Failed State - (Dystopian Lawyer) by Christopher Brown (Paperback)

About the Book

"In the aftermath of a second American revolution, peace rests on a fragile truce. Though the ruling regime has been deposed, the former dictator president has vanished, escaping justice. Some believe he is dead; others fear he is in hiding, gathering forces to make a comeback. As the political leadership in Washington works to rewrite laws and restore order, Donny Kimoe seeks justice. He intends to settle scores--and win lawsuits--over what happened when civil war tore the country apart. Donny isn't the only one looking to right the wrongs of the past. The rebels he once defended are now exacting their own kind of justice. Amid the flooded ruins of New Orleans, they are building their idea of utopia--which includes kidnapping their defeated adversaries who got rich destroying the country and trying them for their crimes. One of their hostages is the daughter of an old colleague turned enemy who wants Donny to defend her. If Donny fails, the companies allied with his former friend will send their mercenaries to save her and retake the city--breaking the fragile truce and dragging the country back into violence. But if Donny takes the case, he risks blowing the trial for his most dangerous client--and being tried by his former clients for his own crimes against the revolution. To save the future, Donny has to gamble his own. The only way out is to find the evidence that will get both sides back to the table, bring the feud to an end, and secure a more lasting peace. To do that, Donny must take even greater risks--and break his own moral code--by betraying his clients' secrets. Including one explosive secret hidden in the ruins, the discovery of which could extinguish the last hope for a better tomorrow--or, if Donny plays it right, keep it burning."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A Philip K. Dick Award Nominee

"The novel is as tense and thrilling as any of Brown's work, and as full of rage and hope. It's a novel that truly reckons with the enormity of both our climate emergency and the system that produced it - a tale of human imperfection and redemption." -- Cory Doctorow, bestselling author of Walkaway

In this second dystopian legal thriller from the author of the acclaimed Rule of Capture and Tropic of Kansas, lawyer Donny Kimoe juggles two intertwined cases whose outcomes will determine the course of America's future--and his own.

In the aftermath of a second American revolution, peace rests on a fragile truce. The old regime has been deposed, but the ex-president has vanished, escaping justice for his crimes. Some believe he is dead. Others fear he is in hiding, gathering forces. As the factions in Washington work to restore order, Donny Kimoe is in court to settle old scores--and pay his own debts come due.

Meanwhile, the rebels Donny once defended are exacting their own kind of justice. In the ruins of New Orleans, they are building a green utopia--and kidnapping their defeated adversaries to pay for it. The newest hostage is the young heiress to a fortune made from plundering the country--and the daughter of one of Donny's oldest friends. In a desperate gambit to save his own skin, Donny switches sides to defend her before the show trial. If he fails, so will the truce, dragging the country back into violence. But by taking the case, he risks his last chance to expose the atrocities of the dictatorship--and being tried for his own crimes against the revolution.

To save the future, Donny has to gamble his own. The only way out is to find the evidence that will get both sides back to the table, and secure a more lasting peace. To do that, Donny must betray his clients' secrets. Including one explosive secret hidden in the ruins, the discovery of which could extinguish the last hope for a better tomorrow--or, if Donny plays it right, keep it burning.

Review Quotes

"The novel is as tense and thrilling as any of Brown's work, and as full
of rage and hope. It's a novel that truly reckons with the enormity of
both our climate emergency and the system that produced it - a tale of
human imperfection and redemption." -- Cory Doctorow, bestselling author of Walkaway

"Brown's larger-than-life near-future legal thriller of environmental collapse and social rebuilding...[he] adds new layers to the wildly imaginative dystopian setting of his first two works, now with an emphasis on environmental law. The scenes of sunken New Orleans are vivid and will keep the pages turning to an overloaded climax that nevertheless sets things up nicely for the next volume. Readers will be eager to see it." -- Publishers Weekly