Book Review: The Unexpected Inlander by Kellyn Thompson

Today I have a sci-fi book review for you. This is an especially good book if you don’t normally read the sci-fi genre but would like an introduction to it. It is not too hardcore and there is a pleasant love story woven throughout. Enjoy!

Blurb

The Unexpected Inlander by Kellyn Thompson is set in what we know today as the United States. It introduces us to Agent Christopher Rockford who is the best assassin in the agency has. In pursuit of a target, he meets Jenna. Unlike Christopher, she belongs to society’s lowest and most shunned group. Christopher begins to fall in love with Jenna and this causes him to reconsider everything about The Order he so obediently serves.

Review

So, let’s start with discussing exactly what The Order stands for. Probably a lot more than what I perceived but the main thing is that pure breeding is wrong and genetically modified children is correct. What that basically means is having children the natural way, as we do now, is sure to push a family to the lowest of the classes. What The Order wants is for babies to be genetically modified so they possess traits that The Order deem good or useful. The Order takes this even further than genetic modification. They have a strong hand in matching individuals so that potential children have a good set of genes from the start. Plus, couples have to apply for a marriage license and a child license before they can even think of embarking on family life.

Now, this all sounds a bit hardcore but the love story between Christopher and Jenna balances things out, even if the romance is a bit cheesy at times. Their relationship shows that no matter how we try to modify ourselves, there will always be natural human feelings, like love, that will push through. This is a theme I liked and made me enjoy The Unexpected Inlander more.

The book also shows just how much control the government has, whether it be tracking people, controlling cars, or forcing people to relocate. In this world, we are by no means at that level. Yet. Sometimes it really feels like we are going in that direction and storylines such as that of The Unexpected Inlander put the frighteners on me. Again, this was another reason that I liked the romance element as it placated my anxiety.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. I kept me intrigued but it did have the potential to be more. At least for me as I would have enjoyed more twists and turns. However, the themes that it touches on, that I’ve mentioned above, were spot on and well written by the author. If you would like a softer introduction to sci-fi, I believe that The Unexpected Inlander is a good choice.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.