Review: Shock Wave 2: The Book of Vallora by Florian Louisoder

Author Florian Louisoder digs deep into dystopia with Shock Wave 2: The Book of Vallora. Despite a bitter victory over the nihilistic forces of evil in the first book, the ripples sent out through time have had a devastating impact on the future, which means that there is still a world to save.

Following their epic quest to the past, and Linda’s reclamation of the title Juno of Atlantis, she and Scott are shocked to wake up in the 21^st century having failed. Their world-killing nemesis somehow escaped to the future, won the war for Germany in Hitler’s place, and now rules a hellish future with an iron grip.

This dystopian alternate timeline makes an excellent setup for this sophomore installment, breathing new life into a conflict that seemed all but resolved at the end of the series’ debut. Linda and Scott have grown a great deal since their odd partnership began, and the connection only strengthens as the future they were trying to save turns against them.

With the uber-villain Martin Schwartz trying to eliminate these time-traveling protagonists and claim the talisman that will allow him to rule forever, the conflict is rich and engaging. The horrific depiction of the new world order is spine-chilling, particularly given the recent rise in authoritarianism and unrest across the globe. Tweaking ideas from literary figures like Orwell and wrapping in historical legends like Nostradamus, this book is a wild ride through time rifts and unexpectedly rewritten history.

Louisoder confidently flexes the creative muscles that a good time-travel story can provide. The backstory development of Schwartz in the 20th century is brilliant, making the alternate timeline feel visceral – and and almost believable. After a good amount of exposition, the heart of the story starts beating, bringing the focus back to Linda and Scott as they wrestle with time-travel paradoxes, looking over their shoulder all the while. In possession of the Book of Vallora, it quickly becomes clear that this brutal future can only be changed by unlocking its power. The narrow and nearly unbelievable escapes from the first book continue, as this power couple manages to evade the Nazis countless times, before ultimately returning to the past for another monumental showdown.

As was the case in the first book, the plot is original and enthralling, but the execution lacks precision. There are glaring grammatical errors on nearly every page, as well as sloppy and inconsistent dialogue that serves a purpose in the story, but doesn’t come across as organic. Redundancy in the storytelling is still a problem, and many events feel far too convenient to be believed.

On the other hand, there are thought-provoking thematic explorations about power and control, social destiny, resilience, and sacrifice that make the novel feel deeper than other sci-fi thrillers. The parallels drawn between the new world order and our present situation are occasionally on the nose, but eerie nonetheless, and the commentary on media influence, self-deception, manipulative language and herd mentality is certainly timely.

As a whole, this second book expands in every direction, boasting a complex plot, three-dimensional characters, rapid-fire dialogue, and the classic fuel of good vs ultimate evil, for an installment that improves on the first book in the series.