Title: The Prelapsarians
Author: John Gaiserich
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1517528638
Pages: 644
Genre: Dystopian-Fiction/ Action & Adventure
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert
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Pacific Book Review
An epic dystopian tale fraught with action and adventure, author John Gaiserich’s The Prelapsarians brings to life an impressively creative tale featuring a fictive prospective of society 25 years after, a catastrophic force of nature and an ensuing war plunges the world into a chaotic and violent wasteland.Author Gaiserich presents an intriguingly multifaceted story that takes readers to the depths of human depravity and the heights of human valor. The author presents a story rich with the details of life in a dystopian society, destroyed by nature and almost annihilated by man. An entertainingly evocative read, this narrative is related from the perspective of Prelapsarian Paul Foley aka Ciarán Ó Corraidhín, a hard-bitten, retired mercenary who as a Prelapsarian, knew the world for what it once was and strongly desired a change
The story is set in the treacherous locale of the North Caucasus region of Russia, where Ciarán, together with a group of fellow retired mercenaries’ fight for their survival in the violent, poisoned wasteland. The harshness of their daily struggle to thrive is not only against their ambient environment or a lack of resources, but also against the relentless greed of self appointed rulers calling themselves governors, also called Oligarchs. The governors rule by absolute tyranny and greed, holding hostage, through brutal oligarchic control, the one hope people having of surviving against the hostile, poisoned environment, a wonder drug called Mammy, which has more value than much needed weapons.
Nonetheless, the real adventure for Ciarán and comrades begins when they meet the comely Ani Ohanyan; she is resilient, naive, a bit impractical and a Mammy smuggler. Fiercely independent, Ani is determined to get a load of Mammy to an area in need regardless of the possible imminent dangers. Ciarán and friends, seeing an advantage to helping Ani decide their escort is exactly what she needs. With Ani and Mammy in tow, Ciarán and company embark on the journey of a lifetime finding perilous adventure, truth, love and themselves, in the midst of their dangerous, but revelatory journey.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Prelapsarians; it was a phenomenal read that was both thoughtful and striking in scope and artfully presented humanity at its worst and best. Also, I found author Gaiserich to be a skilled storyteller whose evocative prowess as a writer relayed a richly atmospheric story that was easy to enjoy and become ensnared in. It was a pleasure to read his aptly developed story with its gruesome, but polished fighting scenes, gritty characters, bits of history and philosophical musings. I particularly enjoyed the character of Ciarán whose toughness, valor, guile and insights made him a great central character to read. I highly recommend this book; it is definitely one for the collection, especially for adult readers that enjoy dystopian reads.
