Book Review: Unfortunate by Ayrton Silva

Genre(s): Fantasy / Speculative Fiction

Book Synopsis:

Wealth, power, and an easy life. Vaz had it all, but nothing could satisfy him. He always wanted more.

When one of his plans makes his boss finally decide he is a threat, Vaz finds himself with only two options: to roll over and die, or to roll the dice. Literally. Due to an ancient pact between his people and a god of chaos, Vaz, like all citizens of his country, has a special die that grants wishes… if you get a 20. Anything else results in a grisly death.

Vaz knew there would be a price to pay, but he didn’t expect that, instead of getting his wish right away, he’d have to work for his own safety. Worse: that he’d have to work for the sake of another person.

Now a fugitive forced to prevent a young woman’s death, Vaz is confronted not just by the ugliness of his world, but by his own part in it.

Review:

Unfortunate is a fast-paced novella with some really cool worldbuilding. The city where it takes place has a modern-ish feel; it isn’t as tech-driven as our world is, but the jobs and institutions featured are reminiscent of those you’d find in any modern city. And like a real world big city, beneath the false veneer of bright lights and possibility is a gritty darkness, in this case perpetuated by the area’s god.

I found the whole concept of rolling a dice to determine one’s fate fascinating. The dice are called the Last Resort, with good reason: The odds of surviving that roll are only 5%, with the other 95% of rolls resulting in some, shall we say, creative deaths. Death by feral house cat. Death by an angry mob of scorpions, or freak weather…

What I liked most about this story was watching the main character’s growth. He’s not really a nice person at the start of the tale, but I wouldn’t necessarily call him evil, either. He’s selfish and a bit arrogant, a product of his world’s greed-fueled society. He makes some decisions that are pretty awful. But this is was a story about redemption, and I loved how the author incorporated that theme, along with the Last Resort, so everything came around full circle by the end.

And that ending… While I liked how Vaz’s character changed, the ending left me wondering what exactly was going to happen to him next. There was enough closure for me, but it was definitely open-ended.

Unfortunate was a quick read (honestly, I could have finished it in one sitting if I had a solid two hours to myself this week, but work had other plans.) I really enjoyed the unique worldbuilding, and I hope we see more from this book-world in the future.

Author’s Amazon Page: Ayrton Silva