“There are no monsters… only different perspectives” says one of the characters from Rhett C. Bruno’s the “The Circuit: Executor Rising”. In this sci-fi dystopia there is no supreme good or evil, only humans caught somewhere in between. The author presents us with a captivating tale of human resilience and determination.
Mankind has exiled itself from Earth and created colonies spread throughout the solar system. Our home planet has become a harsh and unforgiving wasteland; it was turned uninhabitable by human curiosity and greed. A newly discovered element in the Earth’s unstable mantle, called Gravitum, was the catalyst to humanity’s exile from home. However, it became the core of the new system.
Even if people no longer walk the face of the Earth, it is still part of our race and that connection is not easily severed. This bond, this overwhelming yearning to return home is the foundation of the New Earth Tribunal. Both a religious sect and the government, the Tribunal tapped into a way to keep humans docile and obedient. Giant screens throughout the settlements repetitively display the same message, which promises mankind’s return home. They give people hope for a better future, so they can comply with the present. Still, there are those who oppose the current leadership.
The increasing number of brilliantly orchestrated attacks on Tribunal transports, forces the four leaders to ask one of their estranged members for help. Cassius Vale was once a member of the New Earth Tribunal who parted with his colleges on bad terms. Since then he immersed himself in developing groundbreaking technology and machines. So, the government hopes to put their differences aside and use his expertise in identifying the mysterious transport assailants.
Unaware that the enemy they seek is right in front of them, they send out one of their best Tribunal Executors, Sage Volus, to unveil the attackers amongst the Ceresian Pact. She is sent to a new colony, where life is quite different than what she was used to. Soon after her arrival she joins a group, lead by Talon Rayne, which will attempt to rob a Tribunal transport, but their attack has unforeseen consequences.
There are quite a few important characters on which the author focuses. This only expands his imaginary reality. Each character views a different corner of the universe, but at some point their eyes intersect. Rhett C. Bruno proved to be a keen observer of human nature and he gifted each of his creations with an elaborate and rational psychological profile. Their past explains their present and presages their future.
Cassius Vale is an enigmatic and controversial character. He was Rhett C. Bruno’s main instrument for manipulating the reader. If, in the beginning he is clearly an evil figure, as events unfold, he is progressively humanized, and sparks of good become visible. Cassius claims that “there are no monsters… only different perspectives”. And his perspective radically differs from that of the New Earth Tribunal. Being a genius scientist he equips himself with the most sophisticated technology and uses all necessary means to obtain what he desires.
The main female character of the novel, Sage Volus, serves as a Tribunal Executor. She constantly recites the vows she took, as a mantra, each time she is required to act against her principles. Running away from a painful past she fully devotes herself to the cause of the Tribunal, only to find herself tempted to run away towards something. Her interaction with Talon Rayne shelters the promise of a possible relationship, which is exposed to inhospitable circumstances.
One of the most striking elements of the novel is grounded in the Blue Death. This deadly disease caused by exposure to Gravitum slowly kills its victims, while turning their veins bright blue. The “hall of living graves to extend your living doom” is a Solar-Ark designed to prolong the life of those afflicted with the Blue Death and use them as a work force.
The ending of this first book of a series leaves the reader suspended, searching for the next book to land on. Each character is at a turning point in their life and ahead of them lies an uncertain future. So, Rhett C. Bruno delivers a well written and visually stimulating start to a series. Although it presents to us a multidimensional reality, perhaps the main attraction of “The Circuit: Executor Rising” is the abolition of the good and evil dichotomy in a sci-fi context.
About Post Author
