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REVIEW: Violent Skies | T.J. Lockwood 19 January 2018

While I usually prefer my science fiction reading to fall a bit more on the optimistic side, there are exceptions to everything, and this sharp and gritty debut novel from T.J. Lockwood stands out in all the right ways.

Violent Skies delivers a vividly dystopian world of flying (and once-flying) cities, nanobot addiction, and factions with conflicting interests. The strong female narrator/protagonist is a courier with a hidden purpose and layers of complexity that are slowly revealed as the story progresses. The intricate and well-thought-out technology supports the plot and world, and I found the use of biotechnology particularly interesting.

Overall, this is an engaging read, perfect for readers of darker science fiction — don’t expect any fluffy romance or uplifting inspirational messages. There’s some violence, so it’s probably not well suited for younger teens.

A new edition of Violent Skies will be released by Mecha Panda Publishing on February 1, 2018. The first edition was briefly available from Filidh Publishing in 2017.