Author: Locke, Thomas
Title: Fault Lines
Genre: Adventure
Publication: 2017
No. of Pages: 400
Geographical Setting: Satellite Beach Community, Florida; Milan, Italy
Time Period: present
Synopsis
A prequel to
Trial Run and Flashpoint, Fault Lines
authored by Thomas Locke, uses Charlie Hazard, an ex-military Ranger
specializing in security, to demonstrate submission and trust when he willingly
follows Gabriella McLaren, a lead psychologist of a team working to establish a
means of “separating the human consciousness from the physical body” (Locke
127), to an undisclosed location and then through a series of uninformed
events. Charlie’s classic hero’s natural
leadership, intellect, skill and strength assembles a small, honorable team to
defend the scientists and their objective against the aggressive attacks from
Combine, an international unit interested only in “global power, profit and
dominance” (Locke 119,123).
Appeals
Rule of Three: “The three words that best capture the appeal
of the book” (Saricks 25):
Pacing: Urgent.
The main characters constantly discover enemy insights, plot defense or
attacks, scheme protection and destruction and advance their overall goals, in
this fast paced adventure storyline, resting only for the occasional cup of
coffee.
Tone/ Mood: Alarm. Distinguished
from the traditional dark tone of Adventure Genres, Fault Lines offers a lighter tone of alarm softened by Italian
sarcastic humor.
Characters: Focused. Charlie Hazard, Risk Containment Specialist, Gabriella McLaren,
Psychologist, Julio, a troubled teen and countless minor characters, maintain
undeterred focus as they develop intense trust in others, work in tandem to
achieve personally defined success and ultimately “find what is lost” (Locke 276).
Characteristics of
the Adventure Genre
·
Pacing is brisk and story unfolds within a short
timeframe (Saricks 17). Charlie Hazard
deflects assailants en route with Gabriella to the unknown location, escapes an
assault on his home and defends the scientists against multiple attacks on the
Italian villa. The entire story unfolds
within a few weeks.
·
Storyline emphasizes action through a desperate
mission with deadly risks (Saricks 17).
The first chapter reveals a possible danger in the mysterious Gabriella,
leading an alert and submissive Charlie Hazard into unknown peril, evident by
an assailants attack and then being the subject of a psychological “experience”
led by Gabriella. Charlie Hazard,
alongside a small group of security specialists, confront dangers and defend
the scientific research underway.
·
There is an identifiable, strong, honorable male
hero (Saricks 18). Charlie Hazard, a
military Ranger, gained the respect and trust of soldiers, who referred to him affectionately
as “Eltee,” a rare title among military leaders (Locke 64).
- Detailed foreign settings emphasize the underlying sense of danger (Saricks 20). Charlie Hazard describes the “polished, rich and pristine” penthouse laboratory of the McLaren Teaching Hospital with extreme detail (Locke 19). When the scientific team and elite security flee to Italy, foreign obstacles, the local mob and Ukrainians, threaten the mission (Locke 173).
·
Conversational language and military jargon pull
the reader into the hero’s plight (Saricks 16).
The elite security specialists use military terms when preparing tactics
such as, “Green Zone” (Locke 68), “deadheading” (Locke 163) and “Give me your
RP in the one-niner-two grid,” (Locke 100).
Read Alikes
Deep Black
Biowar by Stephen Coonts: An NSA
Operative and a Delta Force Trooper seek to under the disappearance of germ
warfare scientist Dr. James Kegan. In
the wake of a newly released killer fever outbreak, the elite forces overcome
terrorist threats and attempts at biological warfare.
Larry
Bond’s First Team: Soul of the Assassin by Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice:
CIA elites, Ferg and the First Team chase an assassin, in hiding for the
past 10-years and known as “T-Rex” in Italy and then Russia, where a biological
weapons research scientist works to succeed with the most lethal terrorists
cells known.
The Helios
Conspiracy by Jim DeFelice: Investigating the death of his lover, rogue
FBI agent, Andy Fisher discovers Chinese government involvement and wide spread
conspiracy attempts to steal the technology used by Icarus Sun Works to harvest
solar energy and transfer it to electric energy for public utility use.
Works
Cited
Locke, Thomas. Fault Lines, Revell, 2017.
Saricks, Joyce. “At Leisure: The Rule of Three.” The Booklist, 1 October
2009, pp.25
Saricks, Joyce. The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, American Library
Association, 2009.
April,
ReplyDeleteI did find Charlie to be your typical "good guy" hero. It was refreshing, though, knowing that he would also make the honorable choice and would save the group in various dangerous situations...softened the tension in the story line tremendously.
thanks.
I'm not into reading Adventure books, however this sounds like a book I might enjoy. I think I'll add it to my 'to read' list of books.
ReplyDeleteMary,
DeleteI don't usually read Adventure books, either, but, this one was a quick read, with no dull moments and strong characters. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteFault Lines sounds intriguing! It also sounds a little like it has a dystopian plot line with the idea of separating human consciousness from the body (something that you see a lot in dystopian, science fiction books). I really enjoyed reading your descriptions of the appeals of the book. They were distinct and really helps highlight the important parts of the book. I’ve also never heard of this author before and I believe I know of a patron who might enjoy this novel based off of your annotation! Thanks!
Great! Yes, the idea of separating the human consciousness does seem like an element of science fiction, perhaps, but also plays into the "desperate mission....physically dangerous to those involved and usually has serious - life-and-death- ramifications (Saricks 17). I hope your patron enjoys the read!
DeleteFantastic annotation! You did a great job outlining the appeals and elements of this as well as having a concise summary and good read-alikes. Full points!
ReplyDelete