Engaging, Character-Driven, Dystopian for Your Summer Reading List

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Title: Pipe Dreams
Author: Destiny Allison
Author’s Website: http://shapingdestinythebook.com/
Genre: Sci-Fi/Dystopia
ISBN-10 0615823742 (Kindle)
ISBN-13 978-0615823744 (Paperback)
5 Stars

Reviewed by Robyn Chausse


Due to bio warfare we are now under military control—a scary, yet common, dystopian scenario. But add some genetic engineering, an organized “underground”, spice it up with potential romance and stir with the manipulator of all manipulators and you have a novel that keeps the pages turning.

What I love about Pipe Dreams, and what frightens me the most, is the believable plot that could very well happen tomorrow. The story centers around current research into behavioral genetics, the identification of gene markers that scientists hope will help control or modify negative behavioral traits.

Allison keeps up the pace with plenty of plot twists and engaging dialog. She offers us a diverse cast of characters each with their own convictions and strives to illustrate “how our individual pursuit of dreams affects our collective reality.” She pulls us into the story with visually descriptive scenes conveying her character’s emotions as in this example where the main character encounters one of society’s outcasts:

“Something brushed her ankle. Jerking her leg away from whatever slithering thing had braved the morning, she slapped the pavement with her purse. Nothing moved and she dared a glance beneath her. Amidst dead and rotting leaves, an arm was barely visible. Vanessa startled, but did not scream. She didn’t need to rouse the callers from their dirty sleep. She just needed to leave. As she began to walk away, a tiny voice scratched out a noise that sounded horribly like, “Please.” Vanessa froze. In the silence that followed, there was no voice, no wind, no movement. The hushed world waited, as if everything would take its cue from her.”

Although listed as dystopian/science fiction, the current day placement of the story and character-driven focus makes this novel attractive to a broader range of readers.

This is Destiny Allison’s first novel, but it is her second book. Shaping Destiny, her memoir, was published in March of 2012.

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