Rise of the Red Hand
Rise of the Red Hand by Olivia Chadha Published by Erewhon Books on February 2, 2021
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Goodreads
A rare, searing portrayal of the future of climate change in South Asia. A streetrat turned revolutionary and the disillusioned hacker son of a politician try to take down a ruthlessly technocratic government that sacrifices its poorest citizens to build its utopia.
The South Asian Province is split in two. Uplanders lead luxurious lives inside a climate-controlled biodome, dependent on technology and gene therapy to keep them healthy and youthful forever. Outside, the poor and forgotten scrape by with discarded black-market robotics, a society of poverty-stricken cyborgs struggling to survive in slums threatened by rising sea levels, unbreathable air, and deadly superbugs.
Ashiva works for the Red Hand, an underground network of revolutionaries fighting the government, which is run by a merciless computer algorithm that dictates every citizen’s fate. She’s a smuggler with the best robotic arm and cybernetic enhancements the slums can offer, and her cargo includes the most vulnerable of the city’s abandoned children.
When Ashiva crosses paths with the brilliant hacker Riz-Ali, a privileged Uplander who finds himself embroiled in the Red Hand’s dangerous activities, they uncover a horrifying conspiracy that the government will do anything to bury. From armed guardians kidnapping children to massive robots flattening the slums, to a pandemic that threatens to sweep through the city like wildfire, Ashiva and Riz-Ali will have to put aside their differences in order to fight the system and save the communities they love from destruction.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the eARC!
As you all know, I read a good amount of science fiction. However, the sci-fi that I read tends to be adult fiction, so I’m always on the hunt for good young adult sci-fi. I pretty much immediately requested this one on NetGalley when I saw it because revolutionaries? Hackers? Cybernetic enhancements? South Asian setting??? Yes. Yes and yes and yes. I really enjoyed all of these elements, but overall I think the plot was way too slow.
The Good!
World Building
First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever read a sci-fi novel set in South Asia??? So that was really awesome. The author causally uses words from various languages used in India (such as Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu) without pausing to explain, though there is a glossary at the end of the book. I really appreciated this, because it sets the South Asian cultures as the norm which is refreshing. And then the mention of the Indian food….help I’m hungry!!
The world building is sooooo cool!! Like yes I mentioned the setting, but also this is a world that is like post nuclear fallout, and is very separated. FOR SURE a dystopia if that wasn’t clear from the synopsis haha. There’s so much cool tech, like advanced algorithms, giant fighting mechas, and cybernetic enhancements. Our main character, Ashiva, has a “replacement” arm, aka a robotic arm (so she’s a cyborg one might say). I think this could make a really cool movie! I just want to see this all come to life.
Favorite Trope!
There is also one of my favorite tropes – any guesses?? Yes that’s right, it’s found family. Ashiva and many of the other children and teens living in the Narrows (the poor area) are orphans, and have banded together to form their own family. Ashiva in particular has a sister and brother that are not her blood siblings, but they are her core family. I do wish we had gotten to see more of their interactions!
Interesting Moral Dilemmas
I thought it was really interesting to see the moral dilemmas that were presented in the book. For the most part, this whole society wants to do what they can to save people – but the difference lies in who they determine “worth” saving, and how they go about doing the saving. There are a few things that are clear cut in this situation, but a lot of it is a gray area. I think this was handled interestingly in this book, which I can’t really talk about more without some spoilers. But suffice to say, people are complex, and intentions and consequences are two different things.
The Not As Good
What really brought down my rating for this book was the pacing and plot. I really struggled to get into the book for at least 50% of it. Things were moving so slowly plot wise, that it felt like just a lot of telling us about the world. I was really conflicted, because the world is so! cool!! But it really dragged and nothing seemed to happen until the last third of the book or so. It’s unfortunate because I think this might dissuade a lot of readers with continuing, even though the ending is action packed. This was my one major issue with the book, and yes, I know it’s just one thing. However, it was such a problem for me that it really prevented me from falling in love with the book. I definitely think this is something that can be improved in subsequent books!
So overall though I did find it too slow, I still really enjoyed the world and the last bit of the action. I will most likely read the sequel, and am looking forward to more books by this author!
Rise of the Red Hand releases on February 2nd!
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