REVIEW - The Aurora Mandate
by Sam Nash

A Captivating Extraordinary Read that will Stay with You – Highly Recommended.

I love reading political spy thrillers that have a scientific edge to them, and The Aurora Mandate has these qualities in buckets. However, what it also has is heart. The main character Mary Arora is an incredible creation, faced with the unbelievable, and trapped within a destiny that couldn’t be avoided, but throughout, she shows her humanity; her true heart at everything that is around her. She doesn’t compromise who she is for what she eventually becomes.

The premise of this book is at first glance metaphysical science fiction, although take a longer glance and one can see Ms Nash has wrapped the sci-fi in pure science; the true art of the possible taken to its very limits, and somehow, it all feels very real. And as such, the plot line is far more scarier for this reason. Be prepared for deeper looks at people in power, and wondering who is really saying their words.

By the end of this captivating, brilliant book, the reader knows that Mary is accepting of all that she has done, and through this she metamorphoses from a closeted woman under the watchful eye of her husband Parth, to someone who fully understands her own worth and what she is capable of. In an ironic twist, her kidnap and incarceration gave her the freedom to explore her own capabilities and release her true self. In many ways, superhuman gifts aside, this story is very much an allegory to women who are caught in the shadows of their husbands, wanting to shine their light but not quite having enough confidence to take their own stand. Just like in the book, it takes courage to take that first step, and sometime, just like in Mary’s case, it takes a life changing moment to see one’s true worth.

The Aurora Mandate is an extraordinary book that leaves you wondering, what if? I couldn’t stop reading it into the small hours of the morning. The fascinating storyline replete with spies, terrorism, telekinesis and telepathy, geoengineering, duplicity and subterfuge coupled with Ms Nash’s enthralling writing style literally held me caught in her wonderful web of words. I couldn’t put this amazing book down. A highly recommended read, and book two, The Aurora Manifesto is already nestling on my Kindle, waiting to transport me back into the remarkable world of Mary, Dan and Grampy Pip.