In Absence of Fear

By: Celeste Chaney

Narrated by: Stacy Carolan

After years of terrorist attacks, murders and kidnappings, citizens of the State vote to enact the Protector Program. A predictive policing system, it signals the dawn of the New Era. Passive iD chips are implanted in every citizen's wrist, providing convenience and protection.

The chips enable users to unlock homes, start cars, transact in stores, and monitor their health. They also collect data.

Specially designed risk prediction algorithms parse and analyze user data to predict individual levels of threat, aiding the predictive policing program and eradicating crime in most cities.

Marus Winde has worked for the State's Intelligence Annex since the inception of the New Era. As Senior Algorithm Architect, no one is more dedicated to the predictive policing program. No one has greater trust in its proficiencies.

That is, until his young son vanishes inexplicably in broad daylight in the safest city in the world.

As Marus works to reconcile the program's deficiencies and unravel the mystery of his son’s disappearance, he discovers that the system he helped build is not only imperfect, but corruptible, and that even the greatest of technological advancements can't replicate human intuition.

In Absence of Fear is the vividly imagined debut novel by Celeste Chaney that explores the role technology plays in our lives. Is it our servant, or are we its slaves? Examining themes of privacy, family, love and patriotism, this remarkably gripping story has been called “the 1984 for the post-Snowden era.”

©2015 Celeste Chaney (P)2021 Celeste Chaney

Thought-Provoking Dystopian Tale That Lingers Long After

In Absence of Fear is a really intriguing read, especially if you're into dystopian fiction. The concept is pretty wild—imagine a world where fear is completely eliminated thanks to technology. At first, it seems like a great idea, but as the story unfolds, you start to see the cracks in this so-called perfect society.

The main character, starts to question everything, and that’s when the book gets really interesting. Chaney does a great job of pulling you into this world, making you think about what life would actually be like without fear. The story is thought-provoking and makes you reflect on how important fear is to our lives, even though we often wish it away.

The pacing can be a bit slow in some parts, but overall, it’s a compelling read. If you enjoy stories that make you think about the bigger picture, *In Absence of Fear* is worth checking out. It’s one of those books that stays with you long after you’re done reading.

Great Read

I listened to this in 3 days and loved it. Creative and interesting plot- this would make a great movie!

Incredibly Entertaining and Utterly terrifying

Oh man. This book spoke to me in a way I wasn't expecting. I suppose one could argue all books speak to you when you are listening to them on audible, but seriously! The Author, Celeste, painted a world that sometimes I feel we are heading towards. Big Governments watching your every move, stripping you of rights, in an effort to keep you "safe and protected." Celeste has complete mastery over the English language. I loved how she used her word choices to describe the nightmarish circumstances Marus, the protagonist, was facing. This was definitely a page turner, which was tricky, being on audible and all. But I loved how sucked in I was. And the book was extremely well researched on topics we should all be concerned about. I enjoyed it a lot and am definitely recommending it to my friends! Seriously you'll be amazed at how quickly you get sucked in and are white knuckled the entire time!

Keeps you on your toes!

Great story. Keeps you questioning everybody's motives until the end. Wraps everything up nicely as well.

The narration was also great.

Captivating listen

I really liked the voice actor for this audio version. Combine that with a great story, interesting characters, and I found myself excited to get into my car so I can listen to more and more!

Great book!

I flew thru this book in less than 2 days and was hooked right away. The author did a great job at developing the characters and keeping you interested. I did speed up the narration a bit but other than that the narrator did a great job and has a very nice voice!

Absolutely awesome book!

This book is awesome! Character development, pace, plot, perfect use of adjectives. This book is a page turner. I usually listen to Audible while working or doing other activities. In Absence of Fear doesn’t require total attention, In Absence of Fear compels you to listen to every word. Narration was also good.

Suspenseful, Thoughtful, and Meaningful

I love this book! The story is compelling and thoughtful. The themes of fear, courage, resilience, and love are beautifully explored with the author walking a writing tight-rope balancing brilliantly between these elements and intense, gut-wrenching terror.

Celeste also has a knack for creating characters that are relatable. I found myself drawn into their world and feeling every bit of their journey as if it were my own.

Listening to this book was an experience for me. It challenged me to reflect on my own fears and how they shape my life.

Looking forward to what she’ll create next!

I got this free from the author. Honest review.

I struggled to finish. Only got 1/3 of the way through. The narrator reads clearly but incredibly slow and I had to bump the speed up 1.25x just to sound normal, but then there were moments and words that sound sped up. The women sound like helpless damsels and that's both the author and the narrator's fault. It's possible that this isn't a totally predictable story, but it follows a lot of tropes and really wants to be Minority Report meets Nick of Time but fails to achieve it's goal. I will try and finish it and edit my review once completed but 3* is all I predict I will give it.