This book is a dystopian firestorm wrapped in razor wire. Endless Fall of Night throws us into a bleak future where racial purity and social stratification rule the day, and one woman, Cassandra IX, stands at the heart of it all, defiant, broken, and brilliant. The story kicks off with her trial and sentencing for crimes that are more moral rebellion than criminal offenses, and it doesn’t let up. From sterile courtrooms to hellish prisons and eventually deep space, Erickson drags us through the slow-motion car crash that is Cassie’s journey, and you can’t look away.
The writing hits hard; it is not elegant or flowery. And that’s what makes it work. The courtroom scenes early in the book are brutal, especially the way the government lawyer describes Cassie’s supposed betrayal. “She can’t help it,” he sneers while showing ancient libraries going up in flames. You want to scream. Erickson doesn’t just hint at dystopia; he makes you choke on it. His use of visuals, like the collapsing libraries or the image of Cassie bleeding and broken, is cinematic in the best (and most horrifying) way.
Cassie is no hero in the classic sense. She’s angry, complicated, and tired. Her inner voice, especially after she loses her AI companion Aletheia, is a mix of grief, sarcasm, and deep loneliness. And the prison chapters? They’re suffocating. I felt like I needed to open a window. Erickson builds this terrifying sense of powerlessness without ever turning Cassie into a victim stereotype. She fights. She cracks. She rages. She survives. Her whispered line might be one of the most powerful moments in the book; it’s a punch in the face to a rotten empire.
The pacing gets a little weird after Cassie leaves prison. Once she boards the Jefferson Davis, the tone shifts. It’s still good, creepy, mysterious, and loaded with dread, but the rhythm wobbles. Still, the moment her AI returns through a charged music device is oddly beautiful. Aletheia’s voice is like a flashlight in a cave, and it reminded me of how much I missed her presence earlier in the book. Their bond is one of the best parts of this story, part friendship, part lifeline, part rebellion.
Endless Fall of Night made me mad. It made me sad. It made me weirdly hopeful. It’s not a fun read; it’s a furious one. But it’s worth it. If you liked The Handmaid’s Tale or V for Vendetta, this is your book. Just be ready: it doesn’t hold your hand. It holds a mirror up and dares you to look.
Pages: 131 | ASIN : B0D6JSPDDY