I want to thank E. S. Dallaire for the hard work and commitment that went into this worthwhile endeavor.

Redline - A Journalistic Account is an apocalyptic story about an underground movement that creates a virus capable of disrupting government computer communication and destroying digital information resulting in chaos. The story is written by the protagonist, one of the members of Redline, as a “journalistic account” (sic) of the events as he experienced and interpreted them.

The story begins with an ultimatum being delivered to governments around the globe by Redline. If the terms are not agreed to and implemented within a specific time period chaos will reign. Just what Redline wants isn’t clear partly because the media is reluctant to reveal the details to the public. Why? This reader was never able to discern.

This takes place before Malcolm, the protagonist, becomes associated with Redline. He’s recruited while walking alone one night and noticing some shadowy figures unloading equipment into a warehouse. He’s asked if he wants to get involved and he agrees. He meets the leader Wolf, who lays out the manifesto and the plan that is to bring about the end of society as we know it.

Though simplistic and naive this sounds like a viable plot for a fast paced techno-thriller, but Redline – A Journalistic Account by E.S. Dallaire is hardly fast paced and lacks the technological savvy to make that element of the story credible.

In fact right from the beginning with the threat delivered by Redline and the haphazard recruitment of Malcolm the plot seemed flimsy and improbable. As the story develops this reader never was convinced of the group’s authenticity nor of their vague motivation for dismantling society.

Daillaire’s use of excessive description and didactic rhetoric soon had this reader was scanning pages to find anything that advanced the plot or developed character.

To suggest in the title the style of this writing is a journalistic account (sic) is misleading - it’s not objective and lacks the skill and structure of reportage.

Once Redline releases the virus, digital information is destroyed and society begins to unravel the story turns into the typical dystopian clichéd account of man’s inhumanity to man.

As with the beginning, the ending of this story lacks motivation and credibility.

It takes more then a whiff of a good idea to carry a novel. Without the knowledge and experience of digital systems and technology Dallaire may have been better off writing this story from the point of view of citizen experiencing the chaos brought about by Redline, rather than from one of the instigators of it.

I received this novel free from Smashwords as part of my ongoing commitment to review the work of new, self-published authors.