Dissension isn’t what I expected, but it sure is good. This dystopian novel has a romance in it, but it’s not a romance novel, per se, and the ending is bittersweet at best. Those looking for a happy love story will be disappointed, but those interested in a character-driven, solid, bittersweet science fiction story will be more than satisfied. 

Dissension tells the story of Echo Hunter 367. Hunter is a clone, raised by The Church. In what appears to be Earth’s future, The Church runs a small city, keeping civilization alive by means of one person, The Saint, who is literally plugged into some kind of electrical system (presumably she functions as a kind of computerized intelligence). Hunter is one of a batch of clones who function as scouts, guards, warriors, and teachers for each new batch. Hunter is devoted to The Church, but she can see that something is going wrong – there are electrical problems, there have been food shortages, and the newest clones show various signs of instability.

Eventually, for various plot reasons, Hunter finds herself living in The City, away from The Church’s immediate control. For the first time in her life, she interacts with people who do not make decisions based on efficiency. In particular, she gets to know Lia, a doctor who insists on doing things like giving medicine to a patient who will die eventually anyway instead of saving it for a younger, stronger patient. Hunter’s relationship with Lia causes Hunter to question the role of The Church and Hunter’s purpose in society.

This story has good world-building and good dystopian premise (it made me think of a considerably less grim Canticle for Leibowitz), and it benefits from the fact that ultimately neither side (The Church or the Warden, a man who helps the townspeople and may lead a rebellion) is all good or all bad. However, the story is mostly compelling because Hunter is such a compelling character. She is filled with ruthlessness and with compassion. Everything she does is initially fueled by a firm belief that it is for the greater good, and she’s lost when that is called into question. The first chapter is a harrowing and absolutely brilliant tour de force in establishing setting and character quickly and through showing instead of telling – Hunter is complex, but everything we need to know about her in order to invest in her as a person is laid out in that first chapter, which shows her being both tender and totally lethal. The first four pages establish the desert setting and Hunter’s personality in vivid detail and the next five pages show us the basics of how Hunter’s world works – it’s a simply brilliant piece of set up.

The rest of the book sticks tightly to Hunter’s point of view. As a result, the motivations of other characters are sometimes confusing. Lia, who should be a vivid character given Hunter’s interest in her, fails to come across as a real person. Lia represents a kind of embodiment of happiness and goodness, which is fine except that makes her a symbol and not a fully realized character. This in turn makes Hunter’s journey as a character less believable (hence the B+ instead of an A-).

Overall, the plot moves fast and is exciting, the world building is interesting, and the sense of place is beautifully done. Hunter’s perspective is both so completely unusual and yet so relatable that it pulls the story past any flaws – whatever is happening, the reader wants Hunter to be OK. This is the first book in a series, and I was left wondering if Hunter might eventually pull a happy ending out of this story after all. I’ll be awaiting the sequel eagerly, but not in hopes of a happy romance (OK, I’ll hope a little). Mostly, I just want to see what Hunter gets up to next.