Reviewed by Sherri Fulmer Moorer for Readers’ Favorite – 5 stars
The year is 2126, and the world has changed. Values of diversity and equality have died along with Earth, leaving behind a burning hulk of a planet where the poor fight for survival. At the same time, the elite live in space with genetic treatments to build the “perfect human race.” Cassandra XI is part of the elite patrician class, a first-class citizen, and completely disengaged with her reality. A traumatic experience in her childhood leads her to find the past that was wiped away and gets her tried and convicted as an insurrectionist. Cassandra has her personal AI deactivated, her status revoked, and is sent to a violent prison where only the strong survive. Soon, however, her trial comes back to haunt her when a Martian colony goes dark with only one message: Bring Cassandra Kurtz. What does this vague reference to her trial mean? And how do they know her? Endless Fall of Night by J.M. Erickson is a sci-fi thriller that will keep you guessing.
I’ve read many books about Mars, so this one immediately appealed to me. I made an excellent choice as J.M. Erickson took a different approach to the colonization of the red planet. Mars is shrouded in mystery, and the author played off this perfectly with a unique story that’s a different take on our future, both in terms of science and politics. You have no idea what possibilities exist in the future of genetic engineering, space colonization, and social structure. Endless Fall of Night is an excellent novel that twists dystopia and utopia into a compelling tale of intrigue and suspense. Cassandra is the perfect narrator and catalyst for this adventure and shows us not only our future but the potential of our present. An excellent read that will keep you guessing, both about the plot and the world as we know it.