#Blogtour Green Ray by O.C. Heaton

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Green Ray by O.C. Heaton - this is the second book in The Race is On series (the first is Leap). And the tour for Atom Inc, the third book in the trilogy is in just over a week.

About the Author

'I write what I love to read - big issue thrillers that are super well researched inside a complex plot full of twists and turns.

The result of the above is The Race Is On Series, an idea I had on a trip to Iceland. The first in the series is called LEAP, which tells the tale of a device which has the power to halt global warming. The ensuing race to control the power of this machine will continue throughout the sequel to LEAP which I’m well on my way to completing. It's called Green Ray and will be published in May 2023.

Just like LEAP, the 2nd book weaves fact with fiction and encompasses events such as the 2009 global financial meltdown, Al Qaeda, a new US President and a cornered CIA; another delightful concoction around which I have constructed another tall, but hopefully credible, tale. Watch this space!'

I live in Leeds, UK with the love of my life and our two daughters. It rains a lot in Leeds but that works out well for me - loads of time for research and of course writing!  Follow @OCHeaton on X, @ocheaton on Instagram, Visit Website : ocheaton.com

About the book

No good deed goes unpunished... - Six years after the near-catastrophic hijacking of LEAP, Uma Jakobsdóttir is determined to find a safer path to environmental salvation. So, with her father’s invention back under wraps, Uma turns her attention to the $85 billion-dollar Green Ray fund with the intention of renewing the planet — minus any teleportation.

But when the capabilities of LEAP are discovered by the U.S. government, it sets its sights on using the device to protect the country against economic collapse. When the White House proposes a new set of rules for LEAP — ones which would only allow the teleportation of goods, not people — Uma's objections are steamrolled by powerful forces.

Then the President’s life is endangered, and the rules of the game suddenly shift again — leaving Uma in ethical turmoil as she races to stop the full power of LEAP from being unleashed on an unsuspecting world…

Review

With the events of the prior disaster involving LEAP far behind her, Uma is surprised, but not concerned when the US government demands her presence. Their idea of how to use her technology however is something she isn't on board with. They don't leave her with much choice - the word blackmail comes to mind. And all bets are off when the President's life comes under threat, that complicates matters a little.

In the first book of the Race is On trilogy I think the reader gets introduced to the power of ideas in combination with futuristic advancements, perhaps equally to the greed and power struggles it evokes in people. Also, perhaps the realisation that with great ideas often come consequences, that positive and negative often walk hand-in-hand. The question is what are we, or in this case Uma, willing to risk as collateral - if indeed any at all.

In this second book the author wanders quite succinctly between the corridors of political power, the sway such people have, and that at the end of the day greed, corruption, and even making cutthroat decisions in the name of humanity or keeping a country or the world safe - is often no different than when criminals are making the same choices. The double-edged sword of Uma's technology is there is no guarantee whomever wields it will do so with the best intention.

I really enjoy the way the author melds in current issues into this concept that has such a vast reach, but simultaneously creates realistic scenarios within the futuristic scope. There is a clear understanding of day-to-day issues for the common person and how the decisions of the upper echelon have an impact on those lives, whilst clearly not comprehending or wanting to understand the impact.

I'm looking forward to the third part in the trilogy - will LEAP end up being part of a bigger better solution or is the risk of misuse just too great?

Buy Green Ray at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Rookwood Publishing pub date 25 July 2023. Buy at Amazon com.