triggering a desire for information the likes of which Ben hadn’t before experienced. His writing, and this book, matured as he did.
Video game development had given Ben the confidence in his abilities. What to do with those abilities became impossible to ignore. That and the ceaseless, loving voices around him, all saying the same thing: “Follow your heart.” In June 2012, Ben quit his successful job in game development to do just that.
"Son of Sedonia" is the result.
But storytelling had taken a hold of him at SCAD, and manifested in a pet writing project. Often neglected or pushed aside for other things, “Son of Sedonia” grew slowly over six years. Somehow, the image of the boy on the slum rooftop endured. As Ben honed his craft, the world changed. America plunged into recession, political discord, and uncertainty, triggering a desire for information the likes of which Ben hadn’t before experienced. His writing, and this book, matured as he did.
Video game development had given Ben the confidence in his abilities. What to do with those abilities became impossible to ignore. That and the ceaseless, loving voices around him, all saying the same thing: “Follow your heart.” In June 2012, Ben quit his successful job in game development to do just that.
"Son of Sedonia" is the result.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 28, 2013
I've always been somewhat partial to stories about brothers. From the Majeres in Dragonlance, to the Boondock Saints - there's just something about the fraternal bond that speaks to my sense of companionship, responsibility, and loyalty. Apparently, Ben Chaney understand this very well indeed, as Son of Sedonia is one of the more moving stories of two brothers I have ever read.
This book is a first effort for this author, and it doesn't show. I had my faults with it - the middle dragged a bit, there were characters I didn't really care about, and sometimes scenes would jump unexpectedly in time and space, disorienting me a bit - but that all pales in the light of what Chaney was able to accomplish telling his story. The battle scenes ... dear heavens, this man can write battle scenes. His pacing during battles is top-notch. Constant excitement, red-shirts in which you are actually invested, and drastic consequences for every action.
The message of the book was also well executed. Chaney is able to blend the staple of futuristic warnings to present day civilization with a personal story about never giving up on those you love. It wasn't heavy handed and never felt preachy, but still got the point across.
I'll continue reading Ben Chaney's works in the future, as I'm sure this won't be his last.
This book is a first effort for this author, and it doesn't show. I had my faults with it - the middle dragged a bit, there were characters I didn't really care about, and sometimes scenes would jump unexpectedly in time and space, disorienting me a bit - but that all pales in the light of what Chaney was able to accomplish telling his story. The battle scenes ... dear heavens, this man can write battle scenes. His pacing during battles is top-notch. Constant excitement, red-shirts in which you are actually invested, and drastic consequences for every action.
The message of the book was also well executed. Chaney is able to blend the staple of futuristic warnings to present day civilization with a personal story about never giving up on those you love. It wasn't heavy handed and never felt preachy, but still got the point across.
I'll continue reading Ben Chaney's works in the future, as I'm sure this won't be his last.
August 27, 2013
I could not finish this book. I think i made it to about 30% and had to stop. I felt like I had been reading for years and was making no progress. There were multiple characters, but I never really felt connected to any of them. It just seemed to drone on and on and at least as far as I read appears to be a basic story of the haves and have nots. It was a great premise, but I think it could have been done better.
April 28, 2013
Son of Sedonia takes place in a futuristic, dystopian society where the elite live in a city with all the comforts technology provides and everyone else struggles in the slums outside the walled city. However, unrest is close at hand...
Okay, so that is quite the vague summary, but for very good reason. The book starts out with a bang. I mean I was shocked. From the beginning of the book I was hooked. Therefore I can't even really set up the scene for you because that would even be a huge spoiler. Bottom line, this is a really good story and I am actually surprised it wasn't picked up by a major publisher. Maybe author's choice? Anyway, in my opinion, the story was well thought out and I cared about what happened to the characters.
I can't resist making one random comment though. I don't know if the author was inspired or influenced by other books or movies, but there is one scene that brought me back to the 1980 movie Flash Gordon. After you read Son of Sedonia, maybe you can comment and tell me what you think.
There are five parts of the book and I admit I did not find part three to be as exciting as the others. Again, I don't want to go into details and ruin it for you, because I absolutely recommend this book, but I guess I was hoping for a little more detail. When you get to part three, if you feel the same way, don't worry because part four picks right back up. And the ending... LOVED IT! I did not see it coming and I absolutely love when that happens!
I thought the writing and character development was great. While the reader will immediately recognize an obvious, and not traditional, characteristic in Chaney's writing, do not doubt for a second that it is indeed intentional. And it works. In addition, there are a few small jumps back and forth in time, and two major jumps forward. Sometimes I find this distracting, but again, in this case it works. I think you'll be surprised at how well the two big jumps in time work. So when deciding how to rate the book, I made it simple. Five parts, five possible stars. Each part that I really enjoyed received a star- that comes out to 4 out of 5 stars and a pretty strong recommendation.
P.S. The cover is awesome. It's even better in actual print!
Okay, so that is quite the vague summary, but for very good reason. The book starts out with a bang. I mean I was shocked. From the beginning of the book I was hooked. Therefore I can't even really set up the scene for you because that would even be a huge spoiler. Bottom line, this is a really good story and I am actually surprised it wasn't picked up by a major publisher. Maybe author's choice? Anyway, in my opinion, the story was well thought out and I cared about what happened to the characters.
I can't resist making one random comment though. I don't know if the author was inspired or influenced by other books or movies, but there is one scene that brought me back to the 1980 movie Flash Gordon. After you read Son of Sedonia, maybe you can comment and tell me what you think.
There are five parts of the book and I admit I did not find part three to be as exciting as the others. Again, I don't want to go into details and ruin it for you, because I absolutely recommend this book, but I guess I was hoping for a little more detail. When you get to part three, if you feel the same way, don't worry because part four picks right back up. And the ending... LOVED IT! I did not see it coming and I absolutely love when that happens!
I thought the writing and character development was great. While the reader will immediately recognize an obvious, and not traditional, characteristic in Chaney's writing, do not doubt for a second that it is indeed intentional. And it works. In addition, there are a few small jumps back and forth in time, and two major jumps forward. Sometimes I find this distracting, but again, in this case it works. I think you'll be surprised at how well the two big jumps in time work. So when deciding how to rate the book, I made it simple. Five parts, five possible stars. Each part that I really enjoyed received a star- that comes out to 4 out of 5 stars and a pretty strong recommendation.
P.S. The cover is awesome. It's even better in actual print!
March 19, 2016
Story about a boy named Matteo living in the slums outside the ultra-rich Sedonia city. Takes place in a future society where nanotechnology, neural interfaces, lunar mining, and flying cars are common. Matteo dreams of someday living in the city, but soon gets caught up in a scheme set in motion by the mayor of Sedonia city to “recruit” people from the slums to work as slaves at a mining colony on the moon. While on the moon it’s revealed that he is not the street rat he thought he was, and instead is the child of a city whistleblowers who was assassinated shortly after his birth. Also on the moon he finds his brother who was captured years earlier. Matteo escapes while his brother stages in insurrection at the colony. Matteo flees back to earth and soon is wrapped up in the wonders of Sedonia (while law enforcement is hunting him down). He is almost captured, but a former report and her partner save him and help him rediscover the memories that have been stored in his nanotech since an early age. These revelations uncover that the ruling elite of the world have been secretly building massive ships to send to a solar system 20 light years way to start a new life (the resources of the world are apparently almost completely dry).
Meanwhile Matteo’s brother Jogun is leading a revolt against the city. He has become sort of a messiah figure after helping liberate all the detainees on the moon. He finally meets his brother who was captured and held at the capitol building of Sediona. He kills the mayor and escapes with his brother, but is mortally wounded in the process.
Weeks later, after the rebellion is quelled, Matteo and accomplices broadcast all of his memories along with the plot to abandon Earth. In an epilogue, it seems that although one ship is behind schedule, the ruling elite still have most things under control. In the end it is revealed that Matteo’s grandfather is one of these elite as he dispatches and replaces the current CEO of the world organization.
Meanwhile Matteo’s brother Jogun is leading a revolt against the city. He has become sort of a messiah figure after helping liberate all the detainees on the moon. He finally meets his brother who was captured and held at the capitol building of Sediona. He kills the mayor and escapes with his brother, but is mortally wounded in the process.
Weeks later, after the rebellion is quelled, Matteo and accomplices broadcast all of his memories along with the plot to abandon Earth. In an epilogue, it seems that although one ship is behind schedule, the ruling elite still have most things under control. In the end it is revealed that Matteo’s grandfather is one of these elite as he dispatches and replaces the current CEO of the world organization.
August 8, 2013
This story is about a young man who is the spark needed to bring change to a near-future Earth.
Less than 100 years from now, Sedonia City is home to over 40 million people. It is a bright, shining city, with giant skyscrapers, and neural implants called neurals that can provide any needed distraction. On the other side of the half-mile high Border is the Rasalla slum. Home to another 20 million people, it was cut off from the Future like a diseased limb, and allowed to collapse. A gang called the T99 runs the slum. Among its residents are brothers Jogun and Matteo.
If an airship, for instance, from Sedonia City is unlucky enough to crash in Rasalla, within minutes it is stripped clean of every useful bit of electronics. Anyone found alive in the wreckage is quickly murdered. During a paramilitary crackdown to root out suspected "terrorists," Jogun is taken away. Matteo manages as best he can, until, several years later, he too is taken into custody (Matteo is not your average slum resident). He finds himself in a prison on the Moon, where the inmates are forced to mine an element called Helium-3. It seems that Sedonia City is in serious danger of using up the entire known supply. If the citizens lose their modern conveniences, things will get very unpleasant for those in power. While in prison, Matteo meets up with Jogun, who tells him some very interesting things about his origin.
The prisoners stage a jailbreak, hijack several ships and head back to Earth, where they plan to do something about their treatment by Sedonia City. It seesm like the entire Rasalla slum is in open rebellion, but not if Sedonia City's paramilitary force, the EXOs, have anything to say about it. There are many pitched battles.
Imagine this story as "Black Hawk Down" in the world of "Blade Runner." It's got heart, emotion, good writing and plenty of action. It is a gem of a book.
Less than 100 years from now, Sedonia City is home to over 40 million people. It is a bright, shining city, with giant skyscrapers, and neural implants called neurals that can provide any needed distraction. On the other side of the half-mile high Border is the Rasalla slum. Home to another 20 million people, it was cut off from the Future like a diseased limb, and allowed to collapse. A gang called the T99 runs the slum. Among its residents are brothers Jogun and Matteo.
If an airship, for instance, from Sedonia City is unlucky enough to crash in Rasalla, within minutes it is stripped clean of every useful bit of electronics. Anyone found alive in the wreckage is quickly murdered. During a paramilitary crackdown to root out suspected "terrorists," Jogun is taken away. Matteo manages as best he can, until, several years later, he too is taken into custody (Matteo is not your average slum resident). He finds himself in a prison on the Moon, where the inmates are forced to mine an element called Helium-3. It seems that Sedonia City is in serious danger of using up the entire known supply. If the citizens lose their modern conveniences, things will get very unpleasant for those in power. While in prison, Matteo meets up with Jogun, who tells him some very interesting things about his origin.
The prisoners stage a jailbreak, hijack several ships and head back to Earth, where they plan to do something about their treatment by Sedonia City. It seesm like the entire Rasalla slum is in open rebellion, but not if Sedonia City's paramilitary force, the EXOs, have anything to say about it. There are many pitched battles.
Imagine this story as "Black Hawk Down" in the world of "Blade Runner." It's got heart, emotion, good writing and plenty of action. It is a gem of a book.
April 10, 2013
So... wow. If I had to describe this book in a nutshell, I'd say it's very Hunger Games meets Ender's Game meets Star Wars. There are so many characters, but not a single one can be classified as "good" or "bad" or "the villain." No matter what perspective you read from, some aspect of the speaker makes you sympathize with them. The trigger-happy cop leading a raid on the slums? He's fresh out of the Academy and desperate to prove himself. The corrupt governor? He loves his wife more than anything in the world. The nosy, scandal-seeking reporter? She's like, the nicest person in the entire book. Despite the sci-fi genre (and the odd technology), Chaney not once "tells" the reader about how this works or how that functions. Instead, he lets the reader figure out on their own how Neurals work (Facebook implanted in your brain) or what an Augmentor is (biotech armor given to police force). Son of Sedonia keeps the story moving at a consistently breakneck pace, dropping bombshells at every chapter. And let me add that with every bombshell comes a moment of "Wait WHAT" followed by frenzied flipping backward in the book looking for clues missed. And of course they were there all along.
Overall, an amazing dystopian-style novel with original plot and relatable characters. Some unexpected tears were shed towards the end. Will recommend (beg, plead, order, command, will withhold food from until they do what I say) this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian/sci-fi.
Overall, an amazing dystopian-style novel with original plot and relatable characters. Some unexpected tears were shed towards the end. Will recommend (beg, plead, order, command, will withhold food from until they do what I say) this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian/sci-fi.
August 31, 2013
Son of Sedonia has a great cover and it did it's job: it attracted me to have a closer look. I was looking for a fast-paced SF-adventure with a conscience and was not disappointed.
Is it great? No, but some sections are pretty good (most others are at least okay), the setting is the strongest feature, but unfortunately the characters are almost all stereotypes.
Apart from the fairly weak characters, the book has two big problems: The ending is a huge disappointment and feels like Ben Chaney either ran out of his pre-planned length or was in a rush to finish. The second problem might have its origin in the Chaney's background as a game designer: you can see the construction at every stage (including the fact that there are bound to be a couple surprising turns).
PS: Don't judge a book by it's cover? Rubbish. I have done it all my life - but obviously not only by the cover. Do I pick a winner every time? Of course not.
Is it great? No, but some sections are pretty good (most others are at least okay), the setting is the strongest feature, but unfortunately the characters are almost all stereotypes.
Apart from the fairly weak characters, the book has two big problems: The ending is a huge disappointment and feels like Ben Chaney either ran out of his pre-planned length or was in a rush to finish. The second problem might have its origin in the Chaney's background as a game designer: you can see the construction at every stage (including the fact that there are bound to be a couple surprising turns).
PS: Don't judge a book by it's cover? Rubbish. I have done it all my life - but obviously not only by the cover. Do I pick a winner every time? Of course not.
December 31, 2013
Son of Sedonia is a solid debut effort by Ben Chaney. As an avid sci-fi reader, I'm always looking for new ideas that delight and get me thinking, and this book definitely has a few of those. The action is well-described and always has a purpose in the story. I enjoyed following Matteo's journey. However, it was a bit tough for me to visualize the world outside of Sedonia City or how the city itself came to be (for a long time I wondered if Sedonia was the only city left on Earth). Also, I got the feeling there's more depth to some of the other characters than we see in the book.
Looking forward to more from this author!
Looking forward to more from this author!
June 30, 2013
This book was awesome. As some of the reviews below mention, there is no "good" and "bad" sides, every character is a fully developed person that you can't help but hate a love at the same time. The world is full and detailed but doesn't get in the way of the storytelling. Chaney gives readers some really cool moments and themes but never gets so caught up in them that they feel overdone.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read. It was nice to read something that wasn't a series either that concluded with a satisfying but unique ending. It did not follow the typical sci-fi/fantasy ending where "everything gets wrapped up" but still offers a great conclusion.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read. It was nice to read something that wasn't a series either that concluded with a satisfying but unique ending. It did not follow the typical sci-fi/fantasy ending where "everything gets wrapped up" but still offers a great conclusion.
September 14, 2013
Pretty impressive début. While the writing could use some polishing, the characters and story are engaging and multi-faceted. Ben Chaney switches between those characters and plotlines with skill and dexterity you don't often see in a newcomer. If you're a fan of dystopian lit, or sci-fi in general, I must recommend Son of Sedonia. Especially for Kindle, at a bargain price of just $2.99.
I'll be looking forward to his next endeavor.
I'll be looking forward to his next endeavor.
September 6, 2013
I liked the first half better than the 2nd. The world he built seems deep and there are many unexplored aspects introduced in the book. There were a few distracting typos and the actions sequences sometimes felt awkward.
August 17, 2016
Whether you enjoy this book, or not, will entirely depend upon whether you buy the central technology in the book that serves as a mid-game deus ex-machina. For me the technology just didn't pan out with the rest of the technology in the book.
February 3, 2013
Read it, Love it
May 10, 2013
Better than expected. Interesting look at class differences
June 24, 2013
So I tried to explain this to somebody as a x-meets-y story and couldn't do it justice. It's great, just read it :) Would love to hear more from this world.
October 22, 2013
Very good book for a self-published, first time author. The ending came too fast and there were a few questions unanswered so I am going to assume a sequel is in works. Excellent cover art!
October 8, 2013
An average sci-fi in the vein of Elysium. Not stupid, but a bit pointless.
July 20, 2014
This novel is solid sci-fi. It goes at a fast pace but still manages to provide plenty of back story for the many different characters.
March 23, 2017
This is a short book that took me a long time to read. I just couldn't get into the world. I don't think the author did enough to explain why Earth was the way it was. I don't think he had the brothers together long enough to portray their bond. They literally had two scenes together in the first half of the book. I think the author was trying to use the younger brothers disability as a way of showing that bond, but it could have been done more effectively with more interaction between the characters. I did not understand how Sedonia or Rasalla fit into the world around it. They seem like the only habited part of the world as everything in the story, that includes space travel and generation ships, focuses on this one geographical spot. one last thing. If you have just escaped a prison camp and have just been chased through the streets by police, I do not advise going into a dance club and getting drunk. Kabbard is literally the worst cop ever for not catching him.
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March 21, 2019DNF...
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