Scattered Thoughts

Tuesday 20 January 2015

HOPEBREAKER by Dean F Wilson

In the world of Altadas, there are no more human births. The Regime is replacing the unborn with demons, while the Resistance is trying to destroy a drug called Hope that the demons need to survive.

Between these two warring factions lies Jacob, a man who profits from smuggling contraceptive amulets into the city of Blackout. He cares little about the Great Iron War, but a chance capture, and an even more accidental rescue, embroils him in a plot to starve the Regime from power.

When Hope is an enemy, Jacob finds it harder than he thought to remain indifferent. When the Resistance opts to field its experimental landship, the Hopebreaker, the world may find that one victory does not win a war.

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Book Review:

Imagine a world where human births are a thing of the past. Instead demons are born. And the government in power actually manufactures a drug that the demons need to survive! Yes, you read it right… welcome to the world of Altadas, the world that Hopebreaker is all about. Now when you live in a world like that, there is bound to be some rebellion and the Resistance is fighting to change the world. Our protagonist, Jacob, gets entangled in the war between the Regime and the Resistance. But will he be able to bring any change into this odd world?

The world of Atladas is unique and intriguing as are the people who live in it. The regime and the resistance are the two faces of this world that are so very opposite that it helps us create a whole picture of it. The world building and the plot holds great promise and I personally would have loved to read more about its history and how it worked. More details would have been welcomed as I felt that the author often took some things for granted and did not give enough explanation about. Then again, when the character of Jacob pops up in the story, it gives us a complete new perspective of a person who has nothing to do with either the regime or the resistance. He is happy ignoring both and staying under the radar to carry on his illicit activities to earn his living. When a chance capture and an even more chance rescue brings him in contact with the resistance, his life changes forever. It was really interesting to see Jacob’s character change and develop over the period.  Also, the author certainly has some sense of humour because the drug that the demons need to survive is called ‘Hope’, isn’t that funny now?

This book has a lot to offer in terms of a new world, action and drama. A little more details/backstory would have made it even better – sometimes a little goes a long way. I would rate this book a 7/10 and recommend it to steampunk and dystopian lovers.

About the Author:


Dean F. Wilson was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1987. He started writing at age 11, when he began his first (unpublished) novel, entitled The Power Source. He won a TAP Educational Award from Trinity College Dublin for an early draft of The Call of Agon (then called Protos Mythos) in 2001.


He has published a number of poems and short stories over the years, while working on and reworking some of his novels. The Call of Agon is his first published novel.

Dean also works as a journalist, primarily in the field of technology. He has written for TechEye, Thinq, V3, VR-Zone, ITProPortal, TechRadar Pro and The Inquirer.



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