In a future dominated by overpopulation, starvation and ecological disaster, the devastating impact of an alien ship crash landing on Earth could have tolled the death knell of the human race. Instead the haan brought with them the advanced technology needed to bring humanity back from the brink of extinction. Since that time the haan and humans have shared an uneasy coexistence. The haan ship remains behind a protective barrier, dolling out tech to the people of Earth in exchange for the bulk of humanity’s food production, necessary to keep the haan race alive. Meanwhile, various nations of Earth continue to fight starvation, and animosity towards the haan is growing.

Sam Shao is part of the haan surrogate program, bonding with and caring for a haan infant during their early development. Returning home after a routine day of work, Sam feeds the infant and is just settling in to rest when her guardian, Dragan Shao, bursts through the door demanding that she grab her things and get prepared to leave Hangfei immediately. Her confusion soon turns to terror as armed soldiers enter their home to take custody of Dragan Shao, branding him a traitor. In the process Sam finds herself being tossed through the plate glass window of their apartment.

As she plummets towards certain death, Sam Shao is unaware that things are about to go from bad, to worse.

The Burn Zone is a Fugitive-style thriller on speed. With breakneck pacing, James K. Decker takes readers through nearly 400 pages of adrenaline-fueled chase scenes, breathless action, and mounting tension. Soon after the novel begins, Sam discovers that a weapon has been smuggled into the Chinese city of Hangfei and her guardian stands accused of terrorism. Time is counting down towards the weapon’s activation, and as the clock ticks Sam must discover the weapon’s location, find and save her guardian, and somehow manage to stay alive as more and more people want her dead.

Sam Shao is an engaging character. Despite her youth, Sam has survived nightmares that most would not dream of and those experiences have shaped a complex character. While there is some suspension of disbelief that has to occur in stories where a person, or persons, are facing impossible odds, Sam Shao never feels like a superhero. As in real life, one person cannot do everything alone. Decker gives Sam likely and unlikely assistance in the form of characters drawn into her orbit and in so doing Sam is allowed to be human. She has agency and there are moments when she must use her own intelligence and skill to get out of trouble and moments in which the help of others is imperative. And sometimes she just needs a little blind luck.

I recently reviewed Ember, a novella that introduces readers to Decker’s imagined future, to the character of Dragan Shao, and to the circumstances that led to the meeting of Sam and Dragan. It too is an exciting story that sets up the world and gives valuable context to who Sam is as a person. It is not necessary to read the novella to enjoy The Burn Zone, but I highly recommend doing so. All the elements of the style and substance of The Burn Zone are present in Ember, wrapped in a tightly plotted, satisfying work of short fiction.

The Burn Zone is one of those great stories that can be read on multiple levels. It is a novel that can be enjoyed purely for the roller coaster thrill ride that starts almost immediately and does not let up until the very end. Fans of science fictional concepts will find much to stimulate their imagination in Decker’s near-future technology and ongoing revelations of the advanced alien haan. Readers looking for something more than a rollicking good story have the opportunity to delve deeper as The Burn Zone paints a disturbingly realistic possible future for humanity, using an alien culture as a catalyst to examine both the tendency of humans to turn on one another and the fear that arises when forced to confront the existence of the Other.

A story that turns a mirror on the uglier side of society while simultaneously predicting a future born of seeds that continue to planted by mankind could be unbearably smug and preachy (Elysium anyone?). James K. Decker succeeds in telling a story where those elements are there to be dug out and examined, if so desired, and yet they are built into the narrative in such a way that they are but a part of the foundation of a solid, entertaining story.

The Burn Zone held me on the edge of my seat with action and tension that was ratcheted up with each twist and turn in the story. Surprises are plentiful as deceptions and double dealings are revealed; just when you think you have it all figured out, Decker throws you a curve. I also deeply enjoyed the father-daughter story line that developed, particularly as I have a daughter of my own.

I am pleased that I took the chance on Ember. The story gripped me right from the start and I could not wait to find out more about this world and these characters. The Burn Zone satisfied on every level, and I am excited that James K. Decker’s newest novel, Fallout, returns readers to that universe. While The Burn Zone tells a complete story, there are revelations near the end that will make you intrigued to find out what happens next.

James K. Decker has a successful trilogy under his belt writing as James Knapp. The State of Decay, the first novel in the Revivors Trilogy, was nominated for the Philip K. Dick award and won the 2010 Compton Crook Award.

Decker hails from the New England area and his love of science fiction was birthed at a young age from exposure to the works of Frank Herbert and Isaac Asimov. The Burn Zone is his debut novel written under the name James K. Decker. James K. Decker’s latest novel, Fallout, is set in the same universe and promises to be exciting as the revelations in The Burn Zone reverberate across the planet.

Dave Seeley was an award-winning architect before a meeting with artists Phil Hale and Rick Berry inspired him to try his hand at illustrating the fantastic. Seeley is a prolific cover illustrator in the fantasy and science fiction field. A visit to the local bookstore will show just how prolific Seeley is, with art gracing a number of current novels and anthologies. I included the full image that Seeley created for the cover of The Burn Zone as it is worth seeing without the cropping that was done for the final cover, a subject I discussed (and author James K. Decker weighed in on) in my recent February Cover Story post.

Be sure to check out his website for more examples of his artwork. In the Originals section there are close ups of some of the paintings which are well worth viewing.