Author: Aaron Ryan
Genre: Fiction
Year Published: 2024
Nerdection Rating:
“Nerdection Worth to Read”
Spoiler-free Plot
Plug your ears. Don’t look. The war for humanity has begun. Cameron “Jet” Shipley was there when they arrived in 2026. He, and everyone else, lived through the next decade and a half, learning to hide. Learning to never make a sound. Learning the most important rule of all:
You just…don’t…look.
The year is now 2042, and humanity is eking out an existence in the shadows. Cameron and his team are sent out on a recon mission in Clarksville Tennessee, with events and developments that may alter the trajectory of Earth’s fate…and his own.
Joined by newcomers Bassett and Trudy, Cameron and his brother Rut will have to contend with a powerful force that has laid waste to the planet and annihilated over eighty-five percent of civilization. Will Jet’s expeditions lead him on a slippery slope of discovery that demands accountability and answers? Or will it plunge the earth, and everything in it, into further dissonance?
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My take on Dissonance Volume I: Reality
Dystopian series are an interesting topic in fiction because of the stigma they have gotten in recent years. Due to the youth dystopian genre craze of a few years ago, it seems that a lot of new authors are scared of trying something with this trope, even though it has timeless value. The idea of a cruel regime controlling society is something people can always relate to, regardless of political leanings or religious beliefs, which is something that author Aaron Ryan tackles with the first volume of this series.
To be completely honest here, I thought that Dissonance was going to be a repetitive sci-fi dystopian slug to read through. Sometimes is very difficult to revamp the wheel but Ryan doesn’t focus and rather does what most good writers do, which is relying on solid storytelling and good characterization. If you have that, it doesn’t matter that your story is not the most unique in the market.
One of the things that stood out to me in this book was the world-building, which was grim and hopeless as one can imagine, with the main cast serving as one of the last shreds of things hopefully getting better. It is a very memorable setting and you can tell that Ryan took his time with this since it conveys the aura and feeling of hopelessness that he wants to convey in the early portions of the story.
Furthermore, I feel that the pacing was a bit slow at times but it makes sense considering that this is only the first volume of the series. While a slower pace can be somewhat of a problem to a lot of readers and I understand that, it also makes sense that the author doesn’t want to give too much away and wants a slow but satisfying buildup. It did make some portions of the story a bit frustrating for me but I understand where he is coming from.
This is going to sound weird but my favorite part of the entire book was showing the consequences that the alien invasion had on human society during the 16 years that happened prior to the story’s beginning. A lot of writers tend to struggle when presenting these situations, often skimming through them and not giving readers enough information about how things changed during that timeframe.
However, Ryan does a very good job of showing how things have changed and the consequences of said actions, which is something that adds some gravitas and stakes to the story. It feels that this is a living, breathing world whose invasion changed things by force and the main cast has to deal with the consequences in order to survive. It’s grim at times but is supposed to be grim and is supposed to make the reader feel that there is no hope.
The first volume of Dissonance is a very good read, especially if people like grim stories and dystopia since this book does both things and at a high level. It is definitely not for everybody but it doesn’t shy away from it, which is always a good sign coming from a storyteller.
About The Author Of Dissonance Volume I: Reality
Aaron Ryan lives in Washington with his wife and two sons, along with Macy the dog, Winston the cat, and Merry & Pippin, the finches.
He is the author of the “Dissonance” series, several business books on multimedia production penned under a pseudonym, as well as a previous fictional novel, “The Omega Room.”
When he was in second grade, he was tasked with writing a creative assignment: a fictional book. And thus, “The Electric Boy” was born: a simple novella full of intrigue, fantasy, and 7-year-old wits that electrified Aaron’s desire to write. From that point forward, Aaron evolved into a creative soul that desired to create.
He enjoys the arts, media, music, performing, poetry, and being a daddy. In his lifetime he has been an author, voiceover artist, wedding videographer, stage performer, musician, producer, rock/pop artist, executive assistant, service manager, paperboy, CSR, poet, tech support, worship leader, and more. The diversity of his life experiences gives him a unique approach to business, life, ministry, faith, and entertainment.
Aaron’s favorite author by far is J.R.R. Tolkien, but he also enjoys Suzanne Collins, James S.A. Corey, Marie Lu, Madeleine L’Engle, C.S. Lewis, and Stephen King.
Aaron has always had a passion for storytelling.
