Past and present collide with deadly consequences in Blood Fortune by Brock Rivers. Reviewed by Erin Britton. The post Book Review: Blood Fortune appeared first on Independent Book Review.
Blood Fortune
by Brock Rivers
Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller
ISBN: 9798988341017
Print Length: 326 pages
Reviewed by Erin Britton
Past and present collide with deadly consequences in Blood Fortune.
A dual-timeline novel in both 1518 and 2057, Brock Rivers’ Blood Fortune is an action-packed and conspiracy-laden mashup of the science fiction and historical fiction genres. Grounded in historical legend and characterized by innovative futuristic technologies and scenarios, it centers on a satisfyingly complex secret behind a treasure with its origins in the distant past and its consequences in the near future.
In a faintly dystopian 2057, where both technological advancements and covert curtailments to personal freedoms appear to have progressed rapidly, Doctor Roland Mathias is the Director of Technology at a top-secret government facility known as the Vortex, which is hidden beneath the New Mexico desert. His major achievement is the rather frighteningly advanced Minerva AI system:
“… he’d built Minerva into an incredibly powerful and intelligent system. Its primary functions were monitoring worldwide communications and creating weapon technologies. With each passing year, the system improved its capabilities through progressive learning algorithms. It became a better, more evolved version of itself by way of its own cognitive decisions.”
In 1518, a bloody conflict rages in the Gulf of Mexico as conquistadors with impressive warships and advanced weapons lay siege to the Hall of Huitzilopochtli. The Aztecs understandably fear that the Spanish have “come to steal Huitzilopochtli’s great treasures and poison [their] hearts” and so prepare to mount a counterattack. Meanwhile, under the leadership of elite warrior Zolin, a group of 100 Aztecs are dispatched to the Caves of the Mother to hide their people’s treasures.
Back in 2057 but far from the sterile wonder of the Vortex, Max Winston is contending with a monster hangover and contemplating how he’s going to escape from the consequences of the night before: “He owed money to the bank, and he’d certainly managed to piss off the wrong sort of people.” Running away seems like the easiest option, so he decides to meet up with his friend Kevin and head to the derelict West Texas ranch that had previously belonged to his aunt.
While Max expects that running away will help him escape the vengeance of a deadly biker gang currently seeking his blood, he and Kevin soon discover a cave, and it launches them on a treasure hunt that could have monumental implications for themselves and the wider world.
Can the pair avoid the Renegades long enough to enjoy the treasure? How are Lucia Rodriguez, Max’s accountant, and Minty Jackson, a private detective of the old school who happens to be a good friend of his, involved? What actually happened to the Aztecs? And what does the Minerva system have to do with any of it?
There is so much going on in Blood Fortune that the action comes thick and fast and the story progresses at a cracking pace. Brock Rivers has crafted a genre-defying novel that at first glance seamlessly combines science fiction with historical fiction but actually encompasses far more than that. Indeed, there are also action, thriller, gritty urban crime, political, classic noir private eye, and speculative fiction aspects at play in the story.
The plot set in 1518, which follows Zolin and his band of fellow Aztecs—both friends and foe—as they seek to stash the treasure in the Caves of the Mother, is particularly innovative and compelling. The author seems to have done a good deal of research into Aztec history and traditions, meaning that fact and fiction are nicely intermingled here. I wished more and more of the book had been set in this historic period.
In terms of the plot set in 2057, the near-future setting is again very well evoked. Things are sufficiently familiar that the environment and circumstances of thirty-something years hence are plausible, while the ingenious technological advances that Rivers introduces also make things seem futuristic and exciting. The danger posed by unchecked AI is scarily realistic and technologies such as the digital projected imagery shielding a covert construction zone and appearance-altering medications are innovative but certainly feasible.
Saying all that, Max Winston is arguably the focal character of Blood Fortune and his strand of the story could almost be set in the present day, save for him making a living building hoverbikes. Rivers highlights the unequal outcomes of development here, as Max and his friends have benefited from the various technological advancements in some ways but nowhere near as much as the government or corporate entities. In fact, in addition to introducing high-tech marvels, Rivers takes pains to show the downsides of technology for ordinary people, such as Kevin’s job loss.
Max, Kevin, Minty, and Lucia are a great bunch of characters and it’s impossible not to root for them against the Renegades. While their dialogue isn’t always the most natural, it does convey plenty of humor, danger, and urgency. They end up in plenty of scrapes and deadly situations during the course of the book, but they rise to the occasion. As for the Renegades, their beef with Max and their ongoing conflict with Los Cuervos add peril and discord to the story, although some of the focus on them may have been better directed toward the Aztecs or Minerva.
Blood Fortune is a suspenseful and exhilarating book. The combination of reimagined history, imaginative science fiction, and realistic near-future events works really well, offering a multitude of storylines that keep the questions and dangers coming as the book proceeds at breakneck pace.
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