Today I’m joining the blog tour for Alfa. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the blog tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of the book.
Blurb:
A perfect system. An impossible murder.
Reykjavík, 2052. Europe is peaceful, prosperous and almost crime-free, governed by Ɐlfa, the artificial intelligence that manages infrastructure, safety and daily life. Mekkín works at the Ministry, close to the core of the system that keeps society running. She lives with her partner, Sabína, an artist.
When Sabína’s brother Birkir, a committed dissident who lives beyond the reach of Ɐlfa, is found brutally murdered, that fragile sense of order begins to fracture. Violent crime has effectively been eliminated, and Birkir’s death is not just shocking, but inexplicable. What was he involved in, and who would dare to commit murder in a world designed to prevent it?
As the investigation unfolds, Sabína is drawn ever deeper into the case. Mekkín’s position at the Ministry brings scrutiny she cannot escape, their relationship begins to fracture, and their teenage son’s recent integration into the system places him uncomfortably close to the forces now circling the family. As Sabína pieces together Birkir’s final days, the answers begin to point far closer to home than either of them ever expected, forcing her to decide what she is prepared to sacrifice to uncover the truth…
Review:
I don’t read a lot of dystopian fiction, but I absolutely loved Alfa. It has everything I look for in a novel, a fast pace, a compelling storyline, and of course, a murder. Lilja Sigurdardottir is an amazingly talented writer and I love how she has developed an idea, which feels very fresh and relevant in today’s society, and framed it into an incredibly relatable and readable story.
Alfa is an AI system which controls most of Europe, in which everyone receives a microchip which monitors every aspect of their health and lifestyle, giving them advice and direction in all areas of their life, including decisions about their career path. Some of the changes that Alfa affects are things that I can imagine are quite helpful, like controlling traffic jams, the use of automated vehicles and delivering groceries as and when someone needs them. However, it becomes clear quite early on in the novel that Alfa has not improved everything and there are definitely problems with the system. I really wanted to know how these issues would manifest themselves as the novel progressed and how they would be resolved.
The focus of Alfa is Mekkin, her wife Sabina and her son Julius following the murder of Sabina’s brother, Birkir. In particular, Birkir is strongly opposed to Alfa’s role in society and I loved the tension created by their differing views. It bubbles away in the background and grows to a conclusion that I could not stop reading. I also enjoyed the chapters that take the reader back to when Alfa was first developed as it is interesting to see how the system was designed and how it worked in its infancy.
Alfa is set in 2052, and many of the situations that play out in this novel don’t feel unrealistic. This made it quite uncomfortable for me to read and gave me a lot to consider as I was reading. I don’t want to write too much about the ending in case of spoilers, but it will stay with me for a while.
Alfa is available from Amazon.
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