The Cause
The Minutemen, Book #1
By Roderick Vincent
ISBN# 9781792797630
Author’s Website: www.roderick-vincent.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Scott
Where the lines of patriot and traitor blur, sits The Cause, a brilliantly written look into our near future: a NSA monitored police state in which the there is an ever increasing gulf between the rich and poor, many corporate entities are over flexing their muscle, and the populace is rioting because of food shortages, It’s not a difficult future to envision in which states are left to fend for themselves after fiscal breakdown, and the formation of “rehabilitation” camps to “re-educate” the prime dissenters in the populace. Enter the CIA, and it’s rivalry with the NSA, the classic electronic vs. human intelligence game. Isse Corvus a CIA operative who’s sent to the mysterious Abattoir for its “asymmetrical” counter-intelligence program.
As Corvus moves through the trials of the Abattoir, the reader is pulled into a Finder-esque plot in which you’re pulled in, given the options and left to fend for yourself in the shades of gray. It’s the attention to detail that really makes this novel. No word is carelessly put down, nor is the pace out of sync with the characterisation. The writing is mature and never talks down to the reader or sounds “preachy” (unless needed). The deftly handled shades of gray compliments a good espionage novel and leaves the reader in a constant state of suspense.
Corvus, the chief antagonist, immediately captivates the reader. His story and background and insatiable curiosity, propels the novel at a steady pace and keeps the reader questioning as well. The other protagonists, compliment this, juxtaposing Corvus’ views, calling out more questions that there just might not be an answer for. The antagonist, the head of the NSA. General Montgomery is equally well written and like a true villain, mirrors the readers “dark side.”
The pace is delicately laid out without stymying to the depths of super-tight word economy. The novel flows as naturally as a river, and ebbs and dies like waves crashing on the shore. The reader is constantly pulled through the novel by a revelation or dilemma that occurs. The read is lush with descriptive prose that sinks low in Part I: The Abattoir, and at a frenetic pace in Part II: Detritus. The two parts are naturally separated and the reader is pulled from left to right in the viewpoints of each section.
Overall, The Cause is a stunning espionage novel. Leaving the reader at the end with The Truth in The Cause, a mini-piece about the actual truth that the novel is based on. An author’s note piece also dictates the controversy of the novel and combined are a nice closing to a tremendous achievement, that will stick with the reader a long time.
