Synopsis:
Bishop and Tessa Dawes survive on opposite sides of the Manhattan Island seawall, one of fifteen corporation-controlled cities across the United States in the post-asteroid apocalypse. While Bishop works off citizenship debt in the drone command center, slowly building credit to secure her entry in two years, Tessa survives in the lawless boroughs surrounding the city, reconditioning knives for the black market Free Zone controlled by bullet gangs. On a cold January day, an offer from management – Bishop has forty-eight hours to drive to the free city of Bangor, Maine and kidnap a doctor capable of saving the life of Manhattan’s ill CEO. Upon his successful return, his debt will be wiped clean, and Tessa will be granted entry, their year and a half separation ended, a new life within their grasp.
Bishop departs for Bangor unaware of the forces working for and against him, the corporate backstabbing and deception at the highest levels of Manhattan’s government, of the fate of the soldiers sent before him, and the immediate threat to Tessa’s safety. The Black Sky is ultimately a story about family by blood, by circumstance, and by community, while exploring themes of economic, technological and surveillance extremism.
Edition:
Paperback ARC
My Thoughts:
Going into this book, I thought it was going to be something a little different than it was. I thought based on the synopsis that I was in for something akin to Children of Men. In reality it felt a lot more like Tom Clancy’s Black Ops or something like that. Something really action-driven. While that’s not my usual jam, I didn’t let it deter me, because hey – that’s my fault. I should have read the synopsis more closely – I mean, it’s kinda all right there, you know?
So, with that out of the way, let’s get to the meat of this thing:
At first I had a whole huge list of questions about the asteroid business. And I still had them until about halfway through the book when it became clear that my suspicions were correct. I liked the validation, but I wish the effects of the asteroid on the world were just a little bit more out in the forefront from the beginning. That’s just a personal preference though. I don’t necessarily think it would matter to anyone less world-building obsessed than me. It’s just that I want to be able to know I’m picturing things accurately). I had a lot of questions about when and where it happened, and how Manhattan survived the impact. Not to mention how much of the population of Earth, man and other, survived.
And if we may all don our tinfoil hats for just a moment, the story elements dealing with corporate surveillance and overreach definitely freaked me out. Because…we’re basically living in that world already. You know how you can just mention something off the cuff in the presence of tech and suddenly the conglomerate behind the device is sending targeted advertisements left and right that will meet whatever need you mentioned in casual conversation? Or how a handful of corporations own “controlling interest” in most of the world? And that a handful of people control nearly all the world’s wealth? Yeah, you can go ahead and lose that hat cuz that’s not even speculation – it’s verifiable fact.
Here’s some interesting information I received along with my review copy:
- The Black Sky is the first in a planned trilogy. It will be followed in the future by The Red Sky, and later The White Sky.
- Coinciding with the book’s release will be a “Music Inspired by the Novel” soundtrack. That can be found on “all streaming platforms, download services, and via compact disc at Amazon.com.” Each track will correspond to a chapter, and files are available in various formats here.
- There is a website included on the final page of the book for Solear Industries. That site and it’s associated links contain nearly two dozen easter eggs related to the story.
- The story itself was written a chapter at a time and posted at blackskybook.blogspot.com for beta readers to provide feedback. Additionally, inspiration was tracked via Pinterest, YouTube, and Spotify, and all of those links can be found on that blog as well.
- Cover art was done by Mike Winkelmann
About the Author:
Timothy D. Minneci (www.timminneci.com / @timminneci) grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York a devoted fan of John Carpenter, Stephen King, and Bon Jovi. He has authored several non-fiction books and is the co-host of the long-running 1990s music-focused Dig Me Out Podcast. The Black Sky is his first novel. He lives with his family in Columbus, Ohio.
Rating:
This was a pretty solid first novel. Although I feel that in the end, I just wasn’t the best audience for it, I still overall enjoyed it. Ultimately, I look for more by way of character- and world-building, but if you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic action-driven thrill ride, you might want to check out The Black Sky.
The Black Sky By Timothy D. Minneci Reverbose Expected Publication: August 28, 2020 ISBN: 9781734521306 Paperback, E-book, Audiobook 328 Pages
