Review of "Illusion of Control"

 Kenny recently published a new book!  It's called "Illusion of Control".  This book is a post-apocalyptic retelling of the biblical story of Samuel, Saul, and David.  The blurb on the back summarizes it well:  "In the postapocalyptic city of Gog, Wu was a great king, until he lost his faith, and then his mind, and then his kingdom.  In Gog, your worst enemy may turn out to be your best friend, and the most dangerous thing you can do is fall in love.  Illusion of Control is an urgent parable about why we live together and how societies fall."  

This is a great read!  Here are my favorite things about it:

• Reno setting, and rich descriptions in general - This book is set in Reno.  Those of you who are familiar with Reno will enjoy descriptions of specific places around town and the haunting (but also sometimes beautiful) images of what our region might look like in a post-apocalyptic future.  Kenny creates very evocative descriptions, so you can really see places and imagine scenes playing out in your head.  
• Classic story set in futuristic times - This is kind of like if you've ever seen a Shakespeare retelling set in modern times.  The bones of a really good story are all in there, but because it's set in a dramatically different time and place, you notice new and different things, and you can also appreciate the original story in a whole new light.  
• The technology aspect - Kenny takes advantage of the futuristic setting to bring in nanotechnology, and uses it to make some unexpected plot twists and to bring up some really interesting questions about the intersection of technology and faith.  You could do a whole book club about this aspect alone, but I don't want to get too deeply into it and cause spoilers.  Other than to say that I think Yuel's quote on p. 528 nicely summarizes how the technology stuff fits with some of the religious questions it raises.
• Well crafted, action packed plot - The plot weaves together really nicely from beginning to end, with a complex structure that builds as it goes.  There is lots of action and a fair amount of violence, which is true to the story it's based on (and this made me appreciate what it would've been like to be alive during the days when there was either battle or the threat of battle around every corner).  I will say that violence is not my favorite, but here I found it to be like Breaking Bad - it builds the story arc and helps drive the character's moral development; it serves a purpose.
• Character development - This was my very favorite thing!  Kenny really develops the characters.  When you are a kid and learn these stories, they can seem pretty one dimensional.  Saul = bad guy.  David = good guy.  Etc.  Here, you get to imagine more of a back story.  Saul as the guy who grows up in a very troubled, poverty stricken home.  Who's at least sometimes trying to do the right thing, as life hammers him down.  Who ultimately succumbs and breaks down based more on weakness than the stereotypical evil-through-and-through movie villain.  David as the guy who's very brave and heroic, but also brash and impulsive and headstrong.  All of the characters are built out more, and feel like real people.  The Samuel and Jonathan characters are great.  The three leaders of the enemy people are all very compelling, particularly the woman who invents the technology.  I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. 
• Cliff hangers at the end leave you wanting more!  My sources tell me that a sequel is on the way.

So, in conclusion, you should check out Kenny's new book!  You can get a paperback copy or a (free!) ebook at this link.  And you can check out more of Kenny's creative work here.