Warspace
Jay Rodan
ASIN : B09M4QVBSB
Publisher : Independently published (October 20, 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 294 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8550538876
Item Weight : 1.12 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 0.67 x 9 inches
Review: Warspace by Jay Rodan
I thought this was an appropriate time to talk about this story that Jay Rodan sent me. He tells me, "Warspace is the futuristic story of James Ward, a drifter and haunted veteran who ventures into the fallen city of Miami to find his lover, artist Ana Dos Santos. He believes she has downloaded her consciousness into a secretive online global combat simulation, and so he plugs himself into volunteer as a fighter with an ulterior motive. He soon discovers, however, that the simulation has morphed into something that is beyond his control."
This is an intriguing and unique read in that it makes one analyze data and question decisions based on the findings of things such as the nature of consciousness, and of subjectivity.
In this read James Ward is reintegrating into the ruins of paradise - the New Atlantans occupied. He has only a few possessions he carries with him and we learn his Wreath helped cure him of the voice.
This read has a little bit of everything including holograms, viruses, and war! The world-building is well crafted and at times frightening. I like that James must overcome his PTSD. His recall is strong and we see how things familiar aid in survival.
Early on, we meet the character Ace. He plays for protein dollars (insect protein ingested as nourishment or injected into regenerative robot connective tissue} and has an electromagnetic feeler for a hand. Ana Dos Santos speaks with mystic hobos and quotes an old Chinese philosopher. Rawkus is the riverboat captain who became the salvage king of the vanishing lagoon and then there's Dr. Richard Konstantin, Dr. Kimberly Lee, and Milton Kleist.
This story ties in with history and Halloween themes. The Highland Clearances took place in the 18th and 19th centuries and the 4th rarest gemstone in the world is Hiddenite. Named for Mr. W. E. Hidden, it can only be found in hiddenite, North Carolina.
Reznor Dedalus, dad Hal had Reznor panning when he was only six years old. Reznor's mother Marsha used her money to purchase their Gothic home. This home is described with a wood-paneled library and an exposed brick entrance hall. It was the one with the Chinese wallpaper and the home was adorned with old artworks and prints and woodcuts depicting witches, crows, and cats of New England. This ties in magic and the supernatural, and the reference of Orichas explains James receiving 400 volts.
I will admit the mention of stinging wasps injecting their neurotoxins made me cringe and the mention of cockroaches made me squeamish as I'm aware they eat what is available to them.
What I loved most about this story was the use of all the symbols and the concept that right and wrong, good and evil, and beauty and ugliness share the same core of being and the choice is ours as it was those who journeyed before us.
About the Author
Jay Rodan is a multidisciplinary creative producer, writer, and entrepreneur, Jay Rodan works in advertising, film, and television. He has been twice nominated by the Writer's Guild of America for screenwriting and is represented at Gersh and Elevate Entertainment. He has sold shows to ITV, ABC, NBC, Amazon, and AMC Studios, and has written scripts for LucasFilm, Filmnation, Open Road, and Universal, among others. He is CEO of Automatic Content, an integrated studio representing photographers, directors, and creative directors, and its production arm Sheriff Production, Inc. He studied literature and cognitive science in Canada before dropping out of university to help develop an art gallery and performance space, the ground-breaking Flat Gallery in his native Durban, South Africa. He has appeared in campaigns for Y-3 and in films by Bernardo Bertolucci, Franco Zefirelli, Kasi Lemmons, and others, as well as on television. Based in Topanga, California, he works worldwide.
