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Economic collapse led folks to place blame at the feet of the elderly and infirm. They’ve been deemed to be a burden on society, not contributing enough to benefit and—in the eyes of some—draining limited resources. And so the Island came to be. Life on the Island means almost certain death. With the satellites constantly watching there is no hope for escape and the factions that inhabit the Village and the Camp fight daily for scarce food and supplies. But the real danger comes when the fog rolls in, leaving the satellites temporarily out of order. On those nights, the people in the Village hide in fear, hoping beyond all hope that they can escape the inevitable attack coming from the Camp.
“Big Guy” Clancy was a heavy for the mob once upon a time but having outlived his usefulness he, along with many others, was sent to The Island to live out the rest of his days. He’s accepted his fate, essentially giving up all hope, but when Big Guy meets Lena all of that changes.
Peter Liney’s debut is an incredibly scary premise and one that’s honestly (or sadly) a bit too believable for comfort. The advances in technology are certainly possible—eyes in the sky on constant watch and responsible for law and order—and even the awful degeneration of society has been a common theme in futuristic storylines for decades. In fact, in some ways The Detainee reminded me of Escape From New York.
I quite enjoyed The Detainee, as disturbing as it was. Clancy is a unique hero and all of his cohorts have interesting backstories. This is the first in a projected trilogy, too. I don’t want to give anything away but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what will come next in this world.
4/14 Becky Lejeune
THE DETAINEE by Peter Liney. Jo Fletcher Books (March 11, 2014). ISBN 978-1623651084. 352p.
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