An intriguing novel that maintains precision and order amid sabotage and chaos.
Human greed ruined their chance to thrive on Earth, but human ingenuity created an opportunity for another kind of life on a dying planet. In the ongoing battle for dominance between Humans and the Altered, Sam Ryan’s loyalty extends only to her brother, Scott. Known to their fellow marines as Valkyrie and Mute, Sam and Scott are a formidable team serving in the United Military Federation. A UMF career offers a path to financial stability, a rarity at a time when violent extremist groups are growing their ranks. Suddenly, Scott wants out and Sam is not happy to lose her true north. She’s furious at his betrayal, confused by his choice, and frustrated that she didn’t even see it coming. Now it’s their last mission together and time is running out to patch up their relationship. The assignment seems easy enough, joining Razor team Echo for a little reconnaissance and ensuring no violence disrupts an important summit between the Altered and Humans. But trouble finds Echo since, “past or future—humans always [find] a way to violence.” An automatic defense mechanism she uses even in the face of death, Sam guards her vulnerability like a painful treasure, keeping that side of herself hidden from almost everyone. But with Miriam, the disarming team medic, Sam finds her resistance crumbling. If Sam can’t keep her head in this dangerous game, lives could be lost, and that’s a burden no marine wants to bear.
Military fiction might be the vehicle, but intricately drawn characters drive the story in S.J. Lee’s Of Friction. This first book in the Altered Earth series introduces readers to a determined protagonist who is tough on the outside, but adrift on the inside. Besides reluctantly addressing her acute inner conflict, Sam’s eyes are forced wide open to the lies and hypocrisies that have unwittingly shaped her course. Deceptive politics and dangerous operations afford Sam the raw perspective she’s been missing. Her character evolution is relatable as she works through realities, including the truth in her own heart. Lee’s novel paints a parabolic world that seems destined to repeat mankind’s mistakes. This dark dystopia allows for accusations, threats, hostilities, and military actions in nearly every chapter. With a keen narrative and a careful, underlying warmth, Of Friction is an intriguing novel that maintains precision and order amid sabotage and chaos.
