The Lesser Evil
A severe drought pushed the world into the last great war. After many years, and huge casualties on all sides, it ended with a simple agreement: Each country was to turn inward, to stay within their own borders, from that point on. How they managed their populations was their own business, but if any country stepped outside its borders they would find themselves the target of an immediate nuclear strike.
That was many decades ago, and even though the agreement held, things have only gotten worse. Just a few cities as we know them remain, and even those are beginning to crumble. Residents struggle with the uncertainty of their increasingly restricted day to day life, all the while suffering from the guilt of walling off most of their family, friends and fellow citizens.
Jocelyn Bishop is one of the lucky ones. The daughter of a high-ranking government official and a wealthy tech titan, she shuns an even more privileged position in society for an ‘ordinary’ life, but an unexpected visit from government agents sends her world into chaos.
Soon after, Jocelyn is thrust into her estranged fathers secretive Foundation and becomes the key to humanity’s future.
Which way will she turn?
Check out the trailer, some early reviews, Andrew's strange poem, and a few insights about the book.
Reviews
- Daniel Settanni writes a transcendental thriller in The Lesser Evil.
It’s about to become a whole new world! Joss Bishop is about to live
out the unimaginable. The world has become plagued by drought.
Walls have been erected to keep the refugees out. However, there
are an elite few who seem unscathed by the world’s harsh
conditions. As the daughter of a wealthy businessman and an
influential politician, Joss remains one of the fortunate. Until agents
break into her house and abduct her fiancé, Alex. Alex is accused of
terrorism. Within hours she is told her father is dead. The insanity
begins. Looking for a rhyme or reason for these bizarre
circumstances, Joss discovers more than she could ever fathom.
Overnight, Joss becomes ridiculously affluent and her father’s
successor. Andrew Bishop has created the unheard of, the
unbelievable, and she has inherited it. Joss begins to live a dream
that quickly turns into a nightmare. Jocelyn Bishop holds the key to
the future; she is the “last best chance” for humanity.
The Lesser Evil by Daniel Settanni explodes into action. Settanni
pens a sensational narrative, intertwining the influential powers of
money, military, politics and science. The chapters are short,
creating fast paced action. Keeping the suspense alive, Settanni
gradually interlocks the pieces of the puzzling plot. The cast of
characters rebounds well against each other. They are interesting -
some are peculiar and elusive, a few are formidably eerie, while
others are victims of circumstance. However, the narrative’s
propulsion is directly related to the heroine’s morphing character.
The descriptions are sensory, chilling and hauntingly imaginative.
Although the setting depicts overcrowding, despair and the squalor
of mankind, the true conflict lies within the realm of morality. A
little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. Creating artificial
intelligence in the likeness of man has repercussions. Humanity is
flawed; no one plays God and gets away with it. As the abstract plot
comes to a close, it recoils - there is no resolution. The reader is left
dangling in suspense; the story ends but it is far from over. ~ Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite
- The Lesser Evil will entertain you, tease you, and have you asking
serious questions about mankind’s destiny. ~ Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite
- This is one book that you’re definitely not going to
want to put down. Everyone is a little bit different with characters
that definitely represent all of us as we would be trying to cope with
the idea of a society that’s on the verge of collapse.
~ Samantha Dewitt (Rivera) for Readers' Favorite
Andrew's strange poem...
Found scrawled inside the cover of a cryptic journal was this equally enigmatic poem...
Something's hiding in the wall
Gnawing, nesting, growing strong
Something's living in the wall
Building, plotting, all nightlong
Something's lurking in us all
It has been there all along
Where did this story come from?
A few years ago I heard a member of the tech elite do what they sometimes do -- voice a ridiculous prophecy completely unfounded in reality. In this case it was a theory that artificial intelligence would catch up with humans within the decade.
My immediate reaction was to roll my eyes, but then started thinking.
What if it was possible to create such a machine -- one that was able to match our capacity to think and learn? Under what circumstances would someone try to create such a thing, and more importantly for what purpose?
The Lesser Evil is my attempt to imagine such a situation. It details the final days of a world without hope, a world where handing our destiny over to a machine might not be such a crazy idea.
What do you hope others get out of it?
I'd be really happy if people found it entertaining, and ecstatic if it got people to reflect on what we, as humankind, are doing here, and what we hope to be.
