Razorblade
A ferocious warrior and his two friends fight corrupt leaders in the engaging dystopian novel Razorblade.
Twists and double crosses abound in Isabella Falconeri’s action-packed dystopian thriller Razorblade.
Fox is the second-in-command at the Phoenix Company, a postapocalyptic home base for one of the many factions dwelling on the rubble of past civilizations. With his friend Dern, he serves as an emissary to outlying groups, taking out evildoers and befriending those who want to work with him. When he and Dern come across Azul, a human-computer hybrid who’s been in a life support tube for an uncertain number of years, they team up with him to take on the corrupt leaders around them.
Fox’s point of view dominates. He’s a straightforward narrator, chronicling his mission with Dern to the Iron Sea where they find Azul. His tone is clipped and his language succinct, though he can be witty in conversations with others. Jarring tense shifts impede the narration, though, as does the fact that it moves at a frenetic pace to match Fox’s wild tendencies, which often leave him injured.
The worldbuilding is vague as well. While Fox’s world is clearly dystopian, its particulars are not fleshed out. And those who inhabit it reveal little about their pasts; their motivations are often concealed, revealed only through their actions. Fox is established as a tough guy with morbid fascinations, but even his backstory is quite limited; he moves through a world built on the detritus of “the Before,” and the cause of his bloodlust is unknown.
Clearer and more involving are the book’s action scenes. As Fox and his friends fight one faction after another, their superhero moves, perfect aim, and lucky strikes hold attention, as do the engaging cliffhanger endings to particular scenes. Still, the series of altercations is quite rushed through, and the novel feels episodic at times because of its bevy of clashes.
While the direction the story is going and how individual fights contribute to the trio’s ultimate goals are sometimes unknown, the book moves toward its final fight scene in an enticing manner. Excitement and fear build as it works its way toward a conclusion that’s unpredictable but logical, lighthearted but meaningful, and with a sense that the trio’s story will continue far beyond the last page.
The fight against government corruption is never over, but a group of skilled fighters and sharp-witted friends won’t give up the battle, in the thrilling novel Razorblade.
Reviewed by
Nick Gardner
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
