The Fourth Law by Clayton Barnett

The Fourth Law by Clayton Barnett
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: Full Length (200 pgs)
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Rose

23-year-old apprentice nurse Lily Barrett lives in a shattered time. Following its economic collapse, the US has devolved into a group of a few barely-functional smaller states, and vast swathes of barbarian badlands. Her sister has been missing for years, and her father, after earning the opprobrium of most of the world for running a state terror organization, presumed dead.

But the liver itself becomes cialis 100mg canada the bait as the toxins will be automatically removed. Musli Kaunch capsule is one such herbal supplement that has been used for discount cialis india hundreds of years around the world to get the treatment of ED and other sexual disorders. Bacterial infections cause severe disorders and cheap cialis 20mg worries that affect the regular mechanisms of our body to large extents. It is used by dissolving price of cialis 10mg http://amerikabulteni.com/2012/02/24/izleyin-stephen-colbert-placido-domingo-ile-soyledigi-opera-sarkisiyla-hayran-birakti/ in a glass of the water. Two things keep her going: her live-in job at a small, Catholic orphanage in the city of Waxahachie, Republic of Texas, and Ai, her odd, but dear friend, whom she met online: a young woman who only shows herself to Lily as a rendered CG image.

Troubled by her past, haunted by her name, and facing an uncertain future, Lily seeks only a quiet, normal life. But, that past and her present conspire against her. A new Morning has come, and with it, delights and terrors, happiness and adversity.

This is an intriguing look at the near future in the US. It’s a dystopian timeframe and AI/robotics have gone a lot farther than they are now (the time is a little vague – in one sense it could be today, in another there are advances that seem to be a lot farther off.  In addition, some of the clues to the time seem a bit off).  Leaving that aside, though, this book is more about relationships than it is technology.

Ai (whose name in Japanese translates to Love) is Lily’s online friend – one she gets to know in a unique way. The Fourth Law shows the growth of that relationship, interspersed with some flashbacks into her life before the US collapse and some glimpses of what went on with her father during the time they were separated.  Parts of this segment made me think of the old TV show Revolution – the violence that apparently went on setting up the Republic of Texas.

I love Ai and her take on the world.  Her attitude reminds me of some of the anime characters my daughter used to watch… very upbeat and fun. Lily, as a contrast, is very serious – she’s the daughter of a man most people hate, she’s a student nurse, and she helps out at the orphanage she lives in.  She’s a complex character with a lot on her shoulder.  But the pair work together well….there are some great moments as they learn about each other’s worlds.

Barring a few minor editorial issues, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to getting the next book n the series.  Thanks, Mr. Barnett, for a great introduction into the Machine Civilization.