Title: Chromium Rose: The Pete Rainger Chronicles
Author: Anthony Roland
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ASIN: B0C9XCJ88R
Pages: 294
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Dan MacIntosh

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Author Anthony Roland’s book, Chromium Rose: The Pete Rainger Chronicles, is described as a story about a girl named Chelsea Miller, who changes her name and goes on a mission to “protect the free world from super beings and their minions.” As the reader quickly learns, though, this tale is complicated; much more complicated than the basic goals. What ensues is a dizzying series of geopolitical events which will likely make the reader think deeply about the objectives and behaviors of various world players.

Roland knows his politics and geography well, as these scenes are set in a wide variety of international settings. There is also plenty of action. One can easily see his words one day transformed into a cinematic movie script. While there is also character development and biographical sketches of each character, the book never gets bogged down in too much unnecessary backstory.

The one criticism is its abundance of characters. There are so many people introduced, in fact, readers might wish for a scorecard to tell them all apart. Making things even more troublesome is that some of these character names appear and disappear after entering the tale, never to return. If a character is introduced, but not truly instrumental to the story’s plot, then why were they introduced in the first place? The reader is forced to make unending mental notes of each person described and then left to wonder if he/she is truly important to the overall plot development or not. Adding to this confusion, some of these characters change their names and physical features, which –we’re informed — is necessary for various situations.

There is a decided science fiction element running through Roland’s work. In it, women are biologically recreated into what can best be described as superhumans. These modified humans are developed so as to be unbeatable fighting machines. This element carries with either an intentional or unintentional feminist perspective. These are not super strong men, after all, but women that are as strong and — in many cases – stronger than the men. Toward the book’s end, the author also introduces LGBTQ concepts. Although this scenario is very different from contemporary trans issues, the idea of men being transformed into women is similar to society’s growing acceptance of people that change their genders.

On a lighter, funnier note, Roland’s story includes detailed descriptions of foods and fashion. For instance, whenever characters meet for a meal at an eatery, Roland is careful to detail everything each character eats and drinks. Sure, he could have just said they went to dinner together, but Roland takes these gatherings a few steps further by explicitly naming each dish on each person’s menu choice. Secondly, Roland sure sounds like he knows a lot about women’s clothing and hairstyles. Thus, whenever a female character changes her hair, he gives us picturesque views of their new cuts and stylings. And he’s consistent about these descriptors, too, as seemingly nobody makes a fashion change with his noting it.

Chromium Rose: The Pete Rainger Chronicles is well-written and action-packed, and as good as it is, it would have been even better if Anthony Roland had made it a little easier on the reader. He could have narrowed his concentration down to a more memorable few characters, giving each of these a fuller portrayal so we – the reader – would not have to weed through so many different names. With that said, though, his work raises a lot of important questions. Medical science just keeps advancing, and who’s to say we won’t one day be able to create fighting machines out of regular human beings? Let’s hope we will know our own limitations and recognize some of the obvious consequences of such potential knowledge and abilities. Until then, this book will almost certainly make your imagination run wild – and in all the best ways.