Review: Techno-Thriller for Mature Readers
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 8, 2014
It's the future. The Great Solar Diaspora solar system is colonized. The huge colonies contain hundreds of thousands to billions of people. The colonies vary greatly in politics, technology, and religion.Jon Harkon lives in Sanctity. The colony is nearly as repressed as the Puritan colonies were in early America. The high clergy decides what's acceptable and what's not, with bans against everything contrary to their beliefs, including medical technology.Jon makes his living catering to the underground segment of the population. With "bikini bars" and other examples of rebellion, Sanctity inhabitants aren't satisfied with the status quo. They find ways around the strangling rules. Jon helps them by providing black market condoms.When Jon learns the truth behind the "Meat Market," he's horrified. Using his bio-tech, including military grade wetware, Jon is faced with fighting his way out of tight situations.James Chalk has built a realistic and compelling universe in the Jonathan Harkon Adventures. The Meat Market is the first exciting installment in the series. Jon has a mysterious past, with surprising family secrets. He is a believable character, with his unique strengths and his weaknesses. Mr. Chalk offers a wonderfully-written thriller with exciting twists and turns, as well as underlying themes and symbolism.