A nice attempt at a post-apocolyptic dystopian world. I love this genre but was not entirely engaged by the novel. I would though love to read any future books by the author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Unfortunately this book was archived before I could download it, so I cannot write a full review. I will try to buy the book and write a review at some point.

In the post-apocalyptic future, toxic rain has eradiated all food and crops, so the leaders of the two remaining city-states came up with an unusual solution: to sustain their populations with a manufactured war.

Each morning, the remaining survivors of humanity watch graphic war footage. They consume propaganda. Literally.

However, this whole system is threatened when a small rebellious faction is secretly trying to grow crops from seeds.

Rise & Shine by Patrick Allington presents a clever and thought-provoking allegory about climate change, our dependence on war, and human nature itself.

Even though the story dives into abstract concepts, the writer grounds its readers with a compelling cast of characters. We see the inner moral conflict as characters like Holland realize that the world they created isn’t sustainable.

All in all, in this little 240-page novel, Allington manages to create a complex and memorable dystopian sci-fi that glimmers with a seed of hope.

A post-apocalyptic world story full of potential. unfortunately it felt like too many ideas were stuffed into this.

I struggled through this book. Although the concept interested me, the narrative voice made it impossible for me to get into. I felt distanced from the characters and the plot the whole time, and it felt like nothing really happened - in the story, or with the characters arcs.

In this post-apocalyptic world, a group of leaders has divided the survivors into two cities. These leaders knowingly do what they must for survival even if it includes lying. This is what I would call an idea book instead of a character-driven story, and is a social commentary.

Here are some of the themes I saw, but these are not comprehensive because there's so much to unpack.

Violent media.

How are we consuming media in our culture? When violence is part of our entertainment, we are feeding on it. In the city of Rise, the people literally sustain themselves by eating footage of the ongoing war.

This was a hard one for me to wrap my head around because I was being too logical and thinking we needed real food to survive. Once I figured out the violence was their meal, I tried to suspend my disbelief to go with the story.

Propaganda.

How are we influenced by our government? What about fake news? Foreign powers are continuing to try and influence other countries as seen through Brexit and the US presidential elections. (And yes, I'm aware some people also deny these allegations which is another side of propaganda.) In this way, Rise & Shine reminds me of Orson Well's novel 1984.

Environment.

How are our actions affecting our environment? We talk about our carbon footprint, climate change, oil spills, protecting the oceans, and renewable energy as a few examples. This subject is a moving target. In this novel, Allington has created a world that seems to have been destroyed by acid rain and possibly other catastrophes. The common man is frightened by the sight of vegetables.

When the conflict is changing between Rise & Shine, the two cities, the leaders approach it through manufacturing a new war. Even though this war is a parody of the real thing, people will die for their cause, and the side that will win is predetermined. How mixed up is that? How different is our world from this satire?

Relationships.

Do we value the veneer of acceptance for others but hide our true feelings? This might be something that others don't agree with as being part of Allington's commentary. I noticed when an individual was arrested, the police force was excessively polite. So polite that their feelings were hurt when the accused called their conversation an interrogation instead of something more sedate. Do we hide behind a veneer? Are people becoming unnecessarily upset? There are cases of social injustice that we want to root out, but where does politeness come in? I'm not sure there is a solid answer to the questions I've posed here, but I do think the author is trying to make a point.

Rise & Shine gave me the opportunity to consider the state of our world. Allington's vision is one I hope to never see, but he does a masterful job of highlighting problems. Your interpretation is open when the author doesn't spoonfeed you every answer. What you see may be different than what I saw.

I felt like it took to the 50% mark of the book to get a solid handle on what was going on. Hopefully, this review will give you a leg up to know what to expect. This book is written for adults and reflects adult themes, relying heavily on politics and violence (though surprisingly, little violence is on the page). There is no graphic sex, but plenty of F-bombs.

If you enjoyed Rise & Shine, you could try reading The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan, another book that delves into society's ills.

It was...bizarre. Almost all people perished about a generation ago. Nature turned against us - rain is poisonous, water undrinkable. Only two cities (Rise and Shine) remain and are at war with each other.

While I appreciate the message (probably, assuming I got it) the plot was too weird to be engaging. I had to push myself to finish it.

A post-apocalyptic world in which people stay alive by consuming televised reports of a never-ending war. As people become numb to the atrocities, they starve to death. Annual staged peace talks keep the war going while a small group is secretly growing food. A satirical look at disinformation and manipulation, sensationalism, and desensitization to violence. It's well written and a quick read for fans of dystopian fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribe UK for this copy of Rise & Shine by Patrick Allington.

Rise & Shine is the title of this book as well as the name of the two warring city-states featured. The book features the citizens of Rise primarily, with a few short, but important appearances from the leader of Shine, Barton. Most of the book captures the turmoil in Rise as a mystery illness crops up among it's citizens and leaders. Rise's leaders scramble to find a solution before they lose their own leader, Walker, along with many others.

I found Rise & Shine to be a very interesting and original premise, one that I can honestly say was very original and intriguing. I can't say that I completely understood the meaning of the plot but it was still very interesting. I felt like Patrick Allington was trying to make a point about the world that I was missing. That didn't necessarily detract from my enjoyment of the book overall, I just wish the meaning had been clearer.

All in all, a good read. Not too long, kind of sci-fi if you're into that. If not you can still enjoy it for the wholly original plot.

Rise and shine fit neatly into its box. Post-apocalypse, eco-disaster, people doing what they have to, to survive.
The interesting ‘twist’ is that they survive (somehow) purely off of ‘compassion’ with families across the last two remaining city-states (‘rise’ and ‘shine’) sitting down at ‘mealtimes’ to feed on footage of others being maimed. An entire industry has been established to wage ‘war’ between the two cities so that footage can be broadcast (live for free, but for those who are, literally, gluttons for punishment, can be purchased for re-watching).
A novel concept, and one I wish I had been fleshed out better. It’s a bit janky in explaining how it all works, food and water are illicit and people are ‘disappeared’ for attempting to grow even the smallest food-related plant. But the trouble for me (and I know it’s *makebelieve*) it’s just not very plausible.
I am perfectly capable of suspending disbelief but only when there is a relatively decent in-universe explanation.
The fact that the people running the two city-states are friends and planned the ‘war’ would have been a great twist for the end of the book but is revealed in the opening chapters.
Patrick Allington is obviously a fantastically imaginative and competent writer, but he’s created a shortfall between the grand idea and its implementation.
Still, it was a good read, fairly short at 158 pages, so perfect for me in-between my current ‘big’ reads. 2/5
With thanks to NetGalley, Scribe Publications and Patrick Allington