Deadly Going Dark by J.M. Erickson

A savage and shadowy vision of our class-divided future, Deadly Going Dark by J.M. Erickson is a gritty sci-fi drama offering a dire but vital warning about tech-fueled oligarchies and the resurgence of supremacy in all its forms. David Strong is the black sheep of his privileged patrician family, so when a memory-wipe drug eliminates his fear, rather than forcing him to forget a traumatic wound, he chooses an escape to the Dark Zone over his instinct for vengeful violence. David finds new purpose and community in the marauder-filled wasteland, but the legacy of his privileged past haunts his path to a liberated future. Somewhat heavy-handed in pushing the novel’s thematic undercurrents, but unflinching in its social critique, this dystopian thriller is steeped in timely, uncomfortable questions that feel less like science fiction by the day.