In this fast-paced dystopia, Olivia Chadha transports us to a climate ravaged future in South Asia. Rise of the Red Hand is filled with complex characters, a deeply flawed and divided society, and technology with searing ramifications.
The entire world is crumbling in the aftermath of the last World War. And the South Asian province is no different. Split it two, Uplanders live a comfortable life in a climate-controlled biodome while the Downlanders are forced to live in the exterior slums where rising sea waters, hunger, and disease constantly threaten their existence.
Ashiva is a smuggler. A good one at that. She works with the Red Hand, a group of rebels and revolutionaries scattered throughout the province. Her priority is protecting her sister and fighting for the future of the abandoned children deemed unfit by Central’s merciless AI.
Riz-Ali shouldn’t live in Central. It’s only because of his mother’s status that he wasn’t declared unfit. He finds refuge in the underweb, battling in virtual mecha war games and attempting various hack challenges to try and chip away at Central’s impenetrable control. But bad timing places Riz-Ali in the middle of the Narrows during an illegal crackdown.
Fighting to survive, Ashiva and Riz-Ali accidentally cross paths and uncover a horrific government conspiracy. With a virus threatening the population, mecha robots destroying the Narrows, and soldier’s intent on keeping them quiet no matter what, they have to put aside their differences to uncover the truth. On the run, betrayed by people they love, they have one chance to prove to the world that Central isn’t the utopia it claims it to be and save their communities from complete destruction.
From beginning to end, Rise of the Red Hand is an intense ride. Chadha introduces us to the world layer by layer as Ashiva goes on a smuggling run. It’s a smart way to blend the details of the world without halting the nonstop forward momentum of the plot. Ashiva is a character that is constantly on the move. It makes sense, too. She’s a smuggler but she’s also restless. Movement helps her feel less out of control, and let’s face it, in the Narrows, there’s a lot that isn’t in her control.
This mix of plot, world-building, and technology is consistent throughout every facet of the book, which all place it firmly in the hard science fiction genre. Technology isn’t there to provide flashy fight scenes or to make plot elements convenient. Rather, they play specific and important roles, designed to stand out as if they were characters themselves. It’s vital to understand how technology fits into the world because the plot is a direct reaction to how the characters interact to and with it. But don’t mistake detailed world-building with a slow pace. Rise of the Red Hand throws the reader into the melee immediately and doesn’t stop, even when we reach the end. It’s a book that will leave readers breathless and ready to dive in again to catch the details they may have missed.
The technology also serves to raise the different moral and ethical questions science constantly struggles with. Everything Chadha introduces is realistic in terms of science and technology we have or are working towards today, which further calls attention to the deeper ramifications these technological advances and inventions could have in our very real future. It isn’t intended to bash us over the head with opinions or answers. Rather, the characters themselves have the debate, making decisions that lead to consequences that allow the reader to decide if they agree or disagree with how it all plays out.
Solace, the artificial intelligence that runs Central, is an excellent example of this. We live a life run by algorithms today. How we shop, the news we watch, even the things we see from people we know are all determined by unseen and unknown programs. These programs are meant to evolve as we use them, leading to consequences we may not be able to see yet. AI is often seen in books as a thing that battles humanity with flawless logic. But in this world, Solace acts in similar ways to the extensive algorithms we live with now. It isn’t an all-seeing, all-knowing being. Rather it functions based on the parameters coded into it, trying to assess and calculate the perfect traits within human genetic code to produce a society with very specific traits.
This is a terrifying thought and yet, close the cover of the book and open any app or website, and we can see this curation at work. At what point does allowing an algorithm to decide how we shop, or choose friends, or consume media morph into more invasive decisions? It’s a fascinating way to dive into the dangers inherent in letting these types of programs dominate our lives, particularly when we add in the element of the neural-synch tech. At what point does humanity end and technology begin? And is there ever a way to seamlessly merge the two? The deeper we get into this world, the murkier the answers get, because for every advantage, there is a disadvantage, which raises realistic debate that avid science fiction fans relish.
Technology and world-building aside, Chadha does not skimp on creating a full cast of characters that simply pop off the page. But again, the technology and world-building do double duty, even in character development. Ashiva, for example, has a robotic arm. It’s made from castoff technology and while there are a lot of people living in the Narrows with replacements, it isn’t an easy surgery and Uplanders don’t offer any resources to make it easier. As a result, it rarely works the way it should, so something that should give her the literal upper hand, can often become a liability. Her arm is further complicated because while it’s something that gives her added strength, this use of technology on the human body is looked down upon in Central. Uplanders will use nanobots and genetic editing to stay flawless but marring the body with physical implants––other than the neural-synch––is seen as something only poor people do.
This irony over who can use what technology in what way is less a conversation on the technology itself and more an indictment of how technology can divide a society. It isn’t just a wall that separates them. It’s the medicine they use, the food they eat, the upgrades to their bodies. Never mind that most implants are required because of the brutality of the world itself, and that not having robotic limbs would mean certain death for most. Or that elites implant a neural-synch directly into their brain, arguably allowing access for technology to potentially influence and infiltrate their thoughts. It’s a testament to Chadha’s writing and storytelling that every detail is wrapped in deeper commentary.
Attention to detail isn’t limited to these bigger world-building elements. We’re given a glimpse into what the rest of the planet looks like, even seeing ties to a developing space station. But while we get the sense that this story can expand, we are simultaneously immersed in the rich culture of South Asia. Everything from language to the food feels vibrant and authentic. Chadha doesn’t define or explain when Punjabi or Hindu words or affectations are used and it’s these little details, in every layer of the book, that give this world its realism.
Rise of the Red Hand is a stunning read from beginning to end. This is the first in a series and while the book offers a satisfying end, there are plenty of threads that will leave readers eager for the next instalment. Fans of smart science fiction based in grounded, realistic science will devour this book. It’s fast-paced, filled with dynamic characters, and topped with realistic issues relevant to modern life. The scenery and technology are easy to imagine while being fantastical and futuristic, but for all of the incredible technological advances, it’s impossible to ignore the devastating downside. It’s a gritty, bleak future, and Chadha isn’t afraid to immerse us in it. But she also shows us strength in community and the power of hope.
Rise of the Red Hand is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A rare, searing portrayal of the future of climate change in South Asia. A streetrat turned revolutionary and the disillusioned hacker son of a politician try to take down a ruthlessly technocratic government that sacrifices its poorest citizens to build its utopia.
The South Asian Province is split in two. Uplanders lead luxurious lives inside a climate-controlled biodome, dependent on technology and gene therapy to keep them healthy and youthful forever. Outside, the poor and forgotten scrape by with discarded black-market robotics, a society of poverty-stricken cyborgs struggling to survive in slums threatened by rising sea levels, unbreathable air, and deadly superbugs.
Ashiva works for the Red Hand, an underground network of revolutionaries fighting the government, which is run by a merciless computer algorithm that dictates every citizen’s fate. She’s a smuggler with the best robotic arm and cybernetic enhancements the slums can offer, and her cargo includes the most vulnerable of the city’s abandoned children.
When Ashiva crosses paths with the brilliant hacker Riz-Ali, a privileged Uplander who finds himself embroiled in the Red Hand’s dangerous activities, they uncover a horrifying conspiracy that the government will do anything to bury. From armed guardians kidnapping children to massive robots flattening the slums, to a pandemic that threatens to sweep through the city like wildfire, Ashiva and Riz-Ali will have to put aside their differences in order to fight the system and save the communities they love from destruction.
