Ares Rising

Many bad things have happened in the history of the United States. What if they weren’t random terrible events, but all part of the efforts of a secret organization started by the US government? The Ares Project began with the best intentions to help develop technology to aid the government, but now is more interested in protecting itself, its budget, and its creations than being helpful to the US government. In the tradition of government bureaucracy, many of the people who work for Ares don’t even know who they’re working for or that they are no longer friendly to the US government. Because so few people know about the Ares Project, it isn’t difficult to keep a secret so large. But when a few people stumble upon information, the Ares Project directors launch a drastic plan to save it. A plan that involves starting a war.

What is so appealing about Ares Rising is the experiences of the innocent people involved. People who are just doing their boring, not-take-over-the-world jobs. Then suddenly, instead of marking student papers or writing papers of geology, they find themselves careening into oncoming traffic or facing guns aimed at their heads. Ares Rising goes from 0 to 200 mph as it switches between those directly involved in the behind the scenes machinations of the Ares Project and the people who find themselves screaming, “What is happening?!” Even characters with less than stellar motivation find they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into when they took that bribe or agreed to follow that guy.

It’s fascinating as author Brian Phillipson reveals how so many people, with varying degrees of knowledge, are involved in the Ares Project. Ares Rising is truly a spider’s web, weaving in and out and over itself connecting so many players and events.