Rogue Sequence

January 1, 2024

In 2091, Ander Rade, a genetically modified super-soldier, is captured and forced into violent fighting pits. When the world bans human genetic engineering and deems modified individuals a threat, however, Ander is instead offered his freedom if he tracks someone down, but he'll soon have to decide whose side he's on. With a 75K-copy first printing. Prepub Alert.

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April 8, 2024
Dazzling high-tech combat pervades this roiling Ramboesque thriller from Topping (Wake of War). In a dismal near future, Ander Rade is a genetically modified combat mercenary working for Xyphos Industries, a U.S. producer of killer assault teams. After a mission goes suspiciously wrong, he ends up imprisoned in Bolivia, where he’s caged and forced to fight other prisoners. Fortunately, Agent Moreno with the U.S. Genetic Compliance Department negotiates his release in exchange for Rade’s help tracking down Xyphos team member Darius Turin, who has gone rogue and is suspected of plotting a terrorist attack on an upcoming World Unity Summit in Atlanta. Rade agrees, and Moreno smuggles him back to the U.S., where “mods” have been declared illegal. Together, they conduct a top-secret investigation that leads them ever deeper into a “corpopolitical” drama involving a Russian arms smuggler, the dark net, and a multibillion-dollar holding company invested in embryonic cloning. The plot is plausible enough to frame all the violent action, and Topping drives things to a flashy, cinematic finish. Despite skimping on backstory for Rade and Moreno, he does a decent job developing their relationship from deep distrust to soldierly camaraderie. In the infrequent breathers between fight scenes, there are some lovely, spare descriptions of the near-future American wasteland. Readers who prefer their action in overdrive should check this out.

May 1, 2024
Ander Rade is a genetically modified and psychologically conditioned corporate soldier-for-hire. Imprisoned after a failed mission, he's released by a new U.S. government agency to help stop a terrorist attacking corporate sites--a terrorist who used to be a member of Rade's squad. Set in a near-future, reshaped United States, this taut, violent, race-against-time thriller is a tale of one man coming to terms with the evils of his past and exploring the possibility of redemption. It's also a stark warning about the dangers of unchecked corporate power and government corruption. Topping (Wake of War, 2022) refuses to make simplistic judgements about his characters. While it's clear who the good and bad guys are, they all have understandable reasons for what they do, and they're all caught up in the larger machinations of powerful corporate and government interests. Topping's military experience shines in the vivid fight scenes and his descriptions of the characters' surroundings. It makes the action more believable and compelling. Recommended for fans of espionage thrillers, as well as military sf readers.

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