Oh, boy. Okay. Here it goes. I’ve had a draft of this review on my computer for quite some time but haven’t had the cojones to publish it. If you have to ask why, you probably haven’t heard of Robert Brockway or, more specifically, the fans and followers from his Cracked.com column. They’re, let’s just say, um, very loyal. One wrong step and I’ll probably be pummeled with indignant comments and messages. Maybe I should just throw a “read this” at you and run. Settle down, boys and girls. If you’d let me finish, I was just going to say how intelligent and insightful I think you all are. Peace, man. 🙂
In the three-part Rx series, Robert Brockway has created the perfect dystopian society, if you have to live in a dystopian society, that is — you get to be all drugged up. Legally. Hum, wait a minute. That sounds familiar. Can’t get it up? We’ve got something for that. Legs “restless”? Step right up, folks, we’ve got something to stop your legs in their tracks. Really? Sigh. The only difference between the world of Rx and ours is they don’t have to drive all the way to Walgreen’s for their high — even the poorest of homes has a “feed”. (And the drugs are probably better researched.)
Episode 1 of the series introduces us to Red, a dealer of illicit drug mixes and beta tester for the legal stuff. We first find him with a major hangover from a beta test in the bowels of the Four Posts, a scary future world where your living space is defined by inches, everything is disposable and nanotechnology rules the world. Red’s problem is that he doesn’t remember anything, including how he got there, he has a hangover that includes wicked, ever-worsening hallucinations, and he has violated his non-disclosure agreement. Unfortunately for him, they burn witches — I mean violators — and ask questions later. Rx: Episode 1 takes us on a raucous ride as Red tries to escape the crazies down below (with the help of one of the crazies, an ex-girlfriend with a grudge) and elude the drug company bounty hunters sent to kill him. Further up, we also get to know QC, a Factory Girl, and Byron, a rich junkie Penthouse Kid, each searching for Red to get their own special fix that only he can provide.
The action continues in Episode 2, taking us on an adventure to the watery world of the Reservoir where we get to know more about our protagonists and what makes them tick. Red, his mind increasingly unstable from the beta test, is desperate to reach a mysterious contact who can protect him from Hockner Industries and cure his potentially lethal hangover. QC and Byron develop an awkward, tenuous mutual respect in Episode 2 that is both sweet and marvelously discordant at the same time.
Robert Brockway is extremely talented at creating a setting and planting you firmly in his world. So much so that it seems to have a personality of its own and is an integral part of the story. The detail and ambiance is so well done that I, who sometimes have a problem visualizing an author’s world, felt like I was stepping right into the Four Posts when I turned on my Kindle and began to read, becoming more and more immersed as the pages went by. This attention to detail is not distracting in any way, only enhances the story and supports the characters and their actions. It was, in fact, a refreshing change for me, having found that many indie books tend to forego setting and leave the characters in vague, undefined surroundings.
This is an action-packed, fast-moving story. It would have to be, I suppose, as these are two very short novellas. That was a drawback for me, seeing as I’m one of those the-longer-the-better readers, especially when it’s a good story. War and Peace? Bring it on, baby. The language is rough, and the characters delightfully raunchy and coarse, especially QC. I particularly enjoyed QC and Byron’s uncomfortable pairing. There is the humor that you expect from Mr. Brockway, but not in the way you might think. The humor is so well done and threaded so intimately and naturally throughout the plot and dialogue that I didn’t even recognize it as such.
I wholeheartedly recommend the Rx series to sci-fi/dystopian fans. While sci-fi is pretty much a free-for-all as far as taking society wherever you want it to go, as with all really good fiction the author has drawn many parallels to the sorry state of affairs we find ourselves in today; i.e., a pharmaceutically controlled society, the rich guys up top in the sun doling out the dope to the disenfranchised down below, where the ideas of sunlight and hope are only a myth.
The author is becoming a master at the cliffhanger, and I have been waiting not-so-patiently for Episode 3, which just came out last week. So now you can enjoy all three and not have to wait a month for the next episode.
You can follow Mr. Brockway at his CRACKED.com column http://www.cracked.com/members/Robert+Brockway/ , on Facebook, Twitter, or at http://www.rxthebook.com . Now excuse me while I go take a Valium, top that off with a Vicoden, and hide from commentors telling me how I did Mr. Brockway an injustice with my flat, ineloquent, and decidedly shallow prose. 😉
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