Bannerless

By: Carrie Vaughn

Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnaham

A mysterious murder in a dystopian future leads a novice investigator to question what she's learned about the foundation of her population-controlled society.

Decades after economic and environmental collapse destroys much of civilization in the United States, the Coast Road region isn't just surviving but thriving by some accounts, building something new on the ruins of what came before. A culture of population control has developed in which people, organized into households, must earn the children they bear by proving they can take care of them and are awarded symbolic banners to demonstrate this privilege. In the meantime, birth control is mandatory. Enid of Haven is an Investigator, called on to mediate disputes and examine transgressions against the community. She's young for the job and hasn't yet handled a serious case. Now, though, a suspicious death requires her attention. The victim was an outcast, but might someone have taken dislike a step further and murdered him?

In a world defined by the disasters that happened a century before, the past is always present. But this investigation may reveal the cracks in Enid's world and make her question what she really stands for.

©2017 Carrie Vaughn (P)2017 Recorded Books

Murder mystery in a pseudo-utopia

Carrie Vaughn’s Bannerless is a post-apocalyptic tale with a setting of a pseudo-utopia. Following some vague societal collapse, agrarian communities are organized into a loose-knit entity up and down a ‘coast road.’ Communal actions are tightly controlled to achieve what is believed to be a sustainable lifestyle. Population growth is also controlled with ‘banners’ earned to permit cessation from birth control. The main character is an investigator who enforces the overarching rules. She and her enforcer investigate one settlement with a mysterious death. As the investigation proceeds, secrets come to light that point to an array of violations well beyond the mysterious death.

Vaughn demonstrates a comprehensive case of world-building for this future society with a moderately consistent implementation. This is not a distant future as the most senior of citizens had been children during the earlier collapse and so, the total communal acceptance seems a bit far-fetched. The detective sleuthing is well done with a modern forensic approach without the high-tech assistance, reminiscent of the early 20th century ‘thin man’ series. The excessive societal control does evoke a stifling feeling.

The narration is reasonable, although character distinction is a bit weak. Pacing is smooth and aligned with the action.

One of my favorite authors

Carrie Vaughn pens another great read - or in this case another great listen. Engaging characters and storyline.

Enjoyable introduction to a new cast of characters

I have been reading novels by Carrie Vaughn for years. She always has a well developed plot. This one with lots of twists and turns. Her description of a world that has been destroyed by human overuse is stark but the determination of the remaining population shows the need to move forward. Greed and jealousy are the main characters in this mystery. It is a page turner. The narrator enhanced the story

Makes you think

I enjoyed it, but it makes you think about what could happen. Good Characters. Good follow on to Bannerless

Solar Punk Cozy Mystery

Excellent character driven mystery about a century after the collapse of modern civilization.
Maintaining birth control and vaccines are key values of the remaining humans/communities.