State of Chaos

A Cade Rearden Thriller

De: JK Franks

Narrado por: Lee Strayer

His mind has been fractured for years. Now, he could be humankind’s only hope of stopping the end of our species.

Special Forces Captain Cade Rearden struggles to control the whispers in his head. Plagued by multiple personality disorder, he nearly spirals into insanity after extremists kill his whole team and hold him captive. Defeated but not broken, he can hardly believe it when an artificial intelligence named Doris rescues him and then recruits him for an impossible mission.

Pulling together a crack military team, Rearden must take down Janus, a rogue AI intent on launching a chain of deadly attacks on American soil. And the key to staying one step ahead of the enemy could lie in understanding and protecting the incredible knowledge that Doris possesses. Knowledge that didn’t originate here on Earth.

Can Rearden somehow control his internal chaos and the battles raging around him? Can he and his team prevent the genocide of the whole human race? The stakes don’t get much higher.

State of Chaos is the first book in the riveting Cade Rearden science fiction thriller series. If you like near-future technology, complex heroes, and high-octane action, then you’ll love JK Franks’ explosive adventure.

©2019 JK Franks Media LLC (P)2020 Jk Franks Media LLC

This Book Is Everything a Thriller Was Meant To Be

Sometimes you just get lucky. J.K. Franks’ novel, Midnight Zone, looks absolutely fascinating to me, but I decided to start with this first book in the series to make sure that I knew everything I was supposed to when I started the next book. Now, all I can say is, “WOW!” State of Chaos is an amazing ride that had me hooked from the very beginning straight through to the final page.

This book has everything a good thriller needs and a heck of a lot more. There’s a war between two rival AIs. There is first contact with an alien species. There’s a plot to create a coup within the U.S. government which will have the unavoidable side effect of killing many millions of people. And there are a few decent people dragged into the plots and conflicts that are trying desperately to keep Armageddon from happening.

On top of all of that, Franks has clearly thought very carefully about all the issues involved and pulled together a highly credible setting. These are events I could imagine happening in the modern U.S., which is quite an accomplishment since it involves two AIs, aliens, and a lot of high-tech break throughs.

The book is called a Cade Rearden Thriller, and frankly Cade, with his military training and multiple personalities is a great character, but there’s nothing in this first book to make you think he’s the only main character—i.e. the character the whole series will be built on. That’s because the rest of the cast from the friendly AI, Doris, to the teenagers she recruits to help her fight the war, to the handful of critical military personnel and scientists fighting to save humanity, are also great characters. I hope very much that they appear in the next book as well.

State of Chaos is an amazing experience. If you like high octane thrillers, strap on your seatbelt and give this novel a try.

I received this book for free from Audiobook Boom in exchange for an honest review.

Awesome

Awesome book looking forward to the 2nd book which I have loaded up next. Loved the catalyst series as well.

Great and realistic

Loved this book. So much of it could be true today. If you like techno thrillers this is the book for you. Can’t wait to read more of his books.

Great first story

I know nothing about computers so it all sounded logical to me. Great story. That is a lot to accomplish in that book.

Wonderfully executed

Loved every chapter! Great story exceptionally written and executed. If you like shtf works and have an interest in Ai and its future impacts this one is for you!

Outstanding

It’s was a long book that blew by. Great execution, kept on the edge of my chair at every turn.

Scary

Really makes you think where all the AI will go the next upcoming years.

Great story that gets better

I enjoyed this from beginning to end. In some books the character building can be slow and monotonus and knowing you just have to push through it can be tough at times to keep picking it up. JK builds the story in a way that keeps you wanting more. All of it is important. I also commend the author for the amount of research he has done into the subject of this story. As unbelievable as some of it sounds, alot is rooted in real world truth. This is a great book and I highly recommend it along with other series JK has written.

Great book!

I enjoyed this story immensely. Characters were very believable and the pace was very enjoyable. I’m looking forward to reading my next by Mr Franks, which I am starting right now.

A Fight for the Future

State of Chaos is the start of a new series by a favorite indie author of mine, JK Franks. I was given the opportunity to get the audiobook as a free review copy, and given I'd loved the prior books of his I'd purchased and gotten, I was glad for the opportunity.

State of Chaos is once again a series founded in a non fantastic sci fi universe (eg no walking dead). But in this scenario, we are dealing with warring AI's and humans in a world bordering on an apocalypse. A group of humans along with a good AI, battle with a rogue AI and the humans aligning themselves with it. The plot was rich and full of action, schemes, events, and people, but oddly it never became too confusing. The book starts with some historic back stories and origins, and then moves several years later to a series of triggering events leading up to a pending apocalypse.

I did find myself intrigued by the book being listed as a Cade Rearden thriller. Cade Rearden was a significant character in it, but it felt more like is was a multi lead character, and I wouldn't have called Rearden the lead character. So much was going on with so many characters it would be hard to label it as one character's book, being a true ensemble thriller. I am intrigued though in wondering what the future books will take on - as in concentrating more on Rearden, so all the other great characters would be more sidelined or not included. But the book was highly enjoyable, so I am pretty interested in seeing what the next book will bring. State of Chaos was a fantastic contained story though, so don't worry that you will be left with a cliffhanger...
The narrator was great, and easy to listen to, and no clarity or pacing issues. I would definitely listen to a further books by this narrator.