Paul Bassett Davies

If ever there was a time to read dystopian fiction it's now... before it rapidly turns into non-fiction, or possibly one of those historical reference documents you can only find in a public library, if we are even allowed free access to those incredible repositories of information in the future. That would certainly be one way of keeping most people in the dark (ages) and feeding them whatever filtered stories/facts were deemed 'appropriate' by those in authority.

‘Please Do Not Ask for Mercy…’ has some very interesting philosophical interpretations of what society might be like ‘if’ it was controlled by corrupt officials and/or religious crusaders. I particularly liked the fictional job title ‘Procurator of the Faithful’ used to describe a post that I’m sure will be created in the not too distant future, once a religious organisation can incorporate it into their human (and spiritual) resources manual.

This is the second Paul Bassett Davies book that I’ve read and I think I enjoyed this one even more than ‘Dead Writers in Rehab’ (although that was great too). Both books have interesting and intricate plots, with unexpected twists and turns to keep you guessing (and hoping) what the final outcome might be. You have to navigate some relatively dark episodes to appreciate the real messages of hope contained within each book, but they’re worth it. On both occasions I was left with the feeling that life can often be bloody awful, but there’s always the chance that things will work out ok, if enough good people can come together and overcome whatever threat is facing us. If ever such a message was needed…… (más)