Hate's Recompense

by Joseph H Gibson

Overview

Sure to join the ranks of best new political and technological thrillers, Hate’s Recompense is the electrifying debut novel of author Joseph H Gibson.

A true war of ideologies spawns a new civil war in the United States. President Ronald Kahn faces a stiff reelection and usurps the democratic process by executing cyber and bioterrorism attacks on his own country. Blaming Iran, Kahn declares a State of Emergency and fabricates a second more lethal attack by Iran, which he himself plans to execute through, Athena, a revolutionary new technology that will give him the power to decide who lives and dies.

Henry Little Hawk and Aleja Trujillo, resistance leaders fighting for the people, learn the terrifying details about Kahn’s plans—and millions of American lives are at stake. They race against the clock to reprogram Athena and give her full reign to end Kahn’s deadly politics. Can she stop Kahn before he commits the greatest crime in history?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780578618791
Publisher:	Joseph H Gibson
Publication date:	11/30/2019
Series:	Athena , #1
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.59(d)

Editorial Reviews

06/29/2020

Gibson’s gripping debut, which launches the Athena technothriller series, is a chilling tale of Machiavellian political factions pitting emerging tech against one another, threatening millions of lives. California Sen. Alejandra Trujillo, a member of the Resistance party, has organized against President Kahn’s executive order to implement Sentinel, security tech that will install implants in everyone and use artificial intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks. When Alejandra is the victim of an anthrax attack in Los Angeles, Kahn claims it was orchestrated by Iran along with a cyberattack, and he issues an executive order to roll out Sentinel. Before the Senate and its Resistance members, including Alejandra, can vote to block it, Kahn makes an emotional plea and they relent. But Sen. Henry Little Hawk is suspicious of Kahn’s motives and enlists the help of Jenks Kennard, who—along with Bur McAnter, a member of the Nationalist party—created the technology that spawned Sentinel. Bur discovers that Kahn orchestrated the attacks, and Alejandra and Jenks roll out their own AI, Athena, hoping it can usurp Sentinel’s domination and prevent Kahn’s next move.

Some of Gibson’s characters can seem over the top, particularly in light of his well-meaning attempts to diversify his cast. Henry undertakes a vision quest in which the spirit of Crazy Horse warns him about a coming race war; Bur’s children are overly precocious and sometimes a little precious. However, those character choices don’t mar the overall story, which is a fast-paced, immersive, and riveting exploration of the uses of and misuses of surveillance technology and artificial intelligence.

Gibson, whose professional life includes work with machine learning and artificial intelligence, poses tough questions about the role of such technology in civic society, providing enough context for the average reader to understand how it can be used for good or evil. This thriller is an exciting ride from a promising new author, infused with questions about politics, power, and technology.

Takeaway: Fans of technothrillers that comment on current events will love this fast-paced novel and eagerly await the author’s next installment.

Great for fans of Lee Child’s Blue Moon and Mike Maden’s Tom Clancy: Point of Contact.

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: - Editing: B Marketing copy: C

BookLife Reviews