Title: SHADES: THE GEHENNA DILEMMA
Author: ERIC DALLAIRE
Cover Illustration by: Ron Lemen
Type of Book: eBook
Length: 330 pages
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Release Date: March 30, 2015
Publisher: IF TALES
ISBN: 978-0-9961811-1-2
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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The year is 2039. The main character is a man named Jonah who is the perfect ‘everyman’. Jonah will do anything to ensure that his dying mother is both comfortable and debt-free in her final days. The only option available to him to achieve his noble goal is to accept a job working for the I.R.S.
Think you know what I.R.S. stands for? Think again.
I.R.S. stands for the Incorporeal Revenue Service.
People refer to those working at the I.R.S. as “ghouls” and there is a good reason for that moniker.
When a person dies, his or her accounts are examined and if it turns out that they owe money I.R.S. agents are hired to obtain the body and inject it with a special serum. The body becomes “…a shell of what the man used to be, a soulless commodity belonging to the stiff’s debtor. A shade… As a mindless shade, he would toil … somewhere on Earth, or possibly on the moon, wherever he fetched a higher bid, until he satisfied his afterdeath financial obligations.”
Supposedly the shades feel no pain and are completely mindless. They feel nothing, neither emotional nor physical. For this reason no one feels the slightest bit badly about using them as a labor force. The fact that they do need food or even oxygen makes them the perfect workers to use to complete construction projects on the moon’s surface.
This book had me hooked right from the first chapter. The uniqueness of the idea that debt is not nullified by death and that a person could be turned into a useful worker after death captured my attention. As well as the idea of people living on the moon.
One of the main financial crisis’ of the current generation deals with debt load. People have always been drawn to the idea that they can buy what they want immediately and not have to pay for it until later. That is why people currently tend to carry a lot of credit card debt. This book takes that idea a few steps further.
What if you could have whatever you wanted, needed or desired right now and not pay for it until after you died? Would you agree to become a shade? Would you submit yourself to working off your debt during your “afterdeath”? Would you do it? Would the fact that your “soul” had moved on play a factor in your decision? Why not do it if you were not even aware as a shade? What would it matter?
When I pondered the above questions I realized just how complicated the answers could be and how personal religious and spiritual beliefs would also become major factors in the answers.
The concept is intriguing and author Eric Dallaire has created a book that is not only fascinating, but will also stay with you long after you read the final page.
The technology that Eric Dallaire has imagined is extremely well explained and because of this it is easy to believe that some of his ideas will inevitably become reality. Eric Dallaire is one of those rare writers whose ideas may turn out to be more prophecy than imagination.
The detail and believability of this imagined world and the world building in SHADES: THE GEHENNA DILEMMA is simply phenomenal but that is only one small part of this amazing work of fiction. Eric Dallaire’s talent also extends to his characters. They are believable and incredibly nuanced which ensures that the reader will become invested in the story. Then, there are the spiritual and religious implications of people becoming “shades” once they die. This dilemma is a major factor in this book.
This book is excellent. The ghoul and shade parts of the story are fascinating, but there are also elements of mystery, romance, science fiction, technology, suspense, greed, ethics, action and adventure. In addition to all this, there are multiple plot twists that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. In short, this book has it all. Because of this, I have to rate this book as 5 out of 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My review probably does not do this book justice, but I have tried to convey just how amazing this book is. This book combines science fiction with mystery and suspense and even has a dash of romance thrown in for good measure. My opinion is that this book is 100% worth buying and reading.
“Shades: The Gehenna Dilemma” is science fiction at it’s finest. This book is that rare find that you will want to recommend to all your friends. It truly is a 5 Star read!
I read that Eric Dallaire is working on a second book in this series and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I am definitely a fan!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Eric Dallaire is the author of the best-selling science fiction novel, Shades: The Gehenna Dilemma. The themes in his debut novel represent a lifetime of “field research” watching movies and reading books about aliens, zombies, space battles, and dragons. He’s been writing stories since his parents bought him an Atari 400 computer (the one with that cool flat press keyboard). He wrote his first adventure when he was 8 years old, a fantasy story that featured six endings. That love for technology and interactive writing led to a career in the video game industry, where Eric wrote puzzles and scripts for games in the Star Trek universe and The Simpsons. He worked with Amazon as a first party developer to create Dusk World, an original playable novel in their Living Tales product line and the first multi-ending novel on Kindle.
When Eric is not writing, he pursues his other interest in game design. He’s proud of the fact that he co-founded TeachTown, a pioneering company that combines proven behavior treatments with video game reward systems to help teach children with autism. He’s a futurist that’s worked on dozens of cutting edge PC, console, and mobile games. Currently, he’s working on expanding the Shades series along with a brand new book franchise in development.
To learn more about the author visit http://ericdallaire.com/
~ I received a free copy of this eBook as a sweepstakes prize. A review was not a requirement of obtaining my copy of this book, but since I enjoyed the book so much, I felt compelled to post a review and to share it with as many people as possible.
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