Fractured State by Steven Konkoly

Published by Thomas & Mercer on May 17, 2016

Fractured State is a near future science fiction thriller. Like most modern thrillers, the plot is preposterous, but since this one is science fiction, I readily suspended my disbelief in order to enjoy the story.

Legislation designed to assure sustainability and resource protection has upset some Californians. All of their purchases are recorded so they can be issued a consumption report card. They are allotted a certain number of minutes per month for travel outside their residential district; exceeding the limit is taxed exorbitantly. Water use is regulated, solar power is mandatory, and so on. No swimming pools, no gardens, no fun.

Sustainability has become such a success that a growing number of greedy Californians want to secede, preventing other states from consuming California resources. The assassination of an influential public official might spark a civil war within the state -- or so fears Keira Fisher. She has her bug-out bag all packed. Nathan, her husband, works for San Diego County as a wastewater reclamation expert.

The assassination is soon followed by another, and by the apparent sabotage of a nuclear plant’s cooling system. The media aren’t sure whether to blame the California Liberation Movement (which favors secession) or the One Nation Coalition (which opposes secession). Neither is the reader, since it seems that certain interests are advancing their own causes and using the political movements as scapegoats.

Against that background, the novel follows Nathan, who witnessed something he wasn’t supposed to see. He needs to flee or die. With the help of a Marine, Nathan and a band of Marines take on an impressive paramilitary force that uses an improbable amount of weaponry and men in an effort to kill Nathan, his family, and the Marines who are helping him..

The set-up of Fractured State is interesting. The politics of the future schism might be improbable, but they are handled intelligently. That background develops during the first third of the novel. The rest is a fairly standard military/action novel, but the action scenes are lively and intense. Since I tend to ignore book descriptions before I start reading, I didn’t realize this was part one in a series, although it became clear as I neared the final pages that the story would not end with this book. I look forward to reading the next one.

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